JimB1 Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Second one I have been to. The first one I went to was on a Sun and really crowded. Everything they brought was just about sold so you had to order (which isn't a big deal, but it's always cool to actually bring home stuff). That time I just got to try the saws and watch a sharpening demo. Ended up buying a dovetail saw and getting it shipped to me. Really like that saw though. That was maybe 3 or 4 years ago. This time, because it was a Friday it wasn't too crowded and I got time to talk to a few people and demo time with the stuff was great and no waiting I really went because I wanted to try out a medium and a large shoulder plane and the large router plane but also, just needed a break from work. It's been a stressful month or two. Nothing like a day of playing with other people's tools and messing up their wood to de-stress a bit So I got to talk to Bob Grey from the Collectors of Rare and Familiar Tools Society (CRAFTS) who had a booth setup with lots of nice old tools for sale. He actually walked me though a little bit on the larger planes that I don't really use (7 and 8) and gave me some ideas for tuning an old Miller's Falls that I have never been able to get tuned right. Can't wait to try out some of his suggestions. Inside Fine Woodworking had a table and Matt Kenny was making some keepsake boxes and using a shooting plane to trim tops. He also had a couple of other small single and double drawer boxes he had made or was in the process of completing. He explained his process of making the small boxes and how he used a thin shellac finish on them. Very nice stuff. He said he was working on trying to complete 52 boxes in 52 weeks Bob Van Dyke from Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking had a table and he was demoing inlays. He had a very nice table top he was working on and several other pieces from the school there to show the types of classes and what you learn in them. I am going to have to take a few of his weekend courses. As usual, everyone there was very pleasant and approachable. Unfortunately I didn't catch the names of everyone from Lie- Nielsen that was there. I think there were at least 5 people. I was very impressed with just the off-hand knowledge that some of these guys threw out there when they were demoing the tools. I picked up a nice way to start a rabbit with the edge of the shoulder plane tracking a marking knife cut then after a couple of passes lowering the angle until it is flat then just going straight on until you reach your depth. That was pretty cool. I am sure some of the people here have seen it done before or do it themselves but I usually use a router or table saw for my rabbits so while I use hand planes and chisels when I think they can do a better job, I really do a lot of combo hand and power tool stuff. One of the demo people (Pretty sure his name was Tim) was helping to show another person the number 7 and 8 and going over the pros and cons. I was just listening and watching the demo. Like I said, I use a jointer and planer to dimension wood most of the time so I don't own a jointer plane but it was cool to hear about them from someone who used them every day. He said he made the workbenches and used an 8 every day but started with a 7 because he though the smaller size was more controllable but then once he tried the 8 he never used the 7 again. Of course he was jointing 8' long beech end grain all day so for a lot of people the 7 will do everything they need in a jointer. So he left me and this other guy alone for a bit to play. I have to say, I liked the 8 much more then the 7. I am not sure exactly why. It might have been the slight distance increase between the handles or maybe just the heavier, longer base just felt more secure on the piece. The other patron that was trying them agreed. He said he came in to look at the 7 but he ended up leaving with the 8. So on to the main event for me. Got to try all the shoulder planes back to back. Between the Medium and the Large, I felt the large was more stable and controllable in ever scenario I was able to try. The Medium was nice I set them both up with similar settings. I made a couple of rabbits the same way. One at about 1/2" wide and one at about 3/4" wide figuring that the medium size would shine at those which are 2/3 and 3/3 the width of the sole. It did the job well enough but the large one did it as well with better control to me. Oddly I thought the 1/2" which left 3/4" hanging off the wood using the Large was more stable then the Medium which was mostly on the wood. It was counter intuitive but I think the greater mass of the Large just makes it less twitchy in use. I am not all that certain what I would use the small for. Not that the medium or small are bad or anything and maybe if I was 5' tall with small hands one of those would be better for me but at 6' 3" with big hands the Large just did what I asked it to. One of the demonstrators ( who was really expert BTW, Sorry I didn't catch his name, I like to call out good folks when I can ) helped me out with it and wanted to know which I liked better afterwards. I told him that for me, it seemed like the Large was what worked best. He basically just said he was the same and always recommends the Large. The same guy started demoing the new plane they are working on. It's not ready for prime time yet but he said that they will have multiple blade widths and it can adjust to place the blade in different places. Sort of like a movable