Lie Nielsen for general capentry

[MrD]

Hi,

After 25 years of dabbling with woodwork I decided to get myself some decent tools and have a go at making some projects.

I treated myself to a Lie Nielsen No.5 plane but just wondered what peoples thoughts were on using this on a day to day basis for general tasks e.g. planing a door?

Thanks
Mr D

 

[wizer]

Why not? It's a woodworking plane. Not an ornament

 

[Karl]

Why not? It's a woodworking plane. Not an ornament

:lol: You've not seen my workshop then.....

Mr D - for "rough" work I have a few cheaper fettled Record/Stanley planes. The good 'uns are kept solely for shop use.

Cheers

Karl

 

[MrD]

Good! I was just woried about knocking it out of line or something. Like you say a tool to be used.

Thanks!

 

[MrD]

Karl,

Is that for a reason? Harder to sharpen or risk of damaging?

 

[Karl]

Risk of damage, and "loss" (ie theft). Most work I do outside of the 'shop tends to be on softwood & MDF/chipboard, where the Record/Stanleys are more than adequate. Seems somewhat sacrilegious to use the Cliftons on these.

To clarify - I am talking here about taking the decent planes out of the 'shop and on site. If you mean planing a door at home, then nowt wrong with using the LN there. Get as much use out of it as you can - they cost enough !

Cheers

Karl

 

[Oryxdesign]

It's a waste of money if you leave it in its box, get it out and use it, just don't abuse it.

Si

 

[MrD]

Thanks for your replies Karl & Si.

It is just for home use - what do you class as abuse?

 

[wizer]

Like trying to plane wood with nails or chucking it in a tool box. If you're planing wood then you're using it as it's intended. Seriously, these tools are meant to be used. They are quality tools that will make your job easier. There's no reason to leave them in a glass cabinet in the workshop for 'special' occasions.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Mr D

If you are purchasing handtools with a small budget in mind (a relative statement I am aware), then LN (or LV or Philly or a number of others of similar ilk) are probably not the way to go. When you extend the choice of tools to "rough" work, then my advice would always be to buy and fettle up a vintage Stanley. LN are very fine planes and too good for rough work (unless your finances are not an issue - but here you state that the LN is a special purchase).

The #5 and #5 1/2 are traditionally for rougher work. They are an interesting inclusion in a set of tools if one is setting out to upgrade handplanes and does not already have a quality smoother (I disagree with those who argue that a #5 is great as an all-rounder - it is an all-rounder, but eventually one will want to set it up for a single specialisation). It is really only the likes of David Charlesworth that have pushed for their uses as a "super" smoother. I have no problem with that - it perfectly suits those that prepare their boards on machinery (= relatively flat) than by hand (a short smoother will preserve the thickness better).

All LN's are just tools. Use them like any other tool you own. That is what I would do, but I only work in a workshop where my tools are welllooked after. If I was also on a worksite, and this was a special plane, I would be tuning up the #5 as a smoother for the personal projects, and using one of the older planes for the worksite.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[woodbloke]

Excellent advice given...I agree with Derek of Oz and others - Rob

 

[bugbear]

Hi,

After 25 years of dabbling with woodwork I decided to get myself some decent tools and have a go at making some projects.

I treated myself to a Lie Nielsen No.5 plane but just wondered what peoples thoughts were on using this on a day to day basis for general tasks e.g. planing a door?

Thanks
Mr D

Unless you've super-tuned it (probably as a smoother), it'll take any thing you can throw at it.

That's the point - it's well made.

The only psychological problem is that "out of the box", it's so beautifully finished, you might not want to muss up the cosmetics of the thing - but that's your choice.

BugBear

 

[Oryxdesign]

If your piece of work is so rough that its got nails and stuff sticking out of it you shouldn't be using any plane on it yet! If your talking about it getting damaged in transit you can protect it with a nice shop made box. If you mean that someone on site might damage/borrow it from you that is a different risk to assess, but it doesn't mean its too good for the job it just means you have to take greater care. There is lots of mileage in tuning an old plane and you can get great results and learn loads in the bargain. However, if you put your labour into the equation, buying a new quality plane that works out of the box in my view makes sense.


