Joinery Plane Options

[John Isgren]

Looking at two options for joinery planes.

1. Veritas Joinery package - Small Plow plane with all blades, Router plane with all blades, skew rabbet and medium shoulder. Mostly interested In the router and plow, the other two would be useful and the package represents a significant discount overall.

2. For about the same price I could get the Veritas combination plane with a large assortment of blades plus the Router plane with all of the blades.

Everything I have read recommends the Combination plane vs the Plow plane. Other advantage is I don’t have to buy all of the combo blades right now and can order as I need.

Any thoughts as to the utility of the combo plane vs plow? I have already gotten some feedback that the skew and shoulder may not be needed to start with.

[Jim Koepke]

The combination plane allows many more options the plow plane doesn't. A simple molding made with beading and fluting blades can really make a piece pop.

A wide blade on the combination plane allows you to make rabbets of just about any size. It may be a bit tricky going across grain but even that can be done.

My shoulder plane comes in handy most of the time for clean up of rabbets. A sharp chisel seems to work better for me on mortise & tenon work. Occasionally my router plane is used for trimming tenons.

A skew rabbet would be a nice addition to my fleet of planes... Oh wait, there are already a bunch of wooden skew rabbets in my accumulation. They were all $20 or less. They do require a little fettling and getting used to for good results.

jtk

[David Silverson]

I would get the combination plane and router. You’ll not miss the shoulder plane and I find skew rabbet planes not very useful.

[Prashun Patel]

What joinery are you trying to cut? I am not sure a Combination Plane is something everyone needs.

I'd buy these one at a time depending on what joint you are trying to make.

If it were me, I'd start with the router plane and go from there. I do find the router plane a little more versatile (if not a tad slower in some situations) than a shoulder plane with respect to tenon cheeks, dados, and half laps. For actual tenon shoulders I prefer a chisel which gives the ability to undercut.

So, my vote is: carcass saw + 3/8" chisel + router plane.

[Jim Koepke]

I am not sure a Combination Plane is something everyone needs.

If one wants to have slots for drawer and box bottoms there isn't a more efficient way to produce them short of an electric router.

jtk

[John Schtrumpf]

If one wants to have slots for drawer and box bottoms there isn't a more efficient way to produce them short of an electric router.

jtk

Also the grooves for frame and panel, bread board ends, tongue and groove (although there are dedicated tongue and groove planes).

[Rob Luter]

I have a medium shoulder plane I use frequently, a small plow plane I use occasionally, and #71 Router I use rarely if ever. I think the combination plane is about as cool as it gets, but I can't see I'd use it much.

My $0.02 worth.

[John Isgren]

If one wants to have slots for drawer and box bottoms there isn't a more efficient way to produce them short of an electric router.

jtk

My current projects ideas consist mostly of furniture with a total of about 24 drawers...

I know that I will get either a plow or combination. Since one project is a drop leaf table with rule joints, that likely pushes me firmly towards the combination plane.

[Josko Catipovic]

I've been able to do beading and fluting with my Veritas plow plane, as well as cutting dadoes up to .1/2". Works fine. Took me a while to automatically reach for it, but I'm doing it more and more lately.
I bought the Veritas joinery kit. Took me a while to grow into it, but I'm so glad i did. Can't imagine working without the shoulder plane lately, and the router and skew rabbet also get their share of use.

[David Bassett]

... Since one project is a drop leaf table with rule joints, that likely pushes me firmly towards the combination plane.

I don't see rule joint blade sets for the LV combo plane, does e.g. the Stanley 55 have this option?

Also, I understand how a rule joint can be cut with hollow & round planes, (not that I'd want, or have the skill, to make a clean joint that way), but I don't visualize the geometry of cutting one with the LV combo plane even if you made a custom blade set. I suppose there's some tilt angle and complex blade that'd work, I just don't picture it.

[Brandon Speaks]

I guess it depends on what you are building. I could see the usefulness of all the planes in the joinery package for some people. For me neither option listed would be worth a grand, but we have different needs. I do have the router plane and dont use it as much as I though but am glad I have it, I recently got the small plow and am glad I have it too, neither has a large blade assortment but I am sure both will grow with time. The combo plane is interesting and I could see why people like that one, maybe someday I will get one.

[John Isgren]

I don't see rule joint blade sets for the LV combo plane, does e.g. the Stanley 55 have this option?

Also, I understand how a rule joint can be cut with hollow & round planes, (not that I'd want, or have the skill, to make a clean joint that way), but I don't visualize the geometry of cutting one with the LV combo plane even if you made a custom blade set. I suppose there's some tilt angle and complex blade that'd work, I just don't picture it.

I found this blog for making one with blades for a Stanley 55 which should work with the LV combo. Eventually I want at least a half set of hollows and rounds, but new is far too expensive and I don’t know enough yet to be able to evaluate vintage ones for use.

62382404-5EB4-4E40-AD01-2BD4A93E63EA.jpg

http://bringbackthehandtools.blogspot.com/2013/

[David Bassett]

I found this blog for making one with blades for a Stanley 55 which should work with the LV combo....

Hopefully one of the more experienced folks will chime in, but that looks to me like the blades work in the 55 because the skates can be offset ("tilted"). I understand the LV Combo is more similar to the Stanley 45 and lacks the ability to adjust a skate up & down. Probably a 45-degree tilt could "raise" one skate versus the other, but that also changes the cutter profile and I'm just not picturing it. (If you got a clear mental image, go for it! And *please* document the process, I'm sure a lot of people will be interested.)

Good luck.

[John Isgren]

Hopefully one of the more experienced folks will chime in, but that looks to me like the blades work in the 55 because the skates can be offset ("tilted"). I understand the LV Combo is more similar to the Stanley 45 and lacks the ability to adjust a skate up & down. Probably a 45-degree tilt could "raise" one skate versus the other, but that also changes the cutter profile and I'm just not picturing it. (If you got a clear mental image, go for it! And *please* document the process, I'm sure a lot of people will be interested.)

Good luck.

Admitting full well that I haven’t a clue and have never played with one of these, I think I can see a couple of different ways for this to work. Isn’t that half the fun of woodworking projects. — to figure out how to do something?

[Hasin Haroon]

Between the two options I would go with the joinery plane set. The combination plane can do everything the other planes (other than the router) can do, but not as well. It's easier and better to have dedicated tools for each activity rather than a catch all tool that needs a lot of finicking and doesn't work quite as well.