LN No9 Mitre Plane

[Karl]

Has this been discontinued??? Looks like it - not on Axi website or LN's own website.

Wonder why? I know they brought out the 52(?), but that's handed - the No9 seemed much better value (the Rolls Royce of shooting planes as DC once called it :lol: )

Cheers

Karl

 

[mouppe]

Yes, discontinued. From Highland Woodworking's website:-

"Lie-Nielsen has ceased manufacture of this plane, and we are now sold out. It has been replaced by the No. 51 Shoot Board Plane."

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/lie- ... plane.aspx

 

[Mr_P]

I've got one, mint in box possibly never used.

I'll deliver it personally for £325

pm me if your interested.

 

[Karl]

Yes, discontinued. From Highland Woodworking's website:-

"Lie-Nielsen has ceased manufacture of this plane, and we are now sold out. It has been replaced by the No. 51 Shoot Board Plane."

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/lie- ... plane.aspx

Very convenient - replaced by a plane where you (may) need 2 (left and right handed mouldings).

I've got one, mint in box possibly never used.

I'll deliver it personally for £325

pm me if your interested.

Thanks, but i'm not really in the market for one - I use my 62 for any small shooting jobs I do.

Cheers

Karl

 

[custard]

That's a shame, I've tried both the 51 and the 9, for my purposes (and I appreciate your needs might be different) the 9 is far more useful.

The 51 is great for larger sections, but you really need a dedicated shooting board with a track to get the most out of it, so it's not as versatile and the board becomes a heavy old lump to be lifting on and off your bench all the time. However, I'll use a dimension saw with a sliding table for larger stock, and a Morso for most mitres. So I'm mainly shooting veneer, where I might need a two metre long shooting board, or smaller cabinet components, where I want a simple, light shooting board that doesn't take up much bench space. Of course any block plane or bench plane will serve pretty well for these applications, but I find it's useful to have a dedicated shooting plane as the iron gets quickly worn but in only one area, which is inefficient in terms of bench plane sharpening. I realise I could make a ramped shooting board to equalise blade wear, but not for veneer work and even on a small scale the board is back to being a heavy old lump that's difficult to adjust.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I agree, it's a shame they've discontinued it. With its hot dog handle I find it probably the most comfortable plane to use on a shooting board - you could plane all day with it, without any discomfort



Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[CStanford]

Seems ridiculous to discontinue them. All the R&D, design, tooling, etc. is already done. Just reduce production / raise price / make it a special order item from the factory only. They don't have to keep 10,000 of them in inventory. Makes no sense at all, especially for a small specialty company like L-N.

 

[mouppe]

I've been to Lie Nielsen. It's not a big facility and I think they had to make room for other items. They have rationalized many lines recently, from their saws to workbenches. Maybe it's something they'll reintroduce in the future of demand increases but perhaps current sales didn't justify its production?

 

[Karl]

Seems ridiculous to discontinue them. All the R&D, design, tooling, etc. is already done. Just reduce production / raise price / make it a special order item from the factory only. They don't have to keep 10,000 of them in inventory. Makes no sense at all, especially for a small specialty company like L-N.

One can only assume it's been done in an attempt to push people toward the new plane.

 

[custard]

One can only assume it's been done in an attempt to push people toward the new plane.

I'm not sure I would assume that.

I've met some of the LN people and they struck me has bringing pretty high levels of integrity to a commercial enterprise. I'm guessing here, but I suspect they lose money on every No 9 plane they sell, it's an inordinately complex plane to manufacture and I think the scrap rate is through the roof. I know they have a target price for all their products, and if an item would have to be too expensive to make a reasonable profit they simply won't make it. From what I've seen of the LN operation they try and serve serious furniture makers rather than tool collectors, taking the view that quality tools manufactured in small quantities in the west are never going to be cheap, but they'll do an honest job and offer a range so the craftsman or woman can choose what suits them best, the objective was never to collect a "full set" and I think they'd look down on anyone who tried!

If the day ever comes when LN start regularly pumping out limited edition, collector's pieces, then I'll revise (lower!) my opinion of them. Until then I think they're a pretty cool bunch of people who make some pretty good tools.

 

[JJ1]

According to the current Lie Nielson catalogue which arrived through the post a couple of days ago. It states that the No. 51 is a "vastly superior plane and the No. 9 is no longer offered in their regular line-up. Although it can still be made to special order."

 

[Tony Zaffuto]

I would wager they studied sales numbers over the past few years and couldn't make their ROI on the number they would need to build to justify casting the body. I would be curious on how many were sold over the past year.

But.......ya got to wonder if all of a sudden if a handful of brand spanking #9's show up on that auction site?

 

[David C]

At the time the no. 9 was the most comfortable to use.

After much dithering (Do I need it, no but I want to try it...) I bought a 51.

It is now my firm favorite for right hand shooting.

Heavier, skew blade and comfortable handle make this the clear favorite, (if limited to RH use).

David Charlesworth

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Both the No 9 and the No 52 are quite pricey planes at nigh-on £400 a pop, so either a luxury purchase or something for which a lot of work is anticipated.

If anybody really wants a LN No 9, Classic Hand Tools still list them as available, though whether that's because they've sold out and website updating hasn't happened yet, or what stock levels might be, I don't know.

https://www.classichandtools.com/acatal ... lanes.html

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I have a comparison of the LN #9 and #51 (along with the LV LA Jack) here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ ... pared.html

For those who just want the bottom line (slacker! You should read the article), here is the essential part of the summing up ...

