Howdy,

Check out the newest addition to their line of planes:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...renc y=2&SID=

I was fortunate enough to get a chance to test this plane and here
are some of my observations.

First impression: It is massive; just the sort of heft that lends
itself to really hugging the work.

The heft also worried me a bit, as it took a bit of time to get the
hang of gripping the plane. I like the wooden knobs on it versus brass;
great idea to add one at the toe. The tilting rear knob is extremely
handy and comfortable to use. Also, there are angled, tapped holes on
either side near the front so that the front knob can be set at an
upward angle in use. Nice touch, that.

I played around a bit with how the finger-hole can best come into
play. Found that it works nicely when holding the plane upright with
the middle finger in the hole. I also played around a bit using my
thumb. One negative: The sharp edge on the inside of the hole could be
a bit painful for extended use. I suggested they might want to bevel
the inside like the outside is, but understand that could be
cost-prohibitive.

The sliding toe-piece adjustment is great. Simple and very precise.
Combined with the side set-screws and the Norris-style adjuster, it
was very easy to get an extremely light cut with a very small mouth
opening, and do so repeatedly. (I still think the side-screws may be
the best enhancement LV/Veritas came up with. For someone who likes to
hone his irons often, it takes any doubt out of my mind that I can get
things set up in a split-second just like they were before I removed the
iron.)

I'm wondering if the clamping mechanism could be made with a slightly
larger screw. It's not necessarily a problem as it is, but it might be
a bit more comfortable in use. (But I expect that could cause problems
by extending past the sides.)

OK, now my overall impressions of it in use. I didn't have any
tenons to trim, so I just used it on endgrain. Without any honing, and
only a bit of adjustment, it was taking perfect endgrain shavings in oak
and figured maple. I also tried it on pine to see if it could handle
the soft stuff without terrible breakout at the end of the cut. It was
great.

The mass was very handy, and the combination of two knobs plus the
fingerhole really does seem to give me some decent alternatives for
gripping the plane as it's used in various positions. I am not
experienced with large shoulder planes; the only thing I have to compare
it to is the L-N large plane, which I have played around with for a
total of 30 minutes or so. But I must say, the LV plane is much easier
to handle. With the L-N plane I couldn't figure out where to put my
hands to get a secure grip, while with this one it's a matter of
choosing the best alternative grip. It was actually pretty easy to
control once I experimented with different grips a bit.

The iron is nice and beefy, and came well-sharpened (though I'll
probably hone it a bit more before using it on any projects). The fit
and finish were quite good, especially for a pre-production plane.

Priced at $169, this is definitely an outstanding buy. Those who
have been considering the high-end L-N shoulder plane would be
well-advised to look closely at the Veritas plane first.


Chuck Vance (no affiliation, etc.)

Chuck:

Thanks for the review. Like their earlier, smaller, shoulder
plane, the new one appears to reflect LV's innovative approach
to things. They don't add Froo-Froo type whistles and bells
but rather little things that make a tool work better, make
it easier to set up and to use. The fingerhole is an example
of one of their "Of course! Why didn't someone do this before!"
innovations as is adjustable angles for knobs.

Good gripping positions seem to be the shortcoming of the
Stanley, Clifton and LN shoulder planes. I understand the
constraints of the tool needing to be use on both sides
and the bottom. but the LV "small" shoulder plane got
around that one with the swivel knob and an O-ring to
act as a friction device to hold it in position while you
lock it down there.

With the refinements, improvements - it's surprising
to see that the $170US price tag is over $50 less than
the LN version. More for less - what a concept!

Some questions

How wide is the iron?
Where the sides to bottom really really square?
Was the bottom really, really flat?
What's it weigh - give or take an ounce

thanks again

charlie b

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 07:48:36 -0500, Conan the Librarian
wrote:

Howdy,

Check out the newest addition to their line of planes:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...renc y=2&SID=

Once again, Rob firmly attaches himself to my wallet. G

I'm neither a Normite or a Neander, so I find shoulder planes to be
the most useful planes I have. This one looks like it'll be great. I
can't wait to try it out.

Barry

(snip)


How wide is the iron?
Where the sides to bottom really really square?
Was the bottom really, really flat?
What's it weigh - give or take an ounce

thanks again

charlie b

Hi Charlie -

1 1/4"
Square
Flat
3 pounds 12 ounces

Cheers -

Rob

charlie b wrote:

Chuck:

Thanks for the review. Like their earlier, smaller, shoulder
plane, the new one appears to reflect LV's innovative approach
to things. They don't add Froo-Froo type whistles and bells
but rather little things that make a tool work better, make
it easier to set up and to use. The fingerhole is an example
of one of their "Of course! Why didn't someone do this before!"
innovations as is adjustable angles for knobs.

Yeah, the improvements they make to existing plane models would seem
to be the result of having actual tool-users design the planes, rather
than just some engineer/marketing guy. (E.g., Bridge City.)

They also actively solicit input from the tool-using public while
their products are in the pre-production stage. (And they take into
account the suggestions given.)

Good gripping positions seem to be the shortcoming of the
Stanley, Clifton and LN shoulder planes. I understand the
constraints of the tool needing to be use on both sides
and the bottom. but the LV "small" shoulder plane got
around that one with the swivel knob and an O-ring to
act as a friction device to hold it in position while you
lock it down there.

With the refinements, improvements - it's surprising
to see that the $170US price tag is over $50 less than
the LN version. More for less - what a concept!

Frankly, I don't know how they do it. I'm just glad that they've
chosen to aggressively pursue that intermediate market niche for
handtools.

Some questions

How wide is the iron?

1-1/4"

Where the sides to bottom really really square?

Yep.

Was the bottom really, really flat?

Yep again.

What's it weigh - give or take an ounce

I think it weighs in at 3.75 lbs.

thanks again

charlie b

My pleasure, charlie. I'm glad it was of some use to you.

Just to emphasize once again: I have no stake in Lee Valley/Veritas
other than the fact that I hope they keep making innovative tools that
are reasonably-priced.


Chuck Vance