Which Veritas plane do I buy?

[Bodgers]

I have relatives coming from US and Canada soon and I have an opportunity from them to bring me something back from Lee Valley.

I am still fairly new to hand planes, but my current setup consists of two planes:

ECE Block plane (which I love)
"New" Stanley SW Low Angle jack
I also have a plan to buy a used rebate/shoulder plane of some kind soon.

I don't currently have a shooting board setup, but I was thinking of buying something like the Veritas Mitre plane or the Shooting board plane.

Yes, I know I could just use the low angle jack, and yes, I could buy something old yada yada...but I want something nice and new and this opportunity doesn't happen very often.

I was just thinking of getting the shooting plane, but would the mitre plane be more versatile?

Also my sharpening setup consists of a couple of Ultex diamond stones with a leather strop - would this make sense for the PMV11 blade?

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/Page.a ... 1182,48945

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.a ... 1182,48945


Thanks

 

[Andy Kev.]

I would have said get the Low Angle Jack plane but as you already have the Stanley version, perhaps you could consider the Small Plough Plane or even the new Combination Plane because sooner or later you will want to do grooves, rebates etc. The Small Plough Plane is a brilliant bit of kit. I've only ever handled the combination plane in a shop but would buy it if I had the spare dosh.

 

[El Barto]

Man that’s a bit of luck! You should save yourself a good few quid there. I’ve had my eye on the large or medium shoulder planes, both look lovely.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-larg ... s-ax932293

 

[Bodgers]

Man that’s a bit of luck! You should save yourself a good few quid there. I’ve had my eye on the large or medium shoulder planes, both look lovely.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-larg ... s-ax932293

They are all nice! That's the dilemma I have.

I would have said get the Low Angle Jack plane but as you already have the Stanley version, perhaps you could consider the Small Plough Plane or even the new Combination Plane because sooner or later you will want to do grooves, rebates etc. The Small Plough Plane is a brilliant bit of kit. I've only ever handled the combination plane in a shop but would buy it if I had the spare dosh.

Yeah, I was thinking about the combination plane as it seems to be the best of breed. Not sure how much use I would get out of it though, so I was thinking of going for a used Stanley instead.

 

[user 26031]

I have four Veritas planes including the low angle jack and the medium shoulder plane but the plane I am picking up most at the moment is the Veritas skew block plane - http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-skew-block-plane-ax823079. It's a little beauty!

PM-V11? Worth it in my opinion!

 

[Bodgers]

I have four Veritas planes including the low angle jack and the medium shoulder plane but the plane I am picking up most at the moment is the Veritas skew block plane - http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-skew-block-plane-ax823079. It's a little beauty!

PM-V11? Worth it in my opinion!

Interesting. What do you sharpen the PMV11 with?

 

[Andy Kev.]

Yeah, I was thinking about the combination plane as it seems to be the best of breed. Not sure how much use I would get out of it though, so I was thinking of going for a used Stanley instead.

The point about the Veritas combination plane is that it is supposed to have none of the weaknesses attributed to the classic Stanley/Record etc. design. These are said to revolve around the precise setting of the plane being a time consuming and fiddly job. (I don't own one and so can't comment but perhaps somebody will come along to do just that.) The reviews so far seem to back the claims made for the Veritas design. As I said, I only had the chance to play with one in a shop for ten minutes but it certainly felt right in the hand.

 

[ED65]

I don't currently have a shooting board setup, but I was thinking of buying something like the Veritas Mitre plane or the Shooting board plane.

Unless you have bags of cash and loads of extra space in the workshop I think it's a mistake to pine after a dedicated plane for shooting work. It is likely that 99% of shooting over the past couple of generations has been done using a standard bench plane of one kind or another so it's not like they're fundamentally lacking in this regard.

Obviously you want something new and shiny which is fair enough, your money etc., but I'd get something more versatile if I were you. So while I'm not a fan of their bench planes, how about a 4 1/2 or the no. 6 maybe? And you could throw in the cast scratch stock and still have spent less, for tons more utility.

Also my sharpening setup consists of a couple of Ultex diamond stones with a leather strop - would this make sense for the PMV11 blade?

You can sharpen PMV11 on a natural whetstone so anything tougher than that will deal with it without batting an eyelid. And really, diamonds can handle anything.

 

[custard]

Also my sharpening setup consists of a couple of Ultex diamond stones with a leather strop - would this make sense for the PMV11 blade?

