LA jack plane veritas vs LN?

[Greg Jones]

Here’s a link to the Boggs article that I mentioned, but one needs to be a paying member of the Fine Woodworking site to view it. Or look it up in the 2007 Tools & Shop issue of the magazine if you have access to that. 

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2006/11/...aper-plane

[Woodenfish]

Thanks for posting that video Ricky as I have about 50-60 bf of 1” thick quartersawn Zebrawood that has been shelved until I found something better to plane it with. The 62 with the 90* blade worked really well for that exceptionally hard wood with such difficult grain. I had never heard of such a thing as that setup but will have to try one out as I’ve been stuck so long.

[Hank Knight]

FWIW, I took a week-long workshop from Garrett Hack several years ago. He used four planes the whole week: a #7 jointer, a LN low angle jack, a Bedrock 604 1/2 and a 60 1/2 block plane. He used the LAJack a lot, like one would use an ordinary #5 - not just for end grain cuts. He said several times that it was his favorite plane.

[Handplanesandmore]

He used the LAJack a lot, like one would use an ordinary #5 - not just for end grain cuts.  He said several times that it was his favorite plane.

As I pointed out earlier, a low jack can do anything other smoothers can do. If you were stranded on an island and could only have one plane, the jack (of all trades) should be the choice (though I know Sellers would insist on a #4).

Of course, you don't use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and there are times a #4, or a block plane is a more suitable tool.

Simon

[rwe2156]

I suggest you ask yourself why a LA Jack?

[Handplanesandmore]

I don't think I have seen anyone putting a precision square (or is it a small combo square?) in the front pocket on the apron like that YT dude. You could actually see him in certain segments leaning and pressing the square against the bench.

Simon

[Greg Jones]

As I pointed out earlier, a low jack can do anything other smoothers can do. If you were stranded on an island and could only have one plane, the jack (of all trades) should be the choice (though I know Sellers would insist on a #4).

Even Sellers has a Veritas LAJ, and a large shoulder plane, although I don’t ever recall seeing him use either one.

[Handplanesandmore]

Even Sellers has a Veritas LAJ, and a large shoulder plane, although I don’t ever recall seeing him use either one.

Indeed, Sellers uses mostly Stanleys on his show; here https://youtu.be/10RPOPBTwZA?t=252 he is seen testing out the Veritas low angle jack. He also has a Veritas router plane, but again he rarely uses it in front of the video camera.

Simon

[Derek Cohen]

FWIW, I took a week-long workshop from Garrett Hack several years ago. He used four planes the whole week: a #7 jointer, a LN low angle jack, a Bedrock 604 1/2 and a 60 1/2 block plane. He used the LAJack a lot, like one would use an ordinary #5 - not just for end grain cuts.  He said several times that it was his favorite plane.

I have possibly been using an LA Jack longer than most here. I have two, one being the Veritas, and the other a vintage Stanley #62 (upon which the LN is closely based). Both get some use, although not as much these days as in past years. I have also used the LN version quite a lot, having demonstrated for LN at woodshows.

I would say that the Veritas and the LN LA jacks have different personalities. The Veritas has all the bells-and-whistles, and is the one to get if a prime reason is to use on a shooting board. Further, the availability of PM-V11 blades are a real improvement over the A2 of LN. (Having noted this, David Eckert in Oz is offering blades in a steel he claims is the same - note that I have not used one). 

What I like about the Veritas is the heft on a shooting board, a favourite plane for traversing ...



The narrower Stanley/LN #62 is the easier plane to balance when jointing narrow edges. 

The use of the LA Jack declines as one moves into specialist planes: dedicated jack for rough work, dedicated shooting plane, jointer used for traversing ... 

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ricky]

I suggest you ask yourself why a LA Jack?

I have. The honest answer is I don't technically need one, I got a small collection of inexpensive flea market bought stanleys, a few transitionals and even an old wooden scrub plane.. But those new one's are so purdy!