Looks Like the LN 4-1/2 Bronze is Back

[AHill]

Just saw this today.  A mere $750 will score you one.  I think that's quite a bit more than what they charged for the anniversary version several years ago.  Maybe they are raising money to help fund the plow plane production.

https://www.lie-nielsen.com/product/no4-12-bronze

[Admiral]

At that price, its merely a potential collector's piece to be put in a box for 30 years in the hope it will rise in value.  To take a page from Warren Buffet's famous $1M bet with a hedge fund manager, put the $750 in an S&P 500 index mutual fund and I'll guarantee you that in 30 years you'll have more money than that plane will be worth.  

As a user plane, I surely don't see the value add over the iron version.  They must have a lot of casting failures with the bronze, so it gets worked into the pricing.

[DaveParkis]

Woo Hoo!!! I just might have to sell one ( or two).

[Timberwolf]

At that price, its merely a potential collector's piece to be put in a box for 30 years in the hope it will rise in value.  To take a page from Warren Buffet's famous $1M bet with a hedge fund manager, put the $750 in an S&P 500 index mutual fund and I'll guarantee you that in 30 years you'll have more money than that plane will be worth.  

As a user plane, I surely don't see the value add over the iron version.  They must have a lot of casting failures with the bronze, so it gets worked into the pricing.

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I think there's a lot of profit in that plane, Rich...IMO, the fact that it's bronze doesn't make it work any better..just makes it more rare which adds to the "prestige" of owning one...After I doubled my money the first time, I bailed!!!!!!..To heck with the "prestige"....
..

[MattP]

At that price, its merely a potential collector's piece to be put in a box for 30 years in the hope it will rise in value.  To take a page from Warren Buffet's famous $1M bet with a hedge fund manager, put the $750 in an S&P 500 index mutual fund and I'll guarantee you that in 30 years you'll have more money than that plane will be worth.  

As a user plane, I surely don't see the value add over the iron version.  They must have a lot of casting failures with the bronze, so it gets worked into the pricing.

I bought the No. 4 in bronze as my first bench plane (along with a 62) when I first got interested in woodworking. I chose bronze purely for the bling, I didn't even try to pretend otherwise.


Having lived and worked with it for a while, I haven't found a single practical advantage. There is one practical disadvantage: I can't use my Veritas magnetic jointer fence with it.

[bandit571]

Yawn....

[hbmcc]

Looking at it mathematically, the 4-12 gives you the same shaved (lapped) surface width you start out with on the #4. 

I didn't need the bronze 4, but it's like cool sounding resonators on Grandma's Fairlane one of us was lucky enough to inherit. I certainly didn't need the 55 frog.

[Philip1231]

LN knows the value of their tools on the secondary market and I suspect they are giving a nod to original buyers of the anniversary plane: not a good idea to undercut the re-sale price of the anniversary plane with something that is very similar (except the cherry tote/handle). These will sell: perhaps not fly off the shelf, but they will sell.

[AHill]

LN knows the value of their tools on the secondary market and I suspect they are giving a nod to original buyers of the anniversary plane: not a good idea to undercut the re-sale price of the anniversary plane with something that is very similar (except the cherry tote/handle).  These will sell: perhaps not fly off the shelf, but they will sell.

The original LN 25th Anniversary bronze 4-1/2 sold for $450.  There were only 500 made, and they were signed on the side (etched) by Tom Lie-Nielsen.   They also had cocobolo totes and handles.  They are selling for around $900 now on eBay.  I can certainly understand not wanting to undercut the "market" for the anniversary planes, but the current offerings don't include the signature, and have the normal cherry handle and tote.  Maybe all this means is that the signature and coco handle & tote are worth $150.  There was no fanfare when the current offering was released for sale, and no indication that it's a limited run.  Maybe there was a demand for them from folks that live near oceans.

[Mike Brady]

It does say "limited run" in the catalog listing.  Looks like they made 24 of them.  They will certainly sell, and the original anniversary models will maintain a premium over them due to the fancy handles.