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10th March 2020, 10:49 PM #1
Lie Nielsen Low Angle Jack Plane with Bailey Type Adjuster
Hey Everyone,
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I recently scored this rare beauty and I was after some more info about it and also some advice on how to get rid of what looks to be tarnish on the sides. Apparently there's only about a dozen of these planes offered for sale between 2010 and 2011. I first became aware of this particular variant of the LN LAJ a couple of months ago when another example came up for sale on eBay. The seller of that particular plane knew exactly what he had in hand and IIRC that particular example ended up selling for well over AU$1000 after postage and GST.
With only such a limited number of these planes in the wild, I never thought I'd see another example for sale. I was pleasantly surprised when another one came up for auction last week. Furthermore, the seller was "local-ish" (Laidley) and he didn't seem to know about the rarity of this particular plane as he listed as just a "bog standard" LN LAJ and priced it accordingly. None of the other bidders seem to know about the plane's rarity either as I ended up winning for $406 including shipping. I was prepared to go much higher but lucky for me that the auction wasn't opened up to international bidders as that surely would have driven the price up.
Can anyone tell me anymore about this plane ? In particular, the reason for such a limited run and why it was discontinued. Actually "discontinued" is probably the wrong term here because it seems that the small batch was just to gauge the market and the demand for such a plane. I love bevel up bench planes but with the exception of the LN #164 and now this variant of the LN LAJ, they don't allow the depth of cut to be adjusted mid-stroke. IMO, this variant has all the advantages of the bevel up planes as well as those of the standard planes with none of its negatives. That's why I'm puzzled why LN never persevered with this variant. The adjustment mechanism obviously works and is reliable as it's the same as that on LN #164 which hasn't been discontinued.
The seller described this plane as "new" and I certainly have no reason to doubt him. A close inspection of the plane shows no wear marks on the sole or the sides of the plane and there's no scratch whatsoever on the cherry tote or knob (see pics below). Even the blade looks like it still has the factory edge on it. There's signs that the back of the blade has been lapped but I think this may have been done by the manufacturer. There's only a couple of minor issues. The first was the tote was slightly loose. Easily fixed with a flat blade screwdriver. The second problem I have is the "tarnishing" on the side. I say "tarnishing" but to be honest, I don't know what it is. I don't think it's surface rust because it doesn't have that texture - it feels smooth and not rough. And it only seems to be the sides of the plane. The sole isn't discoloured like the sides. If I had to guess, I think the plane was stored with the sole down which probably protected it from the elements.
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My question to the brains trust, particularly those experienced in collecting and restoring planes, is how do I go about cleaning and re-polishing this plane. Is there a particular method or product that I should use ? Brasso or similar perhaps ? Steel wool and elbow grease ? Or something else ? This plane won't be a "shelf queen" and it will be used (and probably abused) as my dedicated smoother, but before I do, I'd like to bring it back to its showroom condition. Any advice on how to achieve this will be gratefully appreciated.
Cheers,
Mike.
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10th March 2020 10:49 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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11th March 2020, 02:38 AM #2
The tarnish needs a soft mild abrasive and elbow grease here are a few options.
Clean rag + rust inhibitor (My preferred is G15 Corrosion Inhibitor) + U-Beaut Tripoli Powder + Elbow grease
Bunnings Grade 0000 Steel Wool + rust inhibitor + Elbow grease
Sand Flex Hand Block - fine (From Lie-nielsen) + rust inhibitor + Elbow grease
Wipe down with clean cloth and coat with rust inhibitor
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11th March 2020, 06:56 AM #3SENIOR MEMBER
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Your situation looks much like my recent one with a set of chisels that I posted on a week or so ago. I cleaned up my rust with a small air sander that takes 50mm scotchbrite type pads. It look no time at all to clean the rust back to nice shiny metal. Obviously your inhibitor of choice will be required to keep the surface rust free.
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11th March 2020, 09:35 AM #4SENIOR MEMBER
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Hi KahoyKutter,
I contacted Anthony at Lie Nielsen Australia for some input when I spotted this on ebay. He said it was made before his time at LNA and that he was unaware of a LN low angle jack with a bailey adjuster. Also he said Lie Nielsen USA had no intention (past or future) of making the LN 62 a smoothing plane. I looked at it and said nah.
By the way that seller is Hans Brunner.
Regards,
Ross
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11th March 2020, 09:47 AM #5
Thanks fellas. I'll give Thumbsucker's 1st suggestion a go.
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11th March 2020, 09:59 AM #6
Thanks Ross. It's comforting to know that the seller is a reputable business. I contacted LN USA myself and they confirmed the number in existence and the period it was offered and that there were no plans to re-introduce this variant. Lie Nielsen's LA smoother is the #164 but I wanted something a bit bigger. I already have the Veritas LAJ to use as my all-rounder so I intend to dedicate this plane for smoothing. I may still get the #164 for smaller projects.
Cheers,
Mike
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11th March 2020, 10:12 AM #7
This thread caught my interest because I have been eyeing a LN No. 164 Low Angle Smooth Plane. I have been wanting a bevel up bench plane because I dont have one but I dislike the Norris adjuster but the 164 Low Angle Smooth Plane give the classic Bailey adjuster that I like so much.
So this is an interesting variant.
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11th March 2020, 10:52 AM #8
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17th March 2020, 05:53 PM #9
The tarnish on the side could be Camellia oil.I have done this to my planes when they were put in storage yrs ago whilst we were doing a fair amount of travelling .I clean them off with turps a rag & some elbow tango.
Johnno
Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.
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17th March 2020, 10:02 PM #10
I think you may be right, John. I did what you suggested and it removed a fair bit of it. I then polished it with 0000 steel wool and it's improved it immensely. It's still not the same as it left the factory and it may never be again, but it's a marked improvement. The photos below with its little brother, the LAS #164, for comparison. It just arrived today. The blades are interchangeable. I was just going to buy the blade + yolk assembly but I figured I'd need a small smoother down the track. I'll put a 50 degree micro bevel on one of the blades for difficult grain.
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Cheers,
Mike
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