LV Plough Plane Vs Stanley 45

[jgourlay]

I have the Stanley 45 and about a billion blades, geegaws, and various assortments attachments and accouterments.

I haaaaaaaaate using a router.  But, I find the 45 klugey enough that often I reach for the router instead of the plough plane because it's just easier, marginally, despite all the dumbassery of work holding, and rube-goldberging a larger surface on a thin board, etc.

I think given from ebay that selling the whole set of 45 + some gnu's I don't need and some other stuff would clear the price for the LV setup.

Question is:  do you think I'd be happier with LV valley version, or is it too a fidgety thing?

[Strokes77]

For grooves near the edges of boards , I can't imagine a better tool than LV small plough. Compared to the 45, the LV is so much... Better.

If your talking about the big LV combination plough, I haven't used that one.

Edge chamfers/roundovers I use a smoothing plane. Edge profiles, electric router wins

[jgourlay]

For grooves near the edges of boards , I can't imagine a better tool than LV small plough.  Compared to the 45, the LV is so much... Better.  

If your talking about the big LV combination plough, I haven't used that one.

Edge chamfers/roundovers I use a smoothing plane.  Edge profiles, electric router wins

Well, I'm sad to hear that about the edge profiles.  Maybe I just need more practice with the router.  I find that every time (EVERY TIME!!!!) I do a routed edge profile, I screw it up.  I slip a bit, the router 'skips' and gnarlies out to a greater or less degree.  I didn't tighten something properly and 3/4 of the way through the cut on the last piece of that batch of cocobolo the bit starts creeping out I don't know notice for two or three inches--something.

I long for the and "I can stop, notice, and then fix it before it's too late" control of the handtool, but without the 45 minutes of fiddle-fucking around (and tear out and general problems) of the 45.

[David Katz]

I have the Stanley 45 and about a billion blades, geegaws, and various assortments attachments and accouterments.

I haaaaaaaaate using a router.  But, I find the 45 klugey enough that often I reach for the router instead of the plough plane because it's just easier, marginally, despite all the dumbassery of work holding, and rube-goldberging a larger surface on a thin board, etc.

I think given from ebay that selling the whole set of 45 + some gnu's I don't need and some other stuff would clear the price for the LV setup.

Question is:  do you think I'd be happier with LV valley version, or is it too a fidgety thing?

I have the LV  combination plane, which is what I assume you wish to compare with the 45. I also have a 45, but since purchasing the combination plane I must confess I no longer reach for the 45. The combination plane is an elegant and beautiful tool, machined far more precisely and tightly than the 45. As far is the ease of use, the 45 isn't too difficult to master, and neither is the LV version. I find the LV version is a bit easier to tighten down and adjust, however, and much easier to hold steady against the fence. 

When I purchased the LV version, I sold my LV plough plane on eBay. I have not a single regret in doing so. Buying that LV combination plane was one of the best purchases I've made in years....and let's not forget that all of the cutters for the 45 (except the slitter, of course) work on the LV version, so you won't have to purchase new blades.

[bandit571]

Lost in all of this...the plane that can use all those cutters....including all those  ogees....."Greek" or otherwise....the Stanley 55.....does things even the new fangled one can not....look it up, sometime.

[Admiral]

Lost in all of this...the plane that can use all those cutters....including all those  ogees....."Greek" or otherwise....the Stanley 55.....does things even the new fangled one can not....look it up, sometime.

I agree that in theory the 55 does things other planes can't; but getting there is a journey, and it masters very few of its intended functions.  I think the point is that the LV plane is reengineered to better functionality and built to better tolerences, hence easier to use.  I've not fondled it, so I'm taking the observations of others I know who know their way around a tool.  The 45 is ok, I've even got another body that I keep set up for a dedicated task, but having owned a 55 (sold it) and seen many 55s in the wild, I note that they almost always have all (or mostly all) of their parts, and are always in very good condition showing little use.  This might be because 55s are literally, a PITA to set up, and very fiddy in operation.  At least that was my experience when I tried to use mine, which is the reason I sold it.  I think a lot of people regretted the purchase after finding out what a pain it was to use, and just set it aside....