Lie Nielsen 5-1/2 BD Jack Plane

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Just got this today and Used it to square up a piece of stock. 

It's flawless, as my experience has consistently been with LN products.

Right out of the box, the blade is sharp enough for whispey thin shavings, but I will definitely be doing some additional honing and introducing a very slight camber as the straight blade leaves tracks.

The blade advance wheel has the least amount of slop of any plane I've ever seen. The chipbreaker is sharper than the blade of some manufactures planes and the overall fit and finish is outstanding. 

The locking screws for the frog are accessible from behind, which is nice because you don't have to remove the blade and breaker to adjust the frog.

LN bills it as the heaviest of their jack planes and they ain't lying. This thing is VERY stout. 

Personally I find the 5-1/2 jack to be the perfect plane - immediately able to do any task. 

I used to square up a piece of Maple and it made short work of it. I also used it to shoot the end grain and again it performed very well.

My ONLY gripe, and it's a very small one, is that there isn't much space between the blade and handle for the lateral adjustment lever. This is my first BD Lie Nielsen plane, so maybe they're all that way. Hardly a big deal but thought I'd mention it. 

It's not an inexpensive plane but in my opinion, they back up the larger price tag with quality that's above and beyond.

I have a skewed block plane arriving tomorrow. Will post a review of that as well. 

 

[Mick S]

25 minutes ago, applejackson said:

My ONLY gripe, and it's a very small one, is that there isn't much space between the blade and handle for the lateral adjustment lever. This is my first BD Lie Nielsen plane, so maybe they're all that way. Hardly a big deal but thought I'd mention it. 

 

Congrats on the new tools! There's not much clearance on any of them, but some have slightly more room. Not sure if that's due to shorter handles or the position of the handle.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Thanks @Mick S. this is my first bevel down plane of theirs. I have two of their bevel up planes. Anyway, could not be happier with it so far. Thanks for your response.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

2 hours ago, Mick S said:

Not sure if that's due to shorter handles or the position of the handle.

I would say that the shape of the handle factors in there too. it would be easy enough to design a handle that gives you a little more room, but like I said I'm not complaining. I just felt like I had that have at least one thing that wasn't a slobbering compliment in my review!

[Immortan D]

Great plane, I have one and use it all the time.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

21 minutes ago, Immortan D said:

Great plane, I have one and use it all the time.

@Immortan D  Silly question here, but how do I increase pressure on the cap? All of my planes in this style have a bolt on the cap, which is how you increase the tension. This one has a lever instead of a bolt. Or is it not adjustable?

[Immortan D]

1 hour ago, applejackson said:

@Immortan D  Silly question here, but how do I increase pressure on the cap? All of my planes in this style have a bolt on the cap, which is how you increase the tension. This one has a lever instead of a bolt. Or is it not adjustable?

Use the brass screw to set the tension. The lever on the cap is a quick release mechanism, you pull it to remove the cap and the blade and push it to lock everything back in. Before removing the cap for the first time (pulling the lever), loosen the screw at least half a round. That's because LN ships their planes with the screw over tightened to prevent damages during transportation.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Got it. Just wasn't sure if there was another way to adjust the tension in the actual quick release lever itself. Thx for the reply.