Replies

1. 
   BG | Dec 20, 2003 11:36pm | #1

   Hillen,

   The correct answer is ...low angle....smoother.  Because...its shortness will be better for scrubing....and fit better in your array of planes when you buy the low angle jointer...

   Can I assume this sage advice entitles me to a free use sometime? 
1. 
   jhh | Dec 21, 2003 12:48am | #3

   Interesting response -- I would have guessed exactly the opposite, namely that if scrubbing is the focus, the slightly longer length of the jack would mean that you'll naturally tend to scrub down the highspots without having to focus so much on staying out of the troughs.

1. 
   BG | Dec 21, 2003 02:03am | #4

   Hillen,

   I converted a #3 into a scrubber...the shorter length allows me to work a bit more aggressively, and the blade is narrower than a #4 smoother. With initial flattening, stock removal..especially with twist in the board, cup or bow is where lots of wood need to be removed (relatively speaking)...and very often you need to work on a small area. Of course any bench plane could do the job....but I took your question to be more splitting hairs..rather than significant differences.

    But, as I stated, if you eventually buy the low angle jointer...won't you then have wished you bought the smoother?

   Edited 12/20/2003 6:10:23 PM ET by BG

2. 
   Midnight | Dec 20, 2003 11:42pm | #2

   Hillen....

   Based on what I've seen through using it, my 62 is every bit as comfortable working as a jack as it is at smoothing. The only regret I have about buying it is that I didn't do it sooner.... 

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

3. 
   RANGERP75R | Dec 21, 2003 02:36am | #5

   Jens

      Just had to throw in the deal with using it for a scrub, huh! Always someone trying to stir up trouble, and at Xmas to boot.   :>)

      I will agree with BG in this case with the scrub task added. The shorter will be a better fit there and with the over-all lenght and weight, it will also handle the end grain better than the low-angle block.

      If the scrubbing were not mentioned, I would agree with Mike as with different irons, you can use the jack for end-grain, smoothing and prep by varying the angle on the bevel. In other words, I would like to have both. 

      "Go for it, get both". If the wife throws you out, you can be a "super-cool" home-less person wandering the streets with a little wooden tool-box full of LN planes. Carry a sign that states, "Will Wood-Work for Food"! ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..

   Merry Xmas and enjoy whatever shows up under the tree...

   sarge..jt 

   Proud member of the :  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

4. 
   Alan | Dec 21, 2003 02:43am | #6

   Jens,

   I have a low-angle smoother--a Lee Valley, though, not a Lie-Nielsen.  I got it to use as a miter plane on a shooting board.  After trying it for ordinary smoothing, I use it only on a shooting board.

   I already had a LN #4 Smoother, a Brand X #3, and a piece-of-junk jack (a Craftsman).  I didn't need another smoother or another jack, but I did need something that would give me better results on a shooting board.  I have no complaints at all about the way it does end grain.  I would have many complaints if I got it to do actual smoothing.

   Given what you've picked as your choices I think you can't really go wrong.  You'll be delighted with any of them--but quite a bit poorer.

   Alan

1. 
   RANGERP75R | Dec 21, 2003 03:04am | #7

   Alan

      What problems did you encounter with the Veritas low-angle smoother? Just curious as to the comments about it not being a smoother. The low-angle is better suited to soft-wood and end-grain, IMO. Is that what you refer too, or have I missed something I need to know? 

      Not new to WW'ing by a long shot, but still developing the touch with these hand-planes.

   Regards...

   sarge..jtProud member of the :  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   Alan | Dec 23, 2003 03:32am | #8

   Sarge,

   First and foremost, my Lee Valley low angle smoother is an excellent tool.  I did not mean to infer otherwise.  It is very well made:  the fit and finish is as good as it gets; out of the box its sole was flat and at ninety degrees to the sides; the mouth adjusting mechanism works surely and smoothly; and on and on.  My only complaints about it are more nit-picks than real troubles.  Again, it is a wonderful tool.

   I tried it on some poplar and oak and had the usual low-angle woes trying to smooth the faces on these two woods.  It was a long step or two from disastrous, but it didn't perform as well as my Lee-Nielsen--or even as well as my Brand X #3.  I suppose it could be reconfigured and finessed to do a tolerable job smoothing, given enough time and patience.  But there's no point in fussing with it further when I had two tools that didn't need any finesse to work well.

   Again, using it as a miter plane I have very few complaints.  IMHO it's worth every dollar--but perhaps because I neither wanted or needed it to work as an everyday smoother.

   Alan

1. 
   RANGERP75R | Dec 23, 2003 04:40am | #9

   Alan

      Thanks for the reply. I understand what you're saying. In given situations, low-angle is not the best route to chose. As a general purpose smoother, it won't do the same things a 45 degree, 50 York or 55 medium pitch will. The shining star of any low-angle is end-grain. You have probably taken the appropriate route by desinating it as a mitre shooter.

      Just wanted to be sure there was someithing I wasn't aware of that I should be. I may pick up one in the future, but have those angles it does best covered for the moment.

   Thanks and Merry Xmas...

   sarge..jtProud member of the :  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

5. 
   ian | Dec 23, 2003 02:51pm | #10

   Jens

   I like my LN62 'cause I can hold it in one hand and use it on it's side as a trimming plane.  Works as well or better than a #95 on 5 ply.

   I like my LN62 'cause it will take a very fine slicing cut

   I don't own a #164 'cause when I could compare them side by side I bought a #4.5 instead!

   buy the #62 and get 2 extra standard blades (grind one at 33 deg to mimic the 45 deg cutting angle of a standard bench plane, another at 38 or 43 deg to mimic a high angle smoother).  Not sure about using the #62 as a scrub plane, a 2in blade generates a lot more resistance than the narrower blade used on a scrub

   Merry Christmas

   Ian