Contributor
I got the LV BUS over the L-N for one reason: it has a 2 1/4" wide blade instead of a 2". May not seem like much but I use mine on a shooting board and with the the LV I can edge a 8/4 board. As for the LV being not as pretty as the L-N BUS, I agree. Now if Rob had made a non-rust version I would have spent an extra $100 without hesitation.
Eric
Member
I've never held a LV BUS, but in looking at the pics, it does not look as though there is much support along the side to be using on a shooting board. ? Have you modified yours?Originally Posted by Eric Brown
“Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway”
- John Wayne (1907-1979)
Member
LV BUS is a 2-1/4" bladed smoother but can't be used on its sides. LV LAS is a 2" bladed smoother that can be used on its sides.
Contributor
I'm sorry. I didn't mean the LV BU smoother but the BU Jack.
Eric
Member
Joe, I was all over the LN until I read about their blade adjustment. They even have a video on uTube showing their bevel up line. It turned me off. For a smoother it is a bit too challenging for me (I'm sure it is no big deal to others). I emailed Christopher Schwartz and asked for his recommendation on a bevel up plane (after reading his new book - excellent purchase BTW). If he could only own one which would it be. He suggested the LV BUS (with one of the drivers being the ease of setup). He had nothing bad to say about the LN line, he just preferred the LV line for the BUS.
With skill and tool we put our trust and when that won't do then power we must.
Member
I never thought about using the LV BUS on the shooting board. Interesting idea. I use either my LN 5 1/2 or believe-it-or-not my LN #8 jointer. The #8 works VERY well as a shooter. The weight of it really helps with the control. You don't have to push as hard to keep the plane riding against the edge. It is pretty effortless.
With skill and tool we put our trust and when that won't do then power we must.
Contributor
Rick, I think Eric corrected his post and meant to say the BU Jack was used to shoot. That is also what I use, and it works great. Just enough mass. Though, I imagine your LN 5.5 and 8 work great, as well.
Member
Ah, that's what I get for not reading the entire post. Thanks for the update.
With skill and tool we put our trust and when that won't do then power we must.
Member
There is actually an advantage in one respect to the way the LN plane is adjusted. It isn't nearly as easy as with a bevel down Stanely design, but you can extend the blade on the planing stroke, which is not possible with the LV Norris-Style adjuster. One reason you might wish to do this (adjust on the planing stroke) with a smoother is that you can avoid accidentally taking a big gouge out of your nicely prepared flat surface by backing the blade off to the point where it is above the sole, then gradually extend it on a few strokes over the surface.
One other comment is that adjustment by hammer tap is far more accurate than any lateral mechanism yet devised - all of them, whether they be of the Bailey design or the Norris type (and there are a few others that are considerably rarer) are fairly coarse - small adjustments to the lever result in big swings in the shaving thickness one one or the other side of the plane.
Member
All good points David. That is one of the main reasons I prefer the bevel down planes to the bevel up. Sneaking up on the cut is very desirable and good practice. I only use my LV BUS for really nasty grain. I always revert back to the trusty LN 4 1/2 for all other smoothing operations.
With skill and tool we put our trust and when that won't do then power we must.
[OP]
Member
Rick, i've had to deal with african mahogany and if you're telling me your LV BUS can take shavings off that stuff with no tear out then i'm all ears. i get tear out on african mahogany with my LV large scraper plane! (and yes i like to think i know how to set it up properly).
on your BUS, what angle is the blade honed to and what is your final 'angle of approach'?
i too prefer the look of the 4-1/2, and i think i would really enjoy the heft, but i can't discount results.
the lv bus is looking like a winner.....
of course in an ideal world i'd own both.
Member
I'm not Rick, but I was just doing this last night.
I have a piece of Ribbon Mahogany thats just a big mass of reversing grain. My LV BUS with a 50 Degree blade ( so a 62 Degree angle of attack ) cleaned it up no problems. The BUS is the "hired gun" on my plane shelf.
BTW, if you decide to go that route do yourself a favor and read the Derek's article about the best way to setup your HA BU blade. Grind the primary bevel low (or buy the low blade), and then use a honing guide to add a secondary high cutting angle. Personally I usually hollow grind my blades, but I found trying to hone a blade at that angle to be beyond my skill level (plus its much more of a pain to create a camber).
Good luck, the LV BUS is IMO an incredible value for the price!
btw, here is a picture of a similar piece of Ribbon Mahogany that my BUS tackled... (sorry, not a great picture)
Last edited by Matt Wilson; 10-21-2009 at 1:19 PM. Reason: adding picture
Member
Khaya (usually what "african mahogany" is) is one of the most difficult species to plane. It's not just the grain reversal - this wood also has fairly weak bonds between the fibers, which makes tearing very easy.
And, at least in my experience, every board is different. Some will clean up fairly nicely with a high cutting angle, others will refuse all blades, even cabinet scrapers, and sanding is a last resort.
If you want to try a high cutting angle before investing $$$ in planes, you can easily achieve the same result as a BUS by puttng a back-bevel on your BD smoother blade. The back-bevel doesn't need to be wide - a few millimeters is all it takes. I do this by putting a wooden block under the end of the blade to raise the cutting edge off of an 8000 grit stone, then give it a few lateral strokes. Using the wooden block means that I can easily repeat that angle when it comes time to re-hone the blade.
However, I'd note that my experience is that some African Mahogany will tear out no matter what - whether I use a L-N BUS, a BD with a 20 degree back bevel, or like your experience, a scraper plane.
One thing that does help enormously in these situations is a quick wipe with denatured alcohol followed by planing - it makes a world of difference.
[OP]
Member
this makes perfect sense! i use DA when planing end grain every time, never thought to try it on difficult face grain.
as far as getting an idea of the bu planes' abilities, i may just put a steep micro bevel on my 90-1/2 block plane and see what happens.
Member
Roger, I have mine set as Matt does - 50-degree bevel on a 12-degree bed. I usually plane a 2-degree or so secondary and then add another degree or 2 tertiary (all done by hand so it isn't exact). It does quite well for me. I have gotten a few boards that don't behave but for the most part it works.
With skill and tool we put our trust and when that won't do then power we must.
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