Which Shooting Plane

Hi All,

So I am getting back into my little hobby of acoustic guitar building. And since it is a hobby (and I want to teach my kids old school things) I want to do as much work by hand tools as I can, I want to set up a shooting board. I know I could use my LAJ but I want a dedicated shooting plane (if for no other reason they are cool). So with that said, if buying brand new, would you go Veritas or LN? That LN looks like a darn solid piece of metal but is out 50% more expensive than the Veritas which i know are quality also. Any opinions from the crowd here? if i get none you will all force me to go LN, just because... :)

I haven't used both - only the Veritas. I love it.

I particularly like this plane because the blade is bevel up. I find it particularly easy to remove, sharpen and exactly replace it in the same place. The PMV11 blade seems to last a long time - which is nice even on end grain.

I would suggest treating yourself and also getting the shooting track. It's easy to adjust and makes the sliding action nice and consistent.

I did see the tracks while looking and thought, boy thats an easy, cheap way to get it right :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Prashun Patel

I haven't used both - only the Veritas. I love it.

I particularly like this plane because the blade is bevel up. I find it particularly easy to remove, sharpen and exactly replace it in the same place. The PMV11 blade seems to last a long time - which is nice even on end grain.

I would suggest treating yourself and also getting the shooting track. It's easy to adjust and makes the sliding action nice and consistent.

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Frank,
* I have the LV and love it.
* Derek Cohen has a superb review/comparison of several brands here.
* He reviews the LN here and the LV here.
* There are several recent threads on shooting planes in the SMC archives that you should take a look at too.

Hope it helps.
Fred

Another very satisfied LV user. Ditto what Prashun said...the PMVII stays sharp a long time. After my first use, I couldn’t believe the full length see through end grain shavings. I don’t have the track, but installed an adjustable wooden fence. Makes shooting a breeze.

I have the Lee Valley and love it. I got to use the Lie-Nielsen one at Handworks, and it was a dream. I am a huge fan of the look and feel of the Veritas, but I really liked the heft of the Lie-Nielsen. Ultimately I will call it a toss-up, so therefore get the Veritas for price. *Note: for me an added advantage was already having the other Veritas low angle planes in the lineup, so I already had "umpteen" irons in various grinds and metals. You mentioned you have a LAJ- if it is a Veritas, the iron will interchange with this plane. You can have two different bevel angles on the irons and swap them back and forth.

I'll give another thumbs up for the LV, for all the reasons already stated and Derek's review. It's great tool.

love my LN

LV. Are you sure about the shooting plane?
I was looking into getting one, but most of the delcamp luthier guys recommend just a good jointer plane for jointing tops/backs.

I think a dedicated shooting plane is more for trimming miters and perfectly square edge.

I use a Lee Valley #6 low angle clamped on it's side to the shooting board. I use it for joining violin top and back center joints; It does a beautiful job. It makes shavings so thin you can see through them.

I agree the LV or LN shooting plane is probably overkill for guitar parts. That said, I have the LV and love it.

Love the Lee Valley. The PM11 blade keeps a nice edge.

Not that you were goign to, but I have the older LN #9 mitre plane (the big square one they don't make anymore) and it's hard to keep the lateral action consistent.