tongue and groove plane. I forget what it was called. He said they were still doing testing and he wasn't sure when it would be available but I got on the list to get info when it is. Then I got to play with the large router plane and some chisels and saws for a bit and made some dados. I have to get some LN chisels! They are amazingly light and seemed so much more precise then my Stanley Bailey's which are a pretty good buy but no where near the LNs. The new tapered saws are interesting. I understand in theory what the taper does but in practice, I think I am just as a fast with my old, non-tapered LN dovetail saw. Might just be familiarity. First time I got to play with a router plane, I like it a lot. Used the saw to cut the sides of the dados then chiseled out the bulk and used the router plane to flush the bottom to depth. Might have been able to us a chisel and eyeball the depth but it would't have been nearly as fast as using the router plane. It almost looked like I knew what I was doing and that is priceless LOL So I went outside to drop some paperwork off in the car and almost left then decided "you know what, I really want that shoulder plane" so I went back inside and asked if I could order one. The young lady at the register (I want to say Liz but I am not sure if I am remembering the name correctly) said, "sure but do you just want to take it with you, we have them here" Well, what do you say to that other then "Sold!" So I asked about the screwdrivers for the adjustments and the same demonstrator whose name I didn't catch (and that really bothers me) said, "I think it's a number 5, let me just double check" and he runs back to make sure the tip fits the adjustment screws. While he's gone, Liz says, "you can also have one of the wax bars or a Jojoba oil spray for free with the plane." I never used Jojoba oil so that was my choice. Turns out he was right and the number 5 screwdriver was the right one so I was good with that one. All in all a great day out. Learned some new stuff, met some nice people and got a new toy/tool Doesn't get much better then that. Sorry it's a little long, just really enjoyed the event. If you get a chance, I highly recommend going on a Friday over a Sunday to these. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Awesome! Congrats on the new toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Sounds like you had a blast! I would love to attend one of those but i am in Canada and we dont really have anything like that that i have ever heard of. Congrats on the new plane, its a beauty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Prunier Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Every December they come to Philip C. Lowes school here. FIM aka, The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts. I've made several purchases at the show. Like you found out. If you want to purchase something to take with you, it's best to attend the first day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nub Thumb Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Thanks for the review. The main reason I don't have a shoulder plane is because I couldn't decide between the medium and the large. Second reason is LN or LV. So I guess I'm half way there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Thanks for the review. The main reason I don't have a shoulder plane is because I couldn't decide between the medium and the large. Second reason is LN or LV. So I guess I'm half way there! Either way, you'll have a very nice tool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted May 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 Either way, you'll have a very nice tool! +1 I have tried the LV as well at the last Woodworking show and was on the fence too. I wanted to try and get them both in hand before making the call and didn't have a pressing need for one so I was able to wait for them to come around again. The LN fit my hands a bit better I think. I could see someone liking the handles on the LV but they just felt a little awkward to me but I only had a few minutes to try it so might have just been something to get used to. For me the LN was pretty immediately comfortable. We all have different hands though... A lot of people really like the LV. I got lucky and got to try them both before deciding. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 Sounds like you had a blast! I would love to attend one of those but i am in Canada and we dont really have anything like that that i have ever heard of. Congrats on the new plane, its a beauty! Keep an eye out on the calendar, they have one at Rosemount almost every year. Not quite as big as the US ones, as there are not usually as may other demonstrators. My recollection is that Montreal is more often in May than November. https://www.lie-nielsen.com/hand-tool-events/Canada/17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 Keep an eye out on the calendar, they have one at Rosemount almost every year. Not quite as big as the US ones, as there are not usually as may other demonstrators. My recollection is that Montreal is more often in May than November.https://www.lie-nielsen.com/hand-tool-events/Canada/17Awesome!! Thanks i will definitely go check that out. Lie nielsen stuff is pretty rare in these parts. There is one distributor in Canada that i have found and they are in b.c. Would like to see some of their stuff to compare to lee valley..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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