Clifton planes anyone?

[dchenard]

The name doesn't come up very often around here... In my neck of the woods they're priced, and are considered to be, in the same league as LN.

Opinions?

DC

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi DC,

I think they are great. I have three - #7, #6 and #4.5. They are very well made and I particularly like the bedrock-style frog, the nice thick blades and the two-piece cap iron. In addition they feel very good in the hand and are quite heavy which I think is good 8)

Highly recommended :wink:

Paul

 

[MikeW]

Hi master Chenard...

My favorite #3, the only Clifton I have owned, was my all time favorite. They are a bit longer than a Stanley. iirc, they are about the same length as a Stanley #4. They are narrower, though.

Very well made and a delight to use. Evidently my oldest thought so too and has never returned it to me once he "borrowed" it. I see the green color poking out his toolbox once in a while...

I have used a couple longer ones, a 5 and 7 I believe, a few years ago for a planing class I taught. Worked great just pulling them off the shelf and honing the blades.

One of these days I will buy another Clifton #3.

Take care, Mike

 

[engineer one]

having one (at least ) of all three types, LV, LN and clifton, and
i frankly prefer the two american ones for one simple reason,
in my view it is easier to adjust the frogs on the LV and LN.

however they do cut well, and the blades take a nice edge.
mines a number 5., but i also have a shoulder plane from clifton which
looks and works quite well.

go for it.
paul :wink:

 

[MikeW]

Hi Paul!

Of the three, I prefer LV's adjustment mechanism for adjusting the frog and the Norris-alike blade adjuster.

That said, I almost never adjust a frog after fettling a new-to-me plane.

Take care, Mike

 

[engineer one]

i think you are right mike, but as an other thread says if you start out
and the frog adjustment is complicated it kind of puts you off.

once the frog is set now i have gained confidence i don't move it either,
but at the first fettle it is the thing that makes you take to one make
or another, with so many good ones now available.

paul :wink:

 

[Philly]

Hi D
The Cliftons are premium quality planes, up there with L-N and Veritas. As mentioned, they are of classic Bedrock construction. The irons are of high carbon steel and take a great edge. The planes are well finished and look gorgeous in their British Racing Green paint and polished edges.
The only differences to the L-N bedrocks are they are made from regular cast iron not ductile iron (so can crack if dropped) and the final finishing is not the same high standard as L-N. They may need a little fettling (I've never needed to fettle a L-N) to achieve a perfect cut.
For the money they are excellent planes (and I have more than my fair share of Cliftons.....) and well worth owning.
Hope this helps,
Philly

 

[Paul Chapman]

It's interesting (to me at any rate :roll: ) that some people hardly ever adjust the mouths of their planes and others (like me) do it fairly frequently. For this reason I think the type of frog is very important. With the Bailey-type frog, I find it such a palava that I hardly bother, but since buying my Cliftons with their bedrock-style frogs I make frequent use of the easy adjustment feature. I also only use adjustable mouth block planes. I suppose it all depends on the type of work you do :wink:

Paul

 

[MikeW]

It's interesting (to me at any rate :roll: ) that some people hardly ever adjust the mouths of their planes and others (like me) do it fairly frequently...I suppose it all depends on the type of work you do :wink:

Or how many planes one has set up for differeing work. Which is my preference. Really, as for bench planes, I have two of each size I care to own. Each set up for different functions. So for instance, I have 2 #6s. Once, a vintage Sargent, has a lightly radiused edge on a Hock blade and the other, a LV, has a straight blade, with the corners eased. The Sargent has a fairly wide mouth, the LV is set up with a fairly tight mouth.

That's how my bench planes I own are. So two #3s, #4s, #6s. A single #5, #8 and #5 1/4 [as a scrub]. One Knight 7" smoother. That's it for bench planes these days. I might add a LN or LV #5 1/2. Maybe.

Lately I've been thinking on selling off the #6s on up and replacing them with vintage woodies and perhaps a C&W jack.

Take care, Mike

 

[Paul Chapman]

Blimey, Mike :shock: almost as many as Phil :shock: :lol: :lol:

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

DC

depends what you mean by in the same league.

if you are talking build quality, materials, attention to detail, finishing then you are way off the mark and Clifton are absolutely nothing like LN or LV come to that. Not in the same league.

However, as an owner/user of all three brands, I can say that as far as actual use is concerned, they perform as well as their american and canadian competition and for less money too :wink:

 

[dchenard]

DC

depends what you mean by in the same league.

if you are talking build quality, materials, attention to detail, finishing then you are way off the mark and Clifton are absolutely nothing like LN or LV come to that. Not in the same league.

