Your Best Block Plane

[Brian Kent]

Ron Brese tried to tempt me with that in December. I'm not planning on dying any time soon, so why not both? Make a J-style small smoother and buy a LN !

[Brian Kent]

I visited the Craftsman Studio store front in San Diego yesterday. I asked Bill Kohr to show me the LN 60-1/2, based on all of the recommendations here. It fit my hand perfectly. It looked beautiful and substantial. I let him know I planned to order one in the near future.

I bought the LN 102 from Craftsman Studio a few years ago - my first top quality plane. I like the plane as a pocket plane but have wanted something larger with adjustable mouth.

The 102's mouth is almost completely closed. I looked at his 102 on display and, unlike mine, there was light - maybe a 1/64" mouth opening, although I did not measure. I asked Bill about sharpening angles and he told me also to check on the flatness of the iron. He had one customer with a slightly curved iron on his LN 102 that made the mouth close before exposing the tip of the blade.

I came home and put the 102 blade up against a Starrett blade and could easily see light. It was off by about .004", concave on the back side and convex on the front. When I wrote to Bill to see if this would cause the problem he said he would send me a new iron on Monday with a return postage paid envelope for the one I have now.

Bill Kohr + Craftsman Studio + Lie Nielsen = 1 class act!

[Chuck Tringo]

When I wrote to Bill to see if this would cause the problem he said he would send me a new iron on Monday with a return postage paid envelope for the one I have now.

Bill Kohr + Craftsman Studio + Lie Nielsen = 1 class act!

That sounds great, I have actually been looking at the craftsman studio to place my March 'reward for me' order , I wanted to get their fret saw and the LN Carcass saw but haven't heard much about them so I wasn't sure about ordering with them yet. Sounds like a good reason to add them to my list of WW tool vendors.

[Brian Kent]

Chuck, do you do woodworking in Iraq or wait til home?

[Chuck Tringo]

Brian,

I'm waiting until I get home, 3 months left and since Christmas I have been placing a monthly order so that I will have a big pile o stuff waiting for me ....it helps the days go by a little quicker looking for what I will get next.

[Brian Kent]

Great idea Chuck.

Yes I would give Craftsman Studio as high a recommendation as Lee Valley and Tools For Working Wood. Top notch.

Thanks for what you are doing right now.

Brian

[Chuck Tringo]

Thanks Brian....sounds great, I'm a huge fan of LV and love almost everything Veritas, haven't placed an order with TFWW yet when I get back his holdfasts are at the top of my list as is a bow saw hardware kit. The great thing about ordering stuff now is that SWMBO misses me so much that she overlooks the 2 or 3 packages that arrive monthly with my name on them

[Brian Kent]

Thanks Brian....sounds great, I'm a huge fan of LV and love almost everything Veritas, haven't placed an order with TFWW yet when I get back his holdfasts are at the top of my list as is a bow saw hardware kit. The great thing about ordering stuff now is that SWMBO misses me so much that she overlooks the 2 or 3 packages that arrive monthly with my name on them

Fantastic - I'm taking notes on your psychology.

[Kent A Bathurst]

What's wrong with me? I have both the LN 60-1/2 and the LN 60-1/2R - flip a coin - just happen to have this thing for the "R". Nobody else listed it tho.

[Brian Kent]

Kent,

Because of your post a few days ago, I looked at the 60-1/2R yesterday at Craftsman Studio. I don't actually see the downside. I have been focusing on the 60-1/2, but it seems your favorite has that one advantage of getting into the corner. It sure looks plenty stiff and solid.

Is there any downside to a 60-1/2R as a block plane?

Brian

[Prashun Patel]

Does the 'R' plane have an adjustable mouth?

[Mike Henderson]

Does the 'R' plane have an adjustable mouth?

No.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Kent,

Because of your post a few days ago, I looked at the 60-1/2R yesterday at Craftsman Studio. I don't actually see the downside. I have been focusing on the 60-1/2, but it seems your favorite has that one advantage of getting into the corner. It sure looks plenty stiff and solid.

Is there any downside to a 60-1/2R as a block plane?

Brian

I have one and tried to use it as a block plane. Since the blade sticks out on the sides, you can do some damage to wood, or to your other hand if you're not careful (don't ask). I would put it in the category of, "Yes, you can use it as a block plane, but you'll be better off with a regular block plane."

It's a special purpose tool.

Mike

[Jim R Edwards]

Lie Nielsen 60 1/2r

[Kent A Bathurst]

I have one and tried to use it as a block plane. Since the blade sticks out on the sides, you can do some damage to wood, or to your other hand if you're not careful (don't ask). I would put it in the category of, "Yes, you can use it as a block plane, but you'll be better off with a regular block plane."

It's a special purpose tool.

Mike

Yeah, well, that's true, kinda-sorta.....I wouldn't say it's a special-purpose tool - I'd flip that around and say there are special purposes where it isn't the optimal tool. I guess I look it as the "utility infielder". (Maybe I'll give it a name - Tom Brookens. If you didn't spend a lot of nights in Tiger Stadium in 1984, that might not connect with you).

I have the blade aligned so it doesn't project to the left (I'm right handed). I can use it for a fast trim of tenon face right against the shoulder, or any quick rabbet-type clean-up, or any-old quick trimming work like an apron plane almost - with the benefit that it is a rabbet when needed. It is LA by design. Most of this type of work doesn't succeed or fail on the adj mouth. When it comes down to a situation where I need the adj mouth feature, I have the 60-1/2. And sometimes, it just depends on where my hand alights on the plane till, to be honest. I'm not saying it necessarily replaces the 60-1/2, but if I was forced to sell one of the two, I'd prolly keep the R.