Thread: Calling all Lie-Nielsen smoothing plane users

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Makita, Bosch, Metabo and no doubt others are not worth importing outside the system, so if they can do it for a proper price....then.....

Yep. There are TONS of companies who sell their products at similar prices worldwide these days, I see no reason to support companies that jack up their prices as soon the stock hits out shores. I can forgive taxes and import costs but some companies take the mickey.

*cough* Festool *cough*

This has been said before by others ,I have always believed that if you are looking to purchase do so once if you can afford to do so, thereby no excuse for having regrets.
The saying buy once buy for a lifetime usually hold stead.
My rather generous other half suggested on retirement to buy what I wanted & not regret it.
Like Derek I have the bronze 3&4 planes ,I do like the heft of them mind though you dont need as big a breakfast as you do with the #8
The #4 would make a nice thoughtful gift from your loved ones ,something I'm sure you would constantly treasure.

Originally Posted by D.W.

You're right. the FR medium box price list that I was looking at wasn't very clear that $4x.xx was only for Canada. Australia's price group is the highest in the world for that box and a 6 or 7 pound box without FR is even higher.

I wonder why so terrible.....I guess because of the relatively low volume of US postage going there and the fact that it's so far away.

yep,
Australia is just so far away

LAX to Melbourne is one of the world's longest non-stop flights -- it ranks something like 12th or 14th.
Dallas-Fort Worth to Sydney (and Houston--Sydney) is the one of the top 5 longest (currently, I think Perth to London is the longest non-stop regularly scheduled flight)

Originally Posted by doug3030

No, Its because five years ago when the exchange rate was one US dollar for our 75 cents, Aussies were buying heaps from the US so the US postal service upped their rates to capitalise on it.
Now that the exchange rate is the other way around and we pay an Aussie dollar and only get US 75 cents they haven't dropped the postage back to what it was.

it's a bit more complex than that.

The USPS runs at a substantial loss -- "The [US] Postal Service reported a net loss for the year [2017] of $2.7 billion, a decrease in net loss of $2.8 billion compared to 2016.
Reference: https://about.usps.com/news/national...7/pr17_069.htm

IMO the USPS is using international mail as a source of additional revenue to off set some of their annual losses

Originally Posted by ian

yep,
Australia is just so far away

LAX to Melbourne is one of the world's longest non-stop flights -- it ranks something like 12th or 14th.
Dallas-Fort Worth to Sydney (and Houston--Sydney) is the one of the top 5 longest.

And yet, back in the days when the exchange rate went our way and the postage was not exhorbitant, I was regularly buying from the US AND it was being delivered faster than orders from the other side of Melbourne. Go figure.

Originally Posted by ian

rather than guess I subsequently looked up USPS Flat rate boxes to Australia. Around $80 USD for a medium box, which is about $112 AUD. So all up a Bronze #4 would be about $600 AUD landed.
Currently that is below the consumption tax threshold for individual imports -- but not for much longer.

Direct from Lie Nielsen US, a No.4 is $350USD + $67.7USD shipping. So $417.7USD delivered. Current exchange rate is 77.2 US cents per Au dollar. So $541.10 aud landed. I have a credit card with no int. Tramsaction fees (typically 3% as you say) so that would be the total cost. It usually works out between 18.5 and 25% cheaper at the current exchange rate depending on what you buy and obviously buying more than one item but still below $1000aud works out better than a single item. For example 2 no.4's the shipping is $98- so $517Aud per plane delivered (approx 17.5% off).

Cheers, Dom

Originally Posted by doug3030

And yet, back in the days when the exchange rate went our way and the postage was not exhorbitant, I was regularly buying from the US AND it was being delivered faster than orders from the other side of Melbourne. Go figure.

there's nothing wrong with the delivery times, either via UPS or USPS. More than once I've confirmed an order (and shipping) before I've left for work on a Tuesday morning and had the delivery guy knocking on my door at sparrow's fart 3 days later (i.e. Friday).


But if you think AustPost is bad you should try what passes for Express Post in Canada. I'm currently tracking an expedited package that was posted to Australia last Friday and is yet to leave Canada!

Tis a pity that the OP has not got a relative or friend coming from the US ,would be a saving for him.

I'm keeping an eye out keeping an eye out for traveling friends John.

Better yet a friend in Maine who can also get the 10% discount from buying directly from the showroom!

I have a Stanley 4 which I purchased as a 14 year old in1960 and fitted a Hock blade about 10 years ago and with a sharp blade is perfect. I have acquired a lot of LN planes over the last 25 years and they are just perfect if you can afford them. If you lust after a 4 size plane I have a LN 164 which is superb for our hard timbers which you will need to order direct from LN in the States. If you just want a#4 order it with a 50 or 55 degree frog.

[QUOTE=Ian Jaques;2080686] If you lust after a 4 size plane I have a LN 164 which is superb for our hard timbers which you will need to order direct from LN in the States.
I bought mine here in OZ but to be honest have not made a comparison with the #4. It was 499AUD then.

In my experience, BU planes, such as the #164, work very well with Australian hardwoods - as long as the cutting angle is high (60 degrees). Cutting angles below 60 degrees are not effective when planing interlocked grain. BD planes, such as the #4, with high cutting angles are progressively harder to push as the angle increases (unlike BU planes), and again the cutting angle needs to be at least 60 degrees if you plan to rely on cutting angle to control tearout on interlocked wood. A 50- or 55 degree frog was developed for the USA market rather than the OZ market. A better way of controlling tearout is to use the chipbreaker, and then the frog can remain low (45 degrees), which also has the advantage of a cleaner, shear cut than the higher cutting angles.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by DomAU

Better yet a friend in Maine who can also get the 10% discount from buying directly from the showroom!

The sales tax in Warren, Maine is 5.5%, so the 10% showroom discount mostly just covers the sales tax.