Jointer Plane

[Jerry Thompson]

I am getting ready to buy a jointer. I am looking @ Knight's Razee and Lee Valley low angle plane.
I have never used a jointer before and will probabley use it on figured HW. I could afford a LN but I think Wifey might blow an O-ring if another one of those comes through the door. I was doing OK with about one every 6 mos. until I didn't hide one of the reciepts.
Any suggestions or relating of on hands use will be appreciated.
As a side note I have the LV low angle jack and love it.

[Joel Goodman]

Look at Derek Cohen's review of the LV on his website http://www.inthewoodshop.com . It's got a lot of info.

[Michael Pilla]

A small advantage to getting the LV jointer is that it can share irons with the jack you already own. ( I love my LV jack too) If you're going to consider a Knight jointer you should contact Steve to make sure it's currently in production and get an idea of the lead time. Since it's a custom item it's not generally an immediate gratification kind of purchase. I have a Knight jointer kit but I haven't finished assembly so I can't provide any real world feedback yet.

Michael

[Jim Nardi]

They are both excellent. Razee is lighter with a narrow blade. If you have the LV jack the blades will be exchangeable with the LV jointer. LV jointer has a super accurate blade adjuster. The Razee is very easy to adjust it was my first modern wooden plane. Had the Razee for 4-5 years now. I give the slightest edge to the LV jointer because of the BU blade. Just to throw the big wrench into the deal I have a 608 with a new LV A2 blade in it. The LV jointer is better than that plane. Print off a few pictures with prices of Holtey planes or Sauer and Steiner planes and leave them around in sight for her. I don't really think the biggest problem will be your Wife. Good luck

[Jack Camillo]

i've got the lv la jointer - excellent plane. Also, there's the fence attachment that works very nicely. can't go wrong.

[Mark Singer]

The LV is very good! I have had a few long planes and I really like the LV. Now steve Knights planes are excellent, I have several.....they are a bit more specialized . I have the Razee Jack and don't use it as much as other planes, when I do ... I love it!

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Jerry

You will love the LV BU Jointer if you already have and enjoy the LV LA Jack. As pointed out, they share blades, which extends the wood range you can plane (the high angle blades can go where lower cutting angles cannot), and they also share "feel".

My one reservation for you is whether the length/width of the BUJ is sufficient. It really depends on what you want to use it for. For example, what is the scale of the work you do? Do you want to joint two long and thick boards side-by-side (the LV planes have a blade width of 2 1/4" - which has been fine for me, but does not suit some). If you are regularly jointing boards longer than 3 feet, you may prefer a longer plane (I use and like the BUJ but my go-to jointer is a 30" razee woodie I built with a thick 2" wide Hock blade). So the longer Steve Knight jointer might still be a better way to go - it comes down to what type of jointer you want.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jerry Thompson]

I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a Knight jointer. I sent him an email with some questions as to iron angle and what type of wood I will probably be working. I think it comes down to me wanting a wooden plane and I hear only good about Knight products.
I may be able to slip a LV LA Jointer in later when the misses goes off on a trip. I must remember to hide the packing slip.
I thank all who have opined and it is nice to know that people whom I don't know I really do know through the fellowship of the insanity of planes and woodworking.
Thank you.
Jerry

[Phillip Pattee]

Jerry,
With the price of fuel, any trip your wife goes on is likely to cost more than your jointer. :eek: Make sure she hides her receipts too!

[Jerry Thompson]

She won't be burning much gas on vacation, she uses a broom.http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Brian Kent]

Please post a photo when the jointer comes. Since I have neither, I can say without any doubt that you made one of two good choices.

You can show your wife the receipt, but I wouldn't show her the post about the broom. Could be dangerous.;)

[Bob Smalser]

Why buy new at all? I could replace all these complete with the fences for less that the cost of a L/N. And they work just as well.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/2594266/285184097.jpg

[Don Eddard]

She won't be burning much gas on vacation, she uses a broom.http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif
But have you seen the price of straw lately? :eek:

[Ron Dunn]

Bob, wouldn't it be more correct to say that they work just as well, once several hundred dollars worth of time and effort has been spent tuning them?

If you have the time, patience and aptitude, then fiddling around with old Stanleys might be something you enjoy. If you're missing any of these attributes, and can afford to spend a little more in compensation, buying a usable new plane might be a better choice.

[Bob Smalser]

.... they work just as well, once several hundred dollars worth of time and effort has been spent tuning them?


More like two or three hours for all three rather than what you have in mind.

1) Time I'd otherwise spend in front of the TV is free.

2) If I can't see, feel and adjust the angles necessary to fettle a simple tool, how do I ever think I'm going to master the exact same thing applying cutting edges to wood?

Now, if you want to drop that much on prestige tools then have at it. But if you really have other tools you need as well, then don't let anyone convince you you should. It can even be counterproductive.

[Jerry Thompson]

I tuned up a Bailey jack plane. I got everything as it should be after a lot of time over sandpaper and a file tuning the mouth. I installed a Hock blade and chip breaker. It is flat on the sole where it should be and the sides are square to the bottom. It preforms great.
I found out one thing, I do not care to do this. As a matter of fact I do not enjoy fiddeling with anything for any length of time. I ordered a 30" bloodwood plane with a 2.5" iron. A Razee I might add. I talked with him(Knight) and he recommended an angle of 47d. That is what I am waiting on now. He has a new type of tote and he said this will probably be his last 2.5" one. I am sure it will give me a workout but I could use a good workout.
I will post pics once I recieve it.
Thanks to everyone for the input.
I have to run Wifey may think I am ordering more tools and I can't take another flogging after yesterdayhttp://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif.

[George Springer]

While I do like wooden planes and own a Knight jointer, the one with brass lever cap, I end up using my Stanley #7 more than any other. While I like the Knight plane it doesn't have enough mass for me and I'll likely part with it one of these days. While some will say the heavier planes are more tiring I find them easier to use. Of course YMMV.

George Springer

[Terry Beadle]

I have a Steve Knight razee in Cocobolo. 2 inch blade. 17 inches long ( a little extra than standard ). It performs perfectly. I could have also had him add his lead fill to it but the Cocobolo is plenty heavy. It is slick and massive enough for tough rock maple and some burly cheery that I've used it on. If you are concerned with mass, have him add the weight. Pick a dense hardwood for the body. Once it starts moving, you may have to rope it down! Hoot!

I have a Record 07 with a Cliffton cap iron/stay set and blade. Flat and worked great right out of the box. The blade and stay/set combo really turned this thing into a "go to" plane. No complaints except the plastic handle. It's a keeper.

I really prefer the Steve Knight razee. It's slightly shorter than the Record 07 but it is just beautiful to hold, and has an adjustable mouth. It really gets the job done and was cheaper than the Record plus the stay set with blade combo. The blade is tougher and holds an edge slightly longer than the Cliffton HSS. I think its O1 but I'm not sure.

Recommended.:D

[Gary Herrmann]

I ordered a 30" bloodwood plane with a 2.5" iron. A Razee I might add. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif.

Thats gonna be pretty. Please post impressions of its use as well.

[Victor Stearns]

Jerry, Have you considered a "Clark & Williams"?
http://www.planemaker.com/products.html
I was able to meet them at Marc Adams School of Woodworking last week and they had all of their planes on hand. You could even test drive them. Very nice!!
Victor