However, as an owner/user of all three brands, I can say that as far as actual use is concerned, they perform as well as their american and canadian competition and for less money too :wink:

Well, they're not cheaper around here... Clifton #4 goes for CAN $350, while the LN #4 (iron) sells for US $250, or roughly CAN $290.

This said, I noticed at Rosewood Studio (our high end WW school in Ottawa) that students in long term programs seemed to prefer the Clifton over LN. I don't know what to make of that...

DC

 

[Anonymous]

Well, they're not cheaper around here... Clifton #4 goes for CAN $350, while the LN #4 (iron) sells for US $250, or roughly CAN $290.

This said, I noticed at Rosewood Studio (our high end WW school in Ottawa) that students in long term programs seemed to prefer the Clifton over LN. I don't know what to make of that...

DC

Must be import duty. Clifton are made in UK and are considerably cheaper than LV or LN over here.

Possibly the Rosewood Studio and others prefer it for the same reason friends of mine do and that is that the Clifton is (pretty much) an exact replica of the familiar Stanley pattern planes but manufactured at a much higher quality? Both LN and more so LV tend to look very differnet ot the Stanleys for sale in your local tool shop.

I personally rate Cliftons very highly but tend to go for LN these days as I like the extra effort they make to finish the planes.

 

[Paul Chapman]

This said, I noticed at Rosewood Studio (our high end WW school in Ottawa) that students in long term programs seemed to prefer the Clifton over LN. I don't know what to make of that...

Given that most people seem to rate Clifton, LN and LV as similar in performance, I think it often comes down to personal preference. When I bought mine I could have gone for any of the three makes. I decided against LV because, while I admire their innovative approach and I use several of their tools which I rate as excellent, I find the design of their bench planes too wacky and, to me, they just don't feel right. LN are superbly made but to me just don't feel as good to use as Clifton. So I would say go with whatever feels right for you - all three work equally well which is what matters :wink:

Paul

 

[bill d]

For what it's worth I love my Cliftons. Unlike some other contributors, I've never had any quality problems with them and would have been able to use the bench planes right out of the box. I like the traditional look and feel of them and ease of adjustment. But price was a factor in choosing to buy them & I'm not sure I'd pay a premium over the comparable Lie Nielsens.

 

[Chris Knight]

Another owner of all three here. I have many LNs, one LV and one Clifton. I rate them all highly. The only reason I have more LNs is because when I was buying nice planes of this type - now quite a few years ago, they were the only game in town at a price I could afford. I would definitely characterise my Clifton No 3 as being in the same league as my LNs.

 

[Ian Dalziel]

Like Chris...I also own a few planes :lol:

I too would put clifton in a similar league as LN and LV..british as well..
The planes i have i've found to be very well finished and surprised at Tony not reckoning the fit nd finish of his below par.

If you can get to a woodwork show and have a feel at each of the main 3's offerings this might help be a better judge. you might not like the weight of a LN or the tote on a LV so try before you buy....

I own all the LN range.....all the cliftons....and 70% of LV planes (still growing) and none of them i prefer over the others......(discounting the holteys) remember LN and Cliftons are just improved Stanleys,

my favourite is a pre war low knob stanley no 5 with a home made rosewood rear tote in the geometry of the Holtey. you will know a perfect tote once you pick it up....it'll be like a light bulb switching on.

You will notice in my Holtey pics that he uses the same geometry in his open and closed totes.

Getting back to the question of Cliftons.......only a perfect plane will work perfect. LN and Cliftons dont do perfect..just very near..LV are a bit nearer with their new equipement. its really down to you to fettle that last 10%, but by doing this you learn the mechanics and anatomy of a plane and from here by grasping at the very least the basics you'll improve its performance tenfold.

as will sharpening but thats a whole new topic

just my tuppence

I

 

[Frank D.]

Hey Denis,
You can always try one in your hands at Langevin et Forest, next time you're in town.

 

[dchenard]

Hey Denis,
You can always try one in your hands at Langevin et Forest, next time you're in town.

Oh, I did try one at Rosewood, and saw the instructor use one, I was taken aback by the slop in the adjuster. Actually the LN they had there didn't fare much better. Not much better than my Record #4...

One of the reasons why I like the Veritas planes...

DC

Now what I'd REALLY want is a Holtey 98...

 

[bugbear]

my favourite is a pre war low knob stanley no 5 with a home made rosewood rear tote in the geometry of the Holtey.

Made by you, or a lucky find?

its really down to you to fettle that last 10%, but by doing this you learn the mechanics and anatomy of a plane and from here by grasping at the very least the basics you'll improve its performance tenfold.

Oh - Yeah. It's fun too!

BugBear