[OP]
Member
So, I have a conundrum regarding my current stable of planes (bench planes). I have a 5 1/2, 6, 7, Low Angle Jack. Since I got my 5 1/2 and my 7, I haven't touched my 6 or LAJ. So, I'm wondering if I sell those for something else, or keep and find a dedicated use for either. If you had these 4 planes, would you find a dedicated for the 6 and/or LAJ, or sell them/trade them for something else? I really need a rip panel saw, so that would be my first guess. Just thinking out loud.
Thanks,
Kevin
Moderator
I think the LAJ is versatile and good for other things like shooting end grain.
If it were me, I'd sell the 6 and get a 4. My first bench plane was a 4, and it'll be the last they pry from my hands.
Contributor
You could use the LAJ to shoot end grain someday but mine also is just a paperweight. Also with a 7 the 6 becomes redundant. A few of us on here try to have fewer tools that get used and looked after. The challenge is keeping the right tools. Some have 70 saws 12 block planes etc. Collecting is different to using, nothing wrong with it but you still get to look after them all!
if you do something often then buying ‘the tool’ makes sense but most of us don’t and you find a workaround.
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
Member
As Prashun said, keep the LAJ.
Get a #4 or 4-1/2 and sell the rest (if you do a lot of jointing work, then keep the #7 too; otherwise the LAJ is good enough).
No block planes? Many jobs are better done with a smaller plane than a #4.
Simon
Member
If I had to I'd likely sell the 6 and get a 4. But I'd likely keep the 6 just because.
I struggle with my LAJ as well. It's great for end grain, but I long for a dedicated shooting plane. The setup I found best was putting a decent camber on my No. 5 and keeping the LAJ ground straight. Used in conjunction the No. 5 will hog off material a bit quicker and I can then clean up with the LAJ before getting the No. 7 out. However, I really dislike the lack of lateral adjustment and depth adjustment on the LAJ compared to the traditional bench planes so I generally reach for those. I like having the LAJ for end grain and to use as a hybrid smoother/jack/jointer on panels and such.
Member
They are either resellers or collectors or...hoarders, and they are too busy buying/maintaining tools than using themOriginally Posted by William Fretwell
Simon
Member
What LAJ do you have that does not offer any lateral and depth adjustments?
Simon
Member
Hard to advise I would just look at which ones you use the least. In your hands its the 6, but for me, I use the 6 all the time.
It would help to know what kind of work you are doing.
A few observations and my take based on the way I work:
1. Why don't you have a smoother? They are probably the most versatile plane you can have. Also useful for light work like chamfering, rounding, etc.
2. A #5 is used for roughing stock to dimension, usually with a cambered iron. Although, of course it can be used as a smoother is set up properly, but that is not its intent.
3. I find a #6 to be by far the one most useful plane I own. I reach for it constantly to true up edges on shorter stock, face planing, and as a shooting plane.
4. If I had to get rid of one plane, it would be the LA Jack.
My suggestion is do that and get a smoother. I love my Lie Nielsen 4 1/2 ;-).
Contributor
Hi Kevin, do you have other planes besides these? As others have mentioned a smoother in the plane till can be very useful.
Others have said, the LAJ excels at shooting end grain, this is correct. As Robert mentioned, my #6 may be my most used plane. Of course your methods of work and other needs are different than mine.
Before my LAJ the #6 was my end grain shooting plane. An old shoulder injury convinced me to purchase a LAJ.
If you have another way to shoot end grain and you want to keep the tool count down, then sell the LAJ and the #6 and find yourself a rip panel saw.
Where are you located? There may be a member close by who would be willing to trade or know where a panel saw is for sale.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
I have the Lie Neilsen No. 62. The lateral isn't a major deal on it once it is set, but adjusting depth requires you to loosen the level cap, adjust depth and then tighten the lever cap again. This inevitably upsets the lateral a bit and the cycle starts again for me. The LV LAJ seems to have ironed out some of those details.
I find myself when using my No. 5 for stock prep constantly adjusting the depth on the fly with my finger/thumb as I'm planning with no need to sight the plane. It just isn't as smooth of an operation on the No. 62. Hence why I tend to leave my 62 set with a fine cut, square iron and tight mouth that is used on end grain or jointing the faces of panels.
