Thread: Hnt Gordon a55 VS Lie Nielsen 4 1/2

I would imagine that these are totally different planes, with totally different experiences.

Not only would they weigh differently, but the #4 1/2 had a blade 2 3/8" wide vs the 2" of the HNT Gordon.

A high cutting angle of 55 degrees on the HNT Gordon may or may not be high enough to prevent tearout on interlocked wood. I have the 60 degree Gordon, and it is fabulous ... light, nimble and superior with tearout. On the other hand, I have used other planes, including a #4 1/2 with a 55-degree frog, and it was not high enough. Then, a #4 1/2 with a 55 degree frog is a tank. I use a #4 1/2 with a 45 degree frog, but am skilled at setting a close chipbreaker. This produces tearout-free surfaces. In general, the #4 1/2 is used only for large panels. I prefer a smaller plane for general use.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Don't have experience with any Lie Nielson planes and have only recently become an owner of an a55 from HNT. I'm super impressed with the build quality,weight and overall joy it brings to my face with each stroke ha. I only have experience with old restored Stanley's so take my experience as a grain of salt.

I planes over some old Oregon with some knots and it's still such a joy to use, I have the brass insert mouth and hss blade,so it's able to produce some real nice shavings. I'll be going back for my next addition to the family from HNT for sure.

The A55 smoother is a joy to use, beautifully made, easy to adjust, it's a really special feeling tool, I haven't use the LN to compare though.

Should have specified my hnt is actually a jack plane with the brass mouth so it's setup as a smoothing plane equivalent of the a55. I don't have the brass threaded insert that the a55 actually has though. Still think it's awesome.