Si

 

[matt]

I thin some of the answer to this question also lies in how much you enjoy sharpening... I'd save my best plane for finishes that really matter and therefore reduce the frequency I have to sharpen by using another plane for fitting a garden gate etc.

 

[BigShot]

The only psychological problem is that "out of the box", it's so beautifully finished, you might not want to muss up the cosmetics of the thing

I'd say get the first scratch on it as early as possible and get on with things.

I've never had a brand new tool that cost more than I'd usually carry in my wallet in a rough area, so I've no experience there, but I do snowboard a lot.

The first scratch on a brand new snowboard always seems hard to handle and upsets some people... but when I got my dream board a while back (and it really is a beauty) I breathed a sigh of relief the first time I heard the tell-tale scrape of a sharp rock just below the snow's surface.

I look after my tools (snowboard included) when it comes to maintenance, storage and the likes, but when it's time to use them I won't be acting like it's made of glass. True of everything I own actually and I find it far more satisfying that way.

I figure that once you've marked it you can stop worrying about marking it and get on with using it as it's meant to be used.

If I had a Lie Nielsen in my meagre collection I'd reach for it before any other (of an equivalent suitable type and setup) unless there was a very strong reason not to (outside work/theft or suspect stock that might have non-wood in there like nails or gravel).

 

[Benchwayze]

The part of a plane that suffers most from accidental damage (nails and other hidden nasties) is the blade and maybe the sole. Any other damage to the body, is usually down to ham-fisted work or carelessness. So I like to buy spare blades.

If I think there is anything about the timber that might scar the sole, then I reach for an old ACORN four and a half I keep just for the rough stuff.

Cheers
John

 

[ydb1md]

Hi Mr D

The #5 and #5 1/2 are traditionally for rougher work. They are an interesting inclusion in a set of tools if one is setting out to upgrade handplanes and does not already have a quality smoother (I disagree with those who argue that a #5 is great as an all-rounder - it is an all-rounder, but eventually one will want to set it up for a single specialisation). It is really only the likes of David Charlesworth that have pushed for their uses as a "super" smoother. I have no problem with that - it perfectly suits those that prepare their boards on machinery (= relatively flat) than by hand (a short smoother will preserve the thickness better).

Derek

I agree that a no5 is a tool for rougher work. The 5-1/2, however, I can't put that tool into the "rough" category. The 5-1/2 was a relatively late entry into Stanley's stable -- almost thirty years after the introduction of the no's 4,5,6 and 7 and 25 years after the 4-1/2. The 5-1/2 first appeared in 1898. The 4-1/2H and 5-1/2H appeared about 4 years later. Obviously these were introduced for a reason -- a response to the infill smoothers and panel planes.

I recently swapped my LN 4-1/2 for a LN 5-1/2 as my most used smoother. I've still got the 4-1/2 bronze but the iron 4-1/2 seemed redundant. I've never liked the no4 sized smoothers -- too small for the work that I do. I do love the 4-1/2 format -- and the 5-1/2 even more so. I couldn't imagine, however, using the 5-1/2 for rough work as the width would negate it's mass when taking heavy cuts. I'm still not sure where the no6 fits into the picture. :wink:

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I couldn't imagine, however, using the 5-1/2 for rough work as the width would negate it's mass when taking heavy cuts.

Hi Dave

While I have a couple of scrub planes, my favourite being the Veritas because of its extra mass and length over all others, I have tended to use a Stanley #5 1/2 (with a 8" radius blade) for most of my rough work.

The extra mass that the #5 1/2 brings to rough removal of hardwood is really appreciated the harder the wood is. Light scrubs, such as the Stanley #40, are too delicate and just "bounce" off the surface of such woods.

However ... now I have just finished my ultimate jack plane !!!!

This is Mesquite (a gift from the USA) with a 5/16" thick (!!!) 2" wide D2 (!!!!!) blade. This has to be experienced to be believed. Yesterday I took down a board in hard Jarrah as though it was soft pine.

Of interest, the thicker blade here seems to work better with a 10" radius.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[ydb1md]

Wow derek, that plane must be beast! Who made that 5/16ths D2 blade? Do you hone it on a stone or just a fine grit belt?

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Dave

I have a tutorial on my website with all the build details:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTo ... Plane.html

Enjoy!

Regards from Perth

Derek