[OP]
Member
Thanks all for the suggestions...I strictly kept this to what I considered bench planes. However, I have 2 block planes (both LA, adjustable mouth - you won't take those away from me), a skew block, a medium shoulder and a router plane. For the most part, I shoot end grain with my 5 1/2 or my 7. It's true that I don't have a dedicated smoother, but I use my 5 1/2 as a smoother plane, though that's not the intended purpose I know. My first two purchases were the LAJ and then a 6. I was "gifted" the 5 1/2 and the 7 and find myself using them much more frequently. Hence my question. One of the main reasons is that I do work outside, but store my handtools inside. Don't ask...anyway, carrying a LAJ, 6, 7 and 5 1/2 out to the garage is too much work for me. If I could do what I want with 2 planes, I'm too lazy to carry 4! I know, 1st world problems!
I don't do a ton of work, much less with hand tools, but I like the calmness factor it provides (helps with my PTSD tremendously) as well as the fact that I have just about written off my ridgid jobsite saw and have no room for a cabinet/hybrid saw in my garage. So, I'm finding myself reaching for hand tools much more frequently. I do not own a jointer, but have a thickness planer and have on occasion used a planer sled to flatten one face. But, I can get to S4S with handplanes, though it takes me a lot longer than most.
Also, I've already had a member reach out with two panel saws for sale as well, so I'm going to respond to him anyway.
Thanks again all!
Kevin
Contributor
It all depends on how you work and what you do. I've got at least one of the following: 3, 4, 4 1/2, 5, 6, 7, 8. Of them, I use the 4 and 3 the most with the 5 a close third.
I have at least a half dozen 3 & 4 (mostly for different mouth sets) for smoothing and shooting. I have one 5 for rough flattening, and another with a finer set to use as a small edge jointer or long smoothing plane (and a whole bunch more on a shelf because I couldn't pass them up at garage sales, antique stores, etc). Note that these are all old vintage planes, picked up on the cheap. No way I could afford these in LN or LV guise, nor would I want to.
After that, the order would probably be 7, 6, 8. I go back and forth on my pair of 4 1/2s, I both like and dislike the weight and wide shaving. The 7 and 8 get used for rough edge jointing on boards too long for my jointer, so I can run the opposite side through the table saw. The 6 is set up more like a smoothing plane to use for flattening panels.
If I could keep only one it would be a 4. For me they are the most useful and used of the bench planes. If I had to pick three, it would be a 4 and a 5 and a 7. Fortunately I don't need to pick so I am keeping them all
Again, it all depends on what you do and how you work with your planes. For me the 5 1/2 and LA jack would have been long since traded out for a 3 and a 4. I just don't find the size of a 5 1/2 or the goofiness of a LA jack useful, but that is just me and now I use planes.
Member
Since you have block planes and do work outside, you could just keep the LAJ and get rid of all other bench planes. The jack of all trades would take care of ALL your planing needs. If you get a spare or regrind a high angle blade for the LAJ, you can handle difficult grain with ease.
Of course, it is up to you whether you want to keep more than one bench plane, but from a functional point of view, I don't see why you can't live with just the LAJ for your outside work.
Simon
Member
To me, your problem lies not with the plane but with you over-tightening the level cap. You should be able to adjust the depth of cut without affecting the lateral setting if the lever cap is properly set, thats not too loose and not too tight. Of course, the Veritas LAJ has set screws on the sides and that makes the depth adjustment job even more fool-proof.
Simon
Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 11-27-2018 at 1:46 PM.
Contributor
If your workpiece is flat a #5-1/2 is a fine smoother. More than one person here has posted about using a jointer or a jack for smoothing. All that is needed is a sharp blade.I don't have a dedicated smoother, but I use my 5 1/2 as a smoother plane, though that's not the intended purpose I know.
My LN #62 was purchased at a Tool Event. The person there explained the lever cap should only need ~1/4 turn between adjusting and locked in place. A bit of experimentation of setting the blade, backing off the adjustment while planing and adjusting the lever cap until it let loose helped to find the proper tightness for the lever cap. Since, adjusting the depth seldom moves the blade laterally.I have the Lie Neilsen No. 62. The lateral isn't a major deal on it once it is set, but adjusting depth requires you to loosen the level cap, adjust depth and then tighten the lever cap again. This inevitably upsets the lateral a bit and the cycle starts again for me. The LV LAJ seems to have ironed out some of those details.
There is a bearing on an adjuster nut available as another aid to keeping the blade from lateral movement during adjustment. An occasional drop of oil on the part of the nut that engages the blade has helped with this.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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