If you're using the extremely thick, specialist steel irons from Veritas or Lie Nielsen you'll really benefit from a power grinding wheel. Honing isn't the problem, but regrinding those massively thick, ultra hard irons by hand is a very tedious job.

 

[Bodgers]

I don't currently have a shooting board setup, but I was thinking of buying something like the Veritas Mitre plane or the Shooting board plane.

Unless you have bags of cash and loads of extra space in the workshop I think it's a mistake to pine after a dedicated plane for shooting work. It is likely that 99% of shooting over the past couple of generations has been done using a standard bench plane of one kind or another so it's not like they're fundamentally lacking in this regard.

Obviously you want something new and shiny which is fair enough, your money etc., but I'd get something more versatile if I were you. So while I'm not a fan of their bench planes, how about a 4 1/2 or the no. 6 maybe? And you could throw in the cast scratch stock and still have spent less, for tons more utility.

Also my sharpening setup consists of a couple of Ultex diamond stones with a leather strop - would this make sense for the PMV11 blade?

You can sharpen PMV11 on a natural whetstone so anything tougher than that will deal with it without batting an eyelid. And really, diamonds can handle anything.

See, I knew someone would spoil the party by saying I can get by without it

How about the 5 1/2 custom bench plane? Lots of weight there, and I keep hearing that people use a no. 5 more than anything. You can even get that with a different frog/blade angles. Hmmm....only a couple of weeks left to decide as well...

http://www.veritastools.com/Products/Page.aspx?p=691

 

[Hornbeam]

I would spend your money on the plane which you will use the most so for me that would be a 5 1/2 or a number 7.
Have you tried any veritas planes. I really didnt like the tote on the standard version.
The Rider planes from axminster were really nice and felt nicer fro me to use and look/feel good quality. I dont know how much cheaper it is buying in Canada but you can get 2 rider planes for the cost of 1 veritas and still have change.
Quangsheng planes also look excellent

Ian

 

[Bodgers]

I would spend your money on the plane which you will use the most so for me that would be a 5 1/2 or a number 7.
Have you tried any veritas planes. I really didnt like the tote on the standard version.
The Rider planes from axminster were really nice and felt nicer fro me to use and look/feel good quality. I dont know how much cheaper it is buying in Canada but you can get 2 rider planes for the cost of 1 veritas and still have change.
Quangsheng planes also look excellent

Ian

Yeah, I've seen the riders and the Quengshengs. They look fine. I can buy them (budget permitting) any time, this is a window of opportunity to get a decent discount on a Veritas that I don't want to pass up.

I definitely like the Veritas stuff - particularly the planes that offer something a bit different.

On the custom bench planes you can get different totes /handles I suppose.






Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[Glynne]

I don't currently have a shooting board setup, but I was thinking of buying something like the Veritas Mitre plane or the Shooting board plane.

Unless you have bags of cash and loads of extra space in the workshop I think it's a mistake to pine after a dedicated plane for shooting work. It is likely that 99% of shooting over the past couple of generations has been done using a standard bench plane of one kind or another so it's not like they're fundamentally lacking in this regard.

Obviously you want something new and shiny which is fair enough, your money etc., but I'd get something more versatile if I were you. So while I'm not a fan of their bench planes, how about a 4 1/2 or the no. 6 maybe? And you could throw in the cast scratch stock and still have spent less, for tons more utility.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I treated myself last year to a Veritas shooting plane and it’s one of the best things I have ever bought. I’m an amateur woodworker making predominantly boxes but it is a brilliant piece of kit and I wouldn’t be without it. Yes you can get by with a normal bench plane and people have been doing that for decades but as with all kit designed for a sole purpose, it excels.
It is expensive but if you think of the number of joints where you want a spot on end grain trimming (or even long grain) then just being able to lift out your shooting board and plane it makes life so much easier and enjoyable.

 

[AndyT]

I notice that you said you plan to get a used shoulder plane. I managed to find a nice Record shoulder plane for a reasonable price a few years ago, but if I hadn't and I was in your position, I'd seriously consider the Veritas medium shoulder plane. Decent used shoulder planes aren't easy to find. I've never seen anyone say anything negative about the Veritas shoulder plane, which does have the innovative feature of the tilting knob for easier handling. I'm sure it would be a nice thing to have.