"The ranking order for these planes is LN #51 and then the rest. On balance I would rank the LN #9 and the LV LAJ equally as they have strength and weaknesses that cancel each other out. The advice I would give to one who owned a LAJ, either LV or LN, is learn to hold it correctly to realise the potential. Those that own a #9 have a wonderful plane that is easier to produce a good result. That is the strength of the #9. And to those that own none of these planes recognise that the #9 is cutting at the same angle as a #5 ½ or #6, and that the correct handhold should make these planes produce a good result (David Charlesworth has a good piece on these planes in his DVD on shooting technique) ......"

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Bluekingfisher]

[q, the objective was never to collect a "full set" and I think they'd look down on anyone who tried!

If the day ever comes when LN start regularly pumping out limited edition, collector's pieces, then I'll revise (lower!) my opinion of them. Until then I think they're a pretty cool bunch of people who make some pretty good tools.[/quote]

With the greatest of respect, this is a ridiculous statement, why would any company/business not wish anyone to buy as many of their products as possible, and why would they look down on anyone who did :?:

I cannot be 100% certain, although I do believe LN have offered for sale certain lines of " collectable" limited addition tools, a bronze 4 1/2 smoother springs to mind.

I too have had the pleasure of meeting several of the staff and in addition communicated afterwards at lenght while purchasing some of their tools. I would most certainly agree they are a top of the pack company, their onus being on customer satisfaction, education and a desire to ensure there is never an issue with any purchased item, new or otherwise. Of course, they are salesmen at the end of the day, selling a product thus recommending their tools over other brands. I do not recall them ever inferring that should I buy too many of their tools I would be considerdd auspicious or likely to be looked down on, despite being a weekend woordworker. On the contrary, more a case of a valued customer wishing to purchase and recognising quality tools, while helping keep their 60 strong work force gainfully employed.


Perhaps I have picked up the statement incorrectly, and if so, no intent to cause offence. (even if I haven't )

David

____

 

[Bluekingfisher]

One can only assume it's been done in an attempt to push people toward the new plane.

I'm not sure I would assume that.

I've met some of the LN people and they struck me has bringing pretty high levels of integrity to a commercial enterprise. I'm guessing here, but I suspect they lose money on every No 9 plane they sell, it's an inordinately complex plane to manufacture and I think the scrap rate is through the roof. I know they have a target price for all their products, and if an item would have to be too expensive to make a reasonable profit they simply won't make it. From what I've seen of the LN operation they try and serve serious furniture makers rather than tool collectors, taking the view that quality tools manufactured in small quantities in the west are never going to be cheap, but they'll do an honest job and offer a range so the craftsman or woman can choose what suits them best, the objective was never to collect a "full set" and I think they'd look down on anyone who tried!

If the day ever comes when LN start regularly pumping out limited edition, collector's pieces, then I'll revise (lower!) my opinion of them. Until then I think they're a pretty cool bunch of people who make some pretty good tools.

With the greatest of respect, this is a ridiculous statement, why would any company/business not wish anyone to buy as many of their products as possible, and why would they look down on anyone who did :?:

I cannot be 100% certain, although I do believe LN have offered for sale certain lines of " collectable" limited addition tools, a bronze 4 1/2 smoother springs to mind.

I too have had the pleasure of meeting several of the staff and in addition communicated afterwards at lenght while purchasing some of their tools. I would most certainly agree they are a top of the pack company, their onus being on customer satisfaction, education and a desire to ensure there is never an issue with any purchased item, new or otherwise. Of course, they are salesmen at the end of the day, selling a product thus recommending their tools over other brands. I do not recall them ever inferring that should I buy too many of their tools I would be considerdd auspicious or likely to be looked down on, despite being a weekend woordworker. On the contrary, more a case of a valued customer wishing to purchase and recognising quality tools, while helping keep their 60 strong work force gainfully employed.


Perhaps I have picked up the statement incorrectly, and if so, no intent to cause offence. (even if I haven't )

David

____

 

[CStanford]

While L-N seems pretty far from it there is a point with any company that their marketing schemes can become a little gimmicky, off-putting, and perceived as taking advantage of certain consumer psychology. Redundant, overlapping lines can start to intrude into this territory as well as frequently coming out with 'improved' versions of goods released not all that long ago, etc. The children's toy Pokemon comes to mind whose tag line was 'gotta catch 'em all'. Well you couldn't because, you guessed it, they kept coming up with new characters. It can become obvious when a company is managing the pipeline too aggressively to the point of being abusive to its loyal customers.

Ultimately, the individual has to be the judge.

This stuff has been going on since things have been sold. Stanley provided a blueprint for a lot of this.

 

[custard]

David, a few years ago I was lucky enough to attend an LN event in Maine. Tom Lie Nielsen gave a little speech and commented that although he was grateful to anyone who bought a LN tool he was really grateful to anyone who used an LN tool. Now the audience was mainly American designer/makers, so it's entirely possible he was blowing smoke up the collective back sides of all those present...but somehow I don't think so.

 

[CStanford]

Sounds consistent with the way I believe he has structured his company to be able to prosper selling only woodworking tools and supplying motivated woodworking enthusiasts rather than those mostly attracted to shiny objects, UPS vans, rapid, glitzy, frequent product rollouts, and 250 page catalogs.

No gardening tools, toys, games, pot metal gewgaws, etc. just stuff for woodworking the last time I checked.

Best wishes,

Charles