Veritas/LV Large or Medium Shoulder plane? Which one to buy?

[Kevin in Keswick]

Hello,

I am going to be buying a Veritas shoulder in th every near future. I would like to hear from you guys about your experiences with either and which one you would buy if you only bought one. I am a complete novice at M&T joinery but want the right tools in place before I go down that road. Can anyone give thoughts on why one might be better than the other? I really appreciate your thoughts and respect your opinions and any info you can share, whether it's hands on knowledge of the planes or just general expertise in this area would prove really beneficial to a rookie like me. Hopefully Rob Lee can maybe chime in on this.

Thanks alot for any thoughts or advice,

Kevin

 

[newt]

I have the medium and it has met all my requirements so far, a great tool.

 

[CNC Paul]

Kevin,

I tried the Large LN, I found it was to heavy.




Paul

 

[Stevie-Raw]

Kevin,

I purchased the veritas medium plane very recently and I love it. Three things going for it over the LN; first of all its very comfortable to use, theres a little brass handle which can be adjusted to fit in the 'web' of your thumb/first finger and a hole thru the body so you can hold it with a pistol grip. Secondly I like the small set screws in the body which hold the blade parallel to the body once adjusted. (Their block plane also has these) Thirdly the blade supplied is lapped on the back and takes minimal time to bring to a flat polished finish. Not a lot of price difference between the Vertitas and LN so for me the Veritas wins hands down.

Cheers
Steve

 

[woodbloke]

I use the big LN, excellent bit of kit - Rob

 

[tommy]

I've had a the large Veritas for a few months now and it's amazing. I was tempted by the medium but I'm glad I spent that little bit extra.

 

[Ace Karner]

I went thru the same process and quite a few folks said if I could have only one they would recommend the large.

I followed thru and purchase the LV Large and have been more than pleased with it. I work a lot with white oak and I think the extra weight helps.

I also had a Stanley 92 at the time. After a year of never using it I sold it a month ago.

 

[Taffy Turner]

I have the large version.I tried both at Yandles show before purchasing, and found the extra weight of the large one more to my taste.

Gary

 

[Kevin in Keswick]

Thank you all for providing your thoughts, unfortunately I don't seem to be any further ahead.

Other than cleaning up a 3/4" dado, what can't the large do that the Medium can?

At this point, the majority seem to suggest the medium but a few others have said "if you are going to only have one shoulder plane, it should be the large". Why is that?

I am leaning towards the large becuse the extra mass seems to me like a good thing and my hands are on the larger side.

To anyone that has the medium, why did you choose it over the large or vice versa?

Sorry for the questions but i really don't have any experience with these planes and I don't want to end up taking it back after the fact. As you can tell, I tend to ask alot of questions and research before making a purchase of any kind. I plan on going to LV in the next few weeks when I can get a chance and give both planes a good trial run. I guess that is when my final decision will be made.

Again, thanks for all your thoughts.

 

[woodbloke]

The larger size has more 'heft' in my view which makes it easier to handle. If as you say, your hands are on the large size then the medium sized plane may be uncomfortable for you. Whichever you choose, LV or LN, both are excellent tools though I'd recommend you 'try before you buy' if at all possible to see which one suits you best - Rob

 

[marcus]

I have both medium and large veritas shoulder planes and hardly ever use the large. The medium is, for me, much easier to use accurately because it is less unwieldy. I have biggish hands and find it comfortable to hold and use. I would suggest that unless you are doing work that really needs the extra width, save some money and get the medium....

As others have said, the little handles on the veritas shoulder planes are an inspired invention and transform the experience of using the tool....

Marcus

 

[Martin Brown]

I have sent you a PM about a chance to use both.

Martin