But a plane to cut grooves will do more to open up possibilities in what you can make. I don't doubt that the new Veritas plough is a lovely piece of kit, but they seem to be selling it by dismissing older ploughs as hard to use or adjust. I have had no difficulty on my several different metal plough planes. All the old Record ones are good - and they are still quite plentiful and much much cheaper.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Just a thought - a shooting plane is a big old lump (well, all right - big brand new lump!) which would make a pretty fair dent in an aircraft luggage allowance. If that is the choice, it might be diplomatic to offer some VERY fine hospitality! They're also available in the UK if the urge is great enough.

https://www.canadiantools.co.uk/tools/V ... Plane.html

Alternatively, go for something smaller and a bit lighter, but still high value.

Lastly - just about every premium plane maker has been mentioned in the thread somewhere, except for poor old Clifton! Come on fellas, lets show a bit of pride in home-grown products. I can personally attest that their shoulder planes are first class!

 

[custard]

I notice that you said you plan to get a used shoulder plane. I managed to find a nice Record shoulder plane for a reasonable price a few years ago, but if I hadn't and I was in your position, I'd seriously consider the Veritas medium shoulder plane. Decent used shoulder planes aren't easy to find. I've never seen anyone say anything negative about the Veritas shoulder plane, which does have the innovative feature of the tilting knob for easier handling. I'm sure it would be a nice thing to have.

But a plane to cut grooves will do more to open up possibilities in what you can make. I don't doubt that the new Veritas plough is a lovely piece of kit, but they seem to be selling it by dismissing older ploughs as hard to use or adjust. I have had no difficulty on my several different metal plough planes. All the old Record ones are good - and they are still quite plentiful and much much cheaper.

Excellent advice, that's pretty much been my experience too.

Used shoulder planes are hit and miss used purchases, you may get lucky...or you may end up with a paperweight, impossible to tell until you come to use it. However, the Veritas shoulder planes are reliably superb tools. And as Andy pointed out, there are plenty of economical Record grooving planes for sale that are pretty much guaranteed to get the job done.

I know what I'd do, economise where it's safe to do so, but dig deep where you need a precision tool with a rock solid warranty.

 

[D_W]

I know this is going to catch some heat, but clifton planes are unnecessarily overweight, at and least here in the states, the people who had problems with them never got a resolution because the retailers didn't eat the cost of replacement, and clico, or whatever the entity was at the time that owned clifton also didn't do anything (like issuing a new plane).

LV and LN came along and addressed every problem immediately (along with having fewer problems in general) and ate their lunch here.

Coupled with the fact that things like replacement irons sold for about a hundred bucks here, but didn't outperform anything else.

almost 5 pounds for a #4, almost 6 for a 4 1/2 and just under 7 1/2 pounds for a 5 1/2. There's no good reason for that kind of weight - it's punitive in an hours-long shop session. "wood river" planes have the same problem. The "wood show" appeal. Make it heavier and it feels smoother, and the user at a wood show never uses it long enough to know how tiring the weight is.

 

[custard]

I don't know why Clifton persevered with the 3-in-1 shoulder plane. For years it just eroded their reputation as there was such a high percentage of duds.

 

[D_W]

I'd still buy one of their planes for sport if they were closer in weight to the original stanley planes.

I noticed in a complete phase of piggishness last year (purchased 15 infills) that the vintage planes bear little in common with the modern multi-thousand heavyweight infills. The older planes were just over or under the stanley weights, and much less bulky. I'd imagine the workmen in the early 1900s wouldn't have tolerated a 6 pound smoother.

I realize this kind of thing is lost on modern users, who are usually heavy in the wallet and light on experience (not that everyone is, but those who have a lot of experience are generally not the ones spending). I have made one of the very heavy infills and must admit that if you're just going to walk into the shop and make a few thin shavings, it's quite pleasant as long as you keep the wax to it. Mine is just shy of 6 pounds with a 2 inch iron. It's also 55 degree pitch, and any significant amount of regular work (following a try plane, for example) exposes it vs. a common stanley.

 

[ED65]

How about the 5 1/2 custom bench plane? ....and I keep hearing that people use a no. 5 more than anything.

Different strokes for different folks. I believe Paul Sellers has said he uses a no. 4 more than all other sizes combined.

Lots of weight there...

But do you want a plane that you use the most to actually be especially heavy? I know even with no. 4s that I unconsciously prefer to reach for the lighter ones than the heavier ones and there's probably less than 100g difference between 'em.

You can even get that with a different frog/blade angles.

Gimmick.

Admittedly this is actually a feature, but it's really a feature nobody truly needs.