Scott Bailey Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 I suppose I could consider myself a hybrid woodworker but even that label is likely premature. I do have a nice table saw and I use it quite a bit, but beyond that I do not have any power tools intended for milling stock, so I work with small things and mill by hand. I am pretty much just a beginner hobbyist but one of the first things I did with woodworking was restore an old smoothing plane to what seems like pretty good working order. It's probably a #4 but doesn't say, it's an old Union so it's very likely close to 100 years old and at 9" long it could be a #3. I use this to joint and plane, which is one of the reasons I am doing just small things, you just can't effectively flatten anything longer than maybe 18 inches with such a small handplane. either way, I have come to really enjoy using it and as I do not have the budget to buy a bunch of expensive power tools I have to ration my tool-buying dollar, and given that I have started saving for a longer handplane. I do not want to restore an old one though, or rather I would like to get at least one new high quality handplane and prefer to get one that is versatile enough to help me joint and plane larger stock as well as act as a smoother for some things. I also simply want the pleasure of working with a high quality tool. seems the obvious choice would be a low angle jack, so my questions relate to that. specifically, 1. am I missing something? is a low angle jack truly versatile enough to flatten and square up stock? I have NO Plans to build really large pieces like a dining table or anything like that, but small-medium projects are definitely on the horizon... 2. more importantly, which one: I realize that in terms of quality the Veritas and LN planes seem to be interchangeable, and are priced pretty much identically, but the Veritas is a little bigger (longer and wider), but the LN has more blade choices, so ... given that I intend to do most of my milling by hand, and that I'm looking at only one plane for now, any opinions on which between the two might be better. 3. that Wood River LAJack is a bit cheaper (not by much actually), has anyone used that one? is there a big dropoff in quality? TY in advance. I have read a lot of the threads on this topic but haven't really seen any comments comparing the difference between the LN and Veritas, and I haven't seen any discussion of the Wood River one, so I thought I'd ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 For the price of a new LA Jack you could buy a vintage jointer, jack and scrub to go with your smoother. I'm not talking rust buckets that'd require restoration, either, ready to use vintage from eBay that just need sharpened. I think my #8 was $100, the scrub was $40 or so, probably about the same for a jack (#5) or fore (#6) plane. I'd like a LA jack too, but I also dress my boards by hand and I can't imagine doing so with one plane as quickly. I can take a rough board, scrub off the fuzz with the scrub plane, switch to a well cambered jack plane to flatten it and then true it up with the jointer and smooth with the smoother. Done without spending enough time on one plane to dull it or picking up a screwdriver to swap out parts. For difficult grain a LA sounds nice, but my LV #80 cabinet scraper takes care of that for cheaper. More to what you're asking I suppose: if I was to buy a LA Jack I'd probably go for the LV model as I have other LV tools I'm quite pleased with and the savings for the WR seem small. Alternatively you could try their new custom line and get various frogs for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Bailey Posted November 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 I have definitely thought about doing that, and do keep my eye out on both Ebay and CL for such things. I guess I'd still be unsure about the quality until I had the tool in my hands, and even then I am not sure I really know what I'm doing enough to truly tell a top quality tool from one that is merely OK. I suppose one thing I could do is actually use a really nicely tuned new plane just so I can start to get a feel for how well a high quality tool works. Like I said, the smoother I refurb'd "seems" to be working very well but I don't have the experience to truly know, which is one reason why I'm considering buying a LN or LV tool. I kinda figured that about WR by the way, still thought it was worth asking. thx for the reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 You probably don't need a scrub plane. I have the LN low angle jointer, Jack and smoother planes and love them. No regrets. LN vs LV.. Not going there anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 If you really need a plane for 'scrub' work, invest 10 bucks in the Windsor Design #33 that Harbor Freight sells. I have a couple of them, and they actually work quite well, once sharpened properly. And if they don't you're only out 10 bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Bailey Posted November 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 don't think I need a scrub as of yet but I do like the suggestion of the HF one, I looked it up and it has some good reviews, including many ppl who use it as a scrub plane, so I'll definitely keep that in my back pocket. the vintage scrub planes on Ebay that seem to be in good working condition are pretty pricey. I really just want something that I can use to joint, flatten, and smooth out small-to-medium sized boards and although I do like using some power tools I seem to really like using hand planes, at least so far. Would it be better to get, say, a No 5 (or 6) and No 7 (going vintage like Gilgaron suggested) than going for the LA Jack? i really just don't know. I don't want to get a vintage plane and spend hours and hours tuning it, and there is a part of me who is going to be skeptical of something bought off ebay when I haven't had the chance to touch it first. I'd rather spend a little bit of time sharpening and go to town. it took me a rather long time to restore the Smoother I have and while I didn't mind doing it, and am happy with the results, I don't want to make that may hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Based on what you just said, my vote is to get a low angle Jack, and a jointer plane. Get the low angle Jack first. Depending on the size of your work, you may find that you are fine without the jointer plane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 If you have big hands, you won't like the Windsor. The adjustment knobs will shred your knuckles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Bailey Posted November 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 If you have big hands, you won't like the Windsor. The adjustment knobs will shred your knuckles. oi good to know. not huge hands but I wear large gloves so... my smoother is 'barely' big enough, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 The typical "large" size of gloves is pretty tight on me, and I find the Windsor more comfy that my vintage jack plane. It is a Stanley clone, a #5, I think, and has Keen Kutter stamped on the blade. I have a Stanley/Bailey #7 that is a bit roomier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Record first choice for me. Stanley a close second. I only plane a few hundred square feet a year though, although sometimes more than that in one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 The typical "large" size of gloves is pretty tight on me, and I find the Windsor more comfy that my vintage jack plane. It is a Stanley clone, a #5, I think, and has Keen Kutter stamped on the blade. I have a Stanley/Bailey #7 that is a bit roomier. This has more to do with finger thickness. I suspect your Keen Kutter is a bad clone. I have lots of room on my Bailey pattern Stanley jack. I am not bad mouthing the Windsor. Just trying to be cautionary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Bailey Posted November 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 I think if I am going to consider the windsor I'd just take it out of the box and hold it to see if it fit okay before buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 From the photo, I'd say how we grip the plane is quite different. I tend to push the excess meat of my hand down into the recess behind the frog, where you overflow at the top. Different strokes, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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