Plow Planes

[Bill_Houghton]

I own a Lee Valley plow and am glad I do; but I also own a Stanley 45, and have never been able to understand why people think they're so hard to set up.  I find them pretty simple.  Since they're all used, the 45s, condition and thus quality vary; but, if you get one in good shape, it's not a hard tool to use at all.

One issue with any fenced plane (plow, combination, etc.), particularly though a plow, is that the fence must be parallel to the skate, or it will jam in use (the iron is going in one direction, the fence subtly in another).  On Stanley 45s, you need to keep the tip of the fence clamping screws clean and without burrs, or they'll step the fence a little sideways as they tighten.  Mine has the fine adjustment on the fence, and I find I can fine tune the parallel setting as well by how I hold the fence when tightening the fine adjustment clamping screw.

The LV has the same issue: it tends, left to its own devices, to clamp slightly out of parallel, but I can put a little pressure on the fence as I tighten the clamping collets to bring it right.

[AHill]

I have the LV Small Plow and it's a marvelous plane. I primarily use it for grooves for drawers or grooves for tongue and groove joints. It is less versatile as the large combination plane, both because of the size but more importantly because the combination plane allows respositioning the fence to either side. The only drawback I see is there's a left and right-handed version, so depending on your grain, you may have some tearout issues if your fence can't accommodate switching directions. I ended up getting both versions for that reason.

[Bibliophile 13]

If you’re looking for a plow plane for grooves, the LV small plow is excellent. It really is one of my favorite tools to use. I added a bigger, auxiliary fence, and that made it a bit easier to control. The only drawback is that it’s a lot of money for a one-trick pony. (Well, 1.5 tricks: you can also make small rabbets with it.)

I used to have a Stanley 45. It’s not as refined as the LV and a little fussier to set up, but they’re widely available and work just fine for plowing grooves. I eventually sold it and stuck with my LV small plow.

If you don’t have a rabbet plane yet, there is a conversion kit that turns the the LV plow into a small combination plane and let’s you make rabbets and such. But for the price, you might be better off with the LV combination plane and some select blades.

I know that muddies the waters even more. But bottom line, the LV small plow is an excellent plane.

[bandit571]

Besides, this old plough  might be a bit too large?

   
Made by a G. Roseboom about 1864....

   
$16 "One-trick Pony"....

   
YMMV

[hankgillette]

I have both the Veritas Small Plow and the Combination Plane. Keep in mind that I was part of the team testing these pre-production, so that is my bias. Nevertheless, these are superior planes and there is nothing on the new market that comes close. A vintage Stanley #45 is an excellent plane, however it is not in the same category quality-wise. The Stanley is much cheaper and capable of being tuned to work as well.

Derek,

I watched the episode again (“Sliding Lid Boxes”), and Roy was using a very nice looking Stanley 45 to make the grooves. 

Hank

[hankgillette]

I own a Lee Valley plow and am glad I do; but I also own a Stanley 45, and have never been able to understand why people think they're so hard to set up.  I find them pretty simple.  Since they're all used, the 45s, condition and thus quality vary; but, if you get one in good shape, it's not a hard tool to use at all.

That might be the problem; getting one in good shape.

Hank

[Derek Cohen]

Derek,

I watched the episode again (“Sliding Lid Boxes”), and Roy was using a very nice looking Stanley 45 to make the grooves. 

Hank

Hank, Roy would use a Stanley #45. He is into vintage tools.

Of course, he could have used this, a bridle plough I built some years ago ...












Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Z]

I had eight sets to cut last evening, and I used a bandsaw for the tails (I believe David Charlesworth has used a bandsaw, but with a guide so angles are qual). I did mine free hand, then chiseled the waste. Pins were cut normally with backsaw, then chiseled.

Worked very well and pretty quick. I am building two trays, 38" long X 8" wide and 5" high.

[hankgillette]

Hank, Roy would use a Stanley #45. He is into vintage tools.

Of course, he could have used this, a bridle plough I built some years ago ...





Regards from Perth

Derek

Wow, that is absolutely beautiful! I’m sure it is a great worker, but it is almost too lovely to use.

Hank

[Handplanesandmore]

The LV has the same issue: it tends, left to its own devices, to clamp slightly out of parallel, but I can put a little pressure on the fence as I tighten the clamping collets to bring it right.

It should not, and if your plane has not been dropped or the rods banged, and the wooden fence is flat and straight, contact Lee Valley customer service.

I have owned one plow and used several others, and none of the fences has the issue you described. It could be a manufacturing defect on your plane.

The Stanley 45 is notorious for its quality issue, but of course, some good ones exist or some have been refurnished to perform really well. The one I ever tried was very poor. We can say the same about the Stanley bench planes and the modern higher-end planes. Anyone who has tried both the 45 and the Veritas Combo Plane can feel the difference in the balance of the tool, too.

Simon