LV Plane System - question for Alf or Rob Lee

[Anonymous]

The LV low angle jack is clearly a winner. Enough to make this old tool guy want one. My question is, is it really a jack plane? All reports I have read on it have extolled its virtues as a panel plane and for shooting board use (which is what I would want to do with it) but can you put a camber in the blade and use it for agressive stock removal?
Assuming a woodworker has decided he wants to use LV tools exclusively and hand prep stock, what would be the recommended plane choices?
The scrub is an easy starting point. What next? The #5 1/4 set up as a traditional jack or the LA Jack? Would that be followed by the #6 set up as a fore plane?
Just as metal planes defined their roles somewhat differently than their wooden predecessors, LV is making us rethink plane roles again.
Comments?

 

[Alf]

The LV low angle jack is clearly a winner. Enough to make this old tool guy want one. My question is, is it really a jack plane? All reports I have read on it have extolled its virtues as a panel plane and for shooting board use (which is what I would want to do with it) but can you put a camber in the blade and use it for agressive stock removal?

In my opinion the #62 1/2 is a panel plane. Just the number of people who understand what that means isn't enough to market it as such. Personally I think it's too heavy for rough stock prep, despite pretty good balance; okay for the odd board, but you'd get awfully tired awfully quickly. But then I have a great resistance to using precision ground tools for rough work, so I'd still use an old Stanley or whatever anyway.

Assuming a woodworker has decided he wants to use LV tools exclusively and hand prep stock, what would be the recommended plane choices?
The scrub is an easy starting point. What next? The #5 1/4 set up as a traditional jack or the LA Jack? Would that be followed by the #6 set up as a fore plane?

I would think of the available choices the #5 1/4, yep. But the longer plane of choice? I think I'd have to wait to see the bevel up jointer. If it's as good, in its own way, as the #62 1/2 then it'll be hard to beat. Having said which the #62 1/2 has been acting as my "long plane" for the last few months, just to confuse things some more.

Just as metal planes defined their roles somewhat differently than their wooden predecessors, LV is making us rethink plane roles again.

Hah! That's just their cunning way to get all of us who think we know what we want going "huh?" and ending up buying one of each just to make sure... :wink:

Cheers, Alf