Axminster Rider Shoulder Plane or Veritas Shoulder Plane

[PeteBowen]

Hi All.

Over the last few months I've discovered the joy of silent woodworking. My systainers are lost under the shavings from an old Stanley 5 I found in the rotting shed when I bough my house.

I want to buy a shoulder plane. I'm after your thoughts on whether the Axi version at £67 is a sensible buy or should I shell out for the Veritas medium shoulder plane at 3x the price.

Thanks in advance.

 

[lurker]

https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangshe ... plane.html

My guess this will be lots better than the axi offering, it will certainly be fit for use out of box as the qc is far better.

 

[PeteBowen]

Thanks. I'll take a look.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Always seems a shame to me that Clifton never get a mention when new shoulder planes are being discussed. Still being made in Sheffield, now under Thomas Flinn's wing.

https://www.flinn-garlick-saws.co.uk/ac ... LANES.html

 

[woodbloke66]

Always seems a shame to me that Clifton never get a mention when new shoulder planes are being discussed. Still being made in Sheffield, now under Thomas Flinn's wing.

https://www.flinn-garlick-saws.co.uk/ac ... LANES.html

I've got small Clifton shoulder plane which is superb, but the mouth was so tight it needed easing with a needle file. I've also got one of the old bronze bodied LN shoulder planes with the wooden wedge which appear to be no longer made - Rob

 

[katellwood]

as a first shoulder plane why not go for a 311 combi. it was my first and still use it even though I have others

 

[G S Haydon]

Clifton, Veritas, LN and Quangsheng are all good tools. I'm not sure about the Rider brand from Axminster. I really like the chisels with hornbeam handles from that range, but the planes were not so good.

 

[deema]

I’ve had a Clifton and a Veritas, they are different and you hold them slightly differently. Both are excellent planes. I would try the Veritas and the Ryder out at an Axminster store as again they are very different to hold and decide which you prefer.

 

[custard]

There's a lot of sense in Deema's suggestion of trying them out. A shoulder plane is much more of a precision instrument than a bench plane, and what's more a shoulder plane will probably be unfixable if you end up with a dog.

The critical problem is that the sole and the top surface of the frog need to be perfectly in line, if they're not then the tool will never work properly. It may function when used on one side at one particular setting, but it'll be awful on the other side without completely regrinding the iron.

That's why I'm always a bit wary of bargain shoulder planes, precision rarely comes cheap!

The other issue with a shoulder plane us the width and the weight. I trained at a workshop that recommended you only own one shoulder plane, but that it' should be the large 1 1/4" wide version. This used to be the default option for British cabinet makers.

Today some people are moving to slightly smaller and lighter shoulder planes (and they're also buying two or three tools). Personally I prefer the heft of the 1 1/4" version to drive through end grain when cleaning up tenons and I've never felt the need for additional shoulder planes in different sizes, but that's possibly because I grew up using one of these so it's what I'm familiar with. If you're new to the game then it would be worth trying different options before you buy.

 

[woodbloke66]

Clifton, Veritas, LN and Quangsheng are all good tools. I'm not sure about the Rider brand from Axminster. I really like the chisels with hornbeam handles from that range, but the planes were not so good.

Agree Graham about the chisels which are Narex's with better handles. The Rider planes though are a bit of mixed bag, sometimes goodish and at other times bloody awful, but those that have tried them have left decent enough reviews on the Ax website - Rob

 

[AJB Temple]

I have tried a couple of Rider planes - gave them away.

My shoulder plane is Clifton, bought off the bay, and it is excellent. My Block planes are Veritas. I have a couple of bigger LN planes (bought from forum members at excellent value) and they are faultless. Most of my bigger stuff is old good quality Record but (hate to admit this) I machine most stuff through the PT. By far and away the plane I use most is my best Veritas block plane. It worked perfectly straight out of the box. This latter aspect is a must have for me: I buy tools to use, not fiddle with.

 

[woodbloke66]

I have tried a couple of Rider planes - gave them away.

I have the original Rider No.4 cast brass, pre-production prototype, for which I made a teak tote and front knob. Definitely not for giving away :lol: - Rob

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Hi -

another option to consider might be a rebating block plane - it will do most, if not all, the jobs a shoulder plane does and more besides. I have one of these and I like it very much: https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangshe ... ype-3.html

The only downside is that I still cut myself on the sharp corners every once in a while!

I agree with the previous comments. I have a Rider 311 and with some fettling of the blade it works nicely. They are made for Axi by Soba tools in India and quality is a bit variable (and Axi don't seem to overdo themselves trying to "inspect in" quality). https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-r ... ane-506567

I also have the smallest QS shoulder plane and I love it - accurately made and doesn't require much fettling at all. https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangshe ... plane.html

I also have the Veritas middle-size shoulder plane and it's an absolute pleasure to use - the PMV11 blade is well worth the extra money. https://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-med ... ade-717527

I also have a couple of old wooden rebate planes (one skewed, one not) from boot sales - with a bit of fiddling about it's possible to get excellent results.

The price of the above options varies from £2 to £200+ and I think it's a matter of trying some out, as previously suggested, and seeing where the balance lies for you. As far as resale value goes, I think the Veritas would hold its value best.

Cheers, W2S

 

[tony_s]

My axi shoulder plane is not a bad piece of kit, I also have their bevel up jack (it was my first foray into BU bench planes- I wanted to see what all the fuss was about)and it's just plain nasty.

 

[MikeG.]

.........another option to consider might be a rebating block plane - it will do most, if not all, the jobs a shoulder plane does and more besides. I have one of these and I like it very much: https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangshe ... ml.........

Interesting idea, but it looks quite a compromise to me. I can't help but wonder how strong it is, and how it would survive a tumble off a saw horse. It also looks awkward to hold whilst working on a larger tenon.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

.........another option to consider might be a rebating block plane - it will do most, if not all, the jobs a shoulder plane does and more besides. I have one of these and I like it very much: https://www.workshopheaven.com/quangshe ... ml.........

Interesting idea, but it looks quite a compromise to me. I can't help but wonder how strong it is, and how it would survive a tumble off a saw horse. It also looks awkward to hold whilst working on a larger tenon.

I haven't broken mine yet (but then my workshop floor is ply or softer)! It doesn't give me the impression I need to be overly careful with it (any more than with any other precision tool that costs money to replace). If I'm doing rufftytuffty joinery (e.g. big bits of green oak) I use a No. 10 - the faithfull one is actually good enough for me in this case - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-PLAN ... B003612JFE

The RBP is actually at its most useful on a wider tenon. Because it's low-angle it's great on end-grain. The only tricky bit, as I mentioned, is remembering not to wrap my fingers round the bottom edge half way along (and to be fair, I can do that with my shoulder planes too!!).

Cheers, W2S

 

[PeteBowen]

I ordered the Quangsheng Luban No. 92 Shoulder Plane from Workship Heaven. I'll let you know how I get on with it.

 

[colinc]

I am going through the very same decision process so keen to know how the Quangsheng works out,

Colin

 

[PeteBowen]

It seems fine but ... I'm not actually experienced or skilled enough to know the difference between a premium plane and one that's better than the ones I started out with.

 

[colinc]

Hi,

I bought a Veritas medium, despite my originayl intention to buy the larger one. I decided that the large was perhaps too hefty for my work. It arrived today.

I have to say that I am too cold to venture into the workshop tonight, so it is sitting in its box, but the build quality is great. Have yet to try it out......

Edit: tried it, love it! Hard to know how to rate it in terms of value for money, but it is real quality and definitely no regrets about buying it.

Oh, and I did order another plane from Workshop Heaven today......

Regards,

Colin