Thread: Witch plane should i buy?

Very pretty. I'd personally buy an old Stanley to go with the rest of my set and spend the change on another plane or two! . I'm sure though that at least the Lie-Nilson and Veritas are great from everything I've read though.

I've heard rumours (and only rumours) that the frog arrangement in the Veritas bevel-down planes is not that good. I wouldn't consider that one myself.

Of the other two, while I would prefer the Clifton myself, I think the Lie-Nielsen is just very slightly better, and at that price difference the L-N has to win.

However, if you were to add the Veritas BUS (bevel up smoother) to your list, it would probably be the most versatile and best performer of all.

Good luck with your decision making.

Cheers, Vann.

The Lie Nilsen. Good price and I'm a Stanley fan, and that's a nice copy of a Stanley Bedrock series plane.

If you want a Norris type adjuster, then maybe the Veritas. I used to want a smooth plane with a Norris type adjuster but now that I'm used to the Bailey adjuster I'm not sure I'd want to change.

Not the Clifton, just because of the price. Put the money you save towards another plane.

Please note that I don't own any of these planes, I'm happy (so far) with an old (only 1960s) Stanley 4 1/2 that I picked up secondhand and spent hours getting it to work just right. Probably cost 10euros?

Now, what sort of woodworking do you do most and what sort of timber do you usually make things with?

Edit; And what other bench planes do you have?

Witch plane should i buy?

I'd be looking for one called "The Wizard"

I don't own any 4&1/2s and I've only played with the Veritas and Lie Nielsen and of the two I like the Lie Nielsen.

Originally Posted by BobL

I'd be looking for one called "The Wizard"

I don't own any 4&1/2s and I've only played with the Veritas and Lie Nielsen and of the two I like the Lie Nielsen.

Awww......c'mon Bob, he's in Norway. How's your Norwegian?

But if we're going to make jokes........

Throw all three planes into a pond, if one of them floats, it's a witch plane.

Originally Posted by seanz

Awww......c'mon Bob, he's in Norway. How's your Norwegian?

Whoops missed that sorry (I was wondering why he was quoting Euros - hand on Norwegians don't even use Euros???)

FWIW, My experience with Norwegians is they generally speak better English than us Strines

But if we're going to make jokes........
Throw all three planes into a pond, if one of them floats, it's a witch plane.

Pond of mercury and they will all float so buy all three?

Actually, none of them.

I say that with a #4 Record with a blue steel blade, a #4 1/2 Stanley with a blue steel blade and a VERY new LN #164 (low angle smoother).

All quite good, especially the LN, but I got a bit of a shock this week. Another plane I got my hands on blew them all away, out of the box.

I'd tell you what it was, but it's not on the list!

Stu.

Originally Posted by Schtoo

Actually, none of them.

I say that with a #4 Record with a blue steel blade, a #4 1/2 Stanley with a blue steel blade and a VERY new LN #164 (low angle smoother).

All quite good, especially the LN, but I got a bit of a shock this week. Another plane I got my hands on blew them all away, out of the box.

I'd tell you what it was, but it's not on the list!

Stu.

Come on Stu...........don't tease............... tell us!

Originally Posted by KevM

Come on Stu...........don't tease............... tell us!

Well,

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZIZ-qBrVKE]YouTube - ‪LN 164 and Tsunesaburo Maboroshi review.‬‏[/ame]

I think that nails it down pretty well.

Stu.

Given your three choices I'd take the Lie Nielsen.

I'm very keen on the Veritas/Lee Valley product range, however the Lie Nielsen feels slightly more solid and 'together" in use. I have never used a Clifton for more than a few minutes, however, I find it difficult to believe the additional expense to be justifiable given that both the other two perform so well.

Like Vann, I would encourage you to consider the Veritas Bevel Up Smoother. They are a fantastic plane and give you a lot more versatility per euro spent. If you buy an additional blade (or four! as I have done progressively) and hone them to different angles the plane can perform a much greater range of tasks. I used traditional bevel down planes exclusively (aside from block planes) before I bought my first Veritas bevel up plane plane and wish I'd found out about them sooner.

Originally Posted by Andreas87

Hi.
I'm in the process of buying a new no.4 1/2 plane and I'm wondering which one you guys would buy?


Veritas smothing plane no.4 1/2 (229 euro)

CLIFTON Smoothing Plane no. 4 1/2 (285 euro)


Lie nilsen smoothing plane no. 4 1/2 (225 euro)

In my opinion, if that is what your choice is down too, it's no contest -- buy the Lie Nielsen
cheaper (in Euros) than the Clifton or Veritas
and by all accounts -- your Google search will need to go back at least 10 years -- the best #4½ ever mass produced
some even claim they are as good a vintage Norris smoothers

Love the vid Stu. Thanks for posting it.

I have a few Veritas BU planes and they're all good to go out of the box. Backs and bevels nicely prepped.

And they can share blades so I can have 3 bevel angles and mix and match.

Also have 2 Hock replacement blades on my Stanleys and they needed the backs lapping before use which was a bleeding chore.

Thanks for all the grate replies!
As some know I live in Norway, which is a pretty crappy country when it comes to quality tools and hardwood. In my city there is not a single lumberyard that sells hardwood, i have to order it from the other side of the country, shipping is then expensive. The same applies to tools, there is only one shop that sells veritas planes in Norway and the price about 1,5 times as high as mentioned above. If I buy anything from another country I pay an import tax of 25%. I’m planning a trip to Germany and there i will visit dieter Schmidt. They are a bit more costly then shops in the US but i don’t have to pay the 25% tax. That’s why i give all the prices in euros. Wish it was dollars since that’s pretty cheap now.

I was originally thinking of 4 different planes. Here’s the last:



Smoothing Plane "TORYO HOMARE"
(279 Euro) Japanese Planes: Smoothing Planes, Jack Planes, Jointer Planes, Yarri Kanna

I don’t really own that many planes, have 6 old wooden planes witch is Kongsberg tools, Norwegian old quality brand (if anyone’s ever heard of them I’m impressed)
Stanley no 7
record block plane no0220 (broken an wielded in 2 different places, broken in2 other places but not wielded leaver cap is now a Stanley( when inherited it was a block of wood , blade manufacturer is unknown, sole is off about 2 mm on each end if ruler is put in middle)

Since I’m traveling to berlin its practical to go 4 the veritas or Clifton, but since this is a 4 life tool the ln is really tempting. I already own 3 Japanese planes ( 1 handmade 2 cheap) the handmade is a scraper plane. So it would be nice to have a Japanese quality plane.


Perhaps I should creep ebay and look for some old ones, always fun to tune them up.

Really hard choice

ps: I can only buy about 1 plane a year or my wife will have my head

Always worth exploring the options.

IME 'tuning up' involves a lot of work and gear; been there. Cheaper in the long run and more peaceful to buy what works out of the box.