In the last couple days Lie-Nielsen (LN) hand planes have worked their way into the discussion. If you were not familiar with them, perhaps the recent conversation prompted you to check them out. LN has a nice website that features their tools, woodworking events, and several informative You Tube videos regarding the care and use of several of its products. The LN website is worth checking out. Just google search Lie-Nielsen and you’re sure to find it.
LN is certainly a higher end tool manufacturer. I think the actual quality of their products and their prices reflect that. Are their hand planes worth the cost? That’s really a matter of ones personal choice. Do LN planes live up to their hype? From the experience that I’ve had with a few of them in my own shop, I believe that they do. Do LN planes out perform their antique counterparts? I guess that’s a matter for further debate. Generally speaking, most antique planes are definitely capable of producing very high quality results that are as nice as anything a LN plane can produce, and vise versa, provided the antique is sharp and in good working order. The same basic criteria applies to the LN plane. Where I believe that LN planes separate themselves from the antiques is in the higher quality of construction, materials, and attention to the fit and finish. LN certainly has the advantage in production techniques, and engineering improvements, and it’s obvious that their tools have benefited from decades of experience (some good, some bad) that Stanley and other companies endured in the hand plane production learning curve. Just pick up a LN hand plane. Hold it in your hands. Operate its adjusting mechanisms. Almost immediately, it’s very easy to see that it’s a high quality tool that was manufactured with precision and care. There’s just no denying that.
With all that being said, will using an LN plane automatically make you a better craftsperson? No. I think we all know that wood working, like any craft that involves shaping raw, natural, and man made materials, requires years of practice, experimentation, and experience. The use of tools and techniques are refined, revised, and re-evaluated. The learning never ends. Using a LN plane, or its “distant Stanley relative” can potentially lead a person to the same end. Each tool will hopefully bring its user to that certain level of satisfaction that he/she desires. There’s no shame in using either one. It really boils down to personal taste, economics, availability of the particular tool, and the experience that an individual wishes to have. The PERCEPTION that using a certain tool versus another is good or bad, right or wrong, foolish or wise, should never enter the equation. Use what you like, and don't be afraid to try something different.
Lie-Nielsen #60 ½:
I bought the LN #60 ½ block plane way back in 1999. At the time, I had a couple old Stanley block planes that worked just fine, but I was at a woodworking demonstration and noticed that the craftsman doing the presentation had a LN block plane on his bench. He used the plane continually throughout the demonstration. At the end of the class I went up and asked him if I could take a look at his block plane. He swore by it, and said that it was the best block plane he had ever owned. I was impressed with it. The man let me take a few passes with it on some scrap and I knew that I’d like to have one. Talk about a tool that feels great in your hand. The LN was inspired by the Stanley #60 and # 60 ½ block planes. LN did make improvements to the pressure cap, and thickness of the main casting. It’s a heavy plane for its size. The iron is thicker, and there’s no slop in its adjusting mechanism whatsoever. As evidenced by the shavings, the plane can be easily set up for an aggressive pass, medium work, or a shaving that’s whisper thin. It’s a nice tool. Since 1999, not one project has crossed my bench where the plane depicted below hasn’t touched the work piece at least once or twice. Any tool can be a part of the wood working experience. Hopefully the tool will provide utility, inspiration and satisfaction. This particular plane brings me all three every time I use it.
Jim C.
