Smoothing plane

[Osvaldo Cristo]

As usually, lots of valuable advices.

Excuse me my late answer - I was travelling for business with restricted time to access my personal stuff.

First of all, my block and Jack planes are not from LV, but LN (Lee Nielsen). No idea if I typed wrongly or some "automatic spelling corrector" acted on that.

Yes, in Brazil we have Stanley planes commonly sold t several places but their quality are terrible. Actually I am in my second no. 4 as the first one I trashed three decades ago. My current no. 4 took me more than a couple of hours just to flat the base and set up the chip breaker... and it is yet difficult to get good results. Their controls are extremely flimsy and not precise. It is very difficult to use by a beginner... think on it like an old 200k mile Chevy with low maintenance: for a veteran driver it can work yet but for a novice, no way to work with it. I am a novice for hand planes. Yes, I also purchased a Stanley block plane... it was cheap at both meaning of the work. Imagine it doesn't have a cast iron base, just a metal sheet bended conveniently! Bottom line is local sold Stanley planes are bellow to indecent. I do not consider them.

I was to give up of any hand planes when I had a chance to handle a Lee Nielsen plane and from that moment I start to consider perhaps there are some salvation also for me!

Returning to my original question, I am afraid of traditional (including chip breaker) Stanley style planes and that is the main reason I really consider a traditional Japanese smooth plane instead the obvious step towards a Stanley no. 4 or no. 4 1/2. You guys opened my yes to forget my prejudice and re-consider the traditional approach also for smoothing. When I asked you I was very prone to the Japanese solution (yes, I know, it also have a chip breaker) and now I returned to square zero!

Thanks all for the valuable feedback!

All the best,

[Rob Luter]

I'm a little late to the game, but would like to offer up my experience. My smoothing plane journey started out on a path dictated by budget and a growing appreciation for vintage Stanley tools. I learned the fine points of fettling the planes to near mechanical perfection and honed my sharpening skills to a keen edge (pun intended). I got really good at both. My two main smoothers were Stanley Sweetheart era planes, a #4 and a #4 1/2, both with Hock replacement irons. Both were purchased for reasonable prices but had many hours of time invested in refurbishment and tuning.

Then I tried a Lie-Nielsen #4 1/2. Out of the box it performed better than my well tuned Stanley #4 1/2. I now have a Lie Nielsen #4 as well. Performance is equally excellent. All my vintage planes have found other homes. I could make the vintage stuff work well, but with the modern tools it was nearly effortless.

One thing I'll add based on your comments about chipbreakers....

A bevel up plane is an excellent choice. The Veritas Bevel Up Smoother that Derek suggests really works nice. The high angle irons work amazingly well on figured grain. I had the big brother to that plane (low angle jack) with the full blade complement and it worked well as a large smoother.

[john zulu]

You have the perfect combination so far. I would suggest the LV BUS which just is compatible with your Jack plane. There are many smoothers out there from Kanna down to #4. Just that with your combination BUS is a better alternative.
Check Derek Cohen website on his reviews. A well worth read.

Dear Neanders,

I am creating my basic plane set. I started with a LV block plane and after a few months I went to an also LV, Jack plane with multiple blades (actually two but two others on their way).

I am now considerring a smoothing plane and I need your advice.

A couple years ago I really thought cabinet scrappers could replace satisfactory a smoothing plane so I went to the way of block and Jack combined with scrappers for all my tasks... perhaps I am wrong. When considering a smoothing plane I also faced another doubt: either a classical LV no. 4 or 4 1/2 or a high end Japanese smoothing plane like Tsunezaburo azumashuseki (Blue 2 steel).

You guys, way more experient than myself with those hand tools, perhaps could compare card scrappers, traditional smoothing planes and Japanese ones for an amateur woodworking used to power tools but starting with hand tools also.

Thanks in advance for your input. It is very appreciated.

[Ron Kellison]

I would recommend that you add either the Lee Valley Bevel Up Smoother or the LV Small BUS. I have both of the Smoothers and alternate between them all the time. I also have the LV Jack and the LV 4 1/2. I'll be listing the 4 1/2 on eBay in the near future. I hardly EVER reach for it now!

[Richard Verwoest]

Since you already have the BU LN(#62?) why not stay with what you know(and like), and get the #164 LN smoothing plane.