What's next

[cwarner]

So it looks like my I have some funds (~$250-300) in my woodworking budget to play with. I have a couple different options and was looking for some insight from those who already own these tools,

Option 1: Veritas Small plow with 5 blade set

Option 2: LV LA spokeshave and LN Biggs spokeshave. (I only have a vintage Stanley #51 at the moment.

Option 3: 2-3 Auriou cabinetmakers rasps (I currently have no rasps at all)

Option 4: Some combination of the above..

Suggestions from the peanut gallery welcome!

[AHill]

What kind of work are you wanting to do? The plow is a very nice plane, but it really only does one thing - makes grooves. Were it me, I'd get one Auriou finer grain rasp and a spokeshave. The combo will really work well in shaping handles, table legs, and the like. You might also consider a drawknife. In the coarse-medium-fine approach, the drawknife would be your coarse-to-medium tool. I find my drawknives make very quick work of shaping spoons and handles.

[Phil S.]

I agree with Allan. The plow plane is a more specialized tool. It is a great tool if you need to do what it does, but rasps and spokeshaves will be used more regularly. I have the Auriou rasps and the LV LA spokeshave, also great tools. I get more use out of my rasps than the spokeshave, but that is my style of woodworking. I more or less followed the Schwarz recommendation on rasps. I think my big rasp is a little coarser at 9 grain. I have the 6" 15 grain modeler's rasp he mentions, but I got the Gramercy rat tail rasp instead of the Auriou. I also have Joel's saw maker's rasp which has come in handy for reaching spots a straight rasp can't get into. With your budget, you should be able to get a combination of rasps and the LV spokeshave. I think you'd be pleased with them.

[Paul K. Murphy]

Your 51 is a dynamite tool. No need for a new spokeshave.
Later you could upgrade to a 151. That will give you all you can get from a spokeshave.

[John Clifford]

I'll go against the opinion above and say plow plane. To me it is an essential/core tool. The shaping tools can be useful and are nice to have but are much further down the "need" list than a plow plane.

By the way, happy birthday,
John

[Pat Zabrocki]

I built a Maloof rocker which has a lot of rasp work and used the Dragon rasps (Stewart MacDonald sells them) and thought they were every bit as good as the auriou that I have at half the price. I do like the plow and if hand work is really your thing, you'll want a plow. However, a good Stanley 45 will work nicely and likely come with more blades.

I'm not offering much help. You've focused on two great options that actually have nice alternatives. If you are truly going to use the tool, then the plow is probably a better choice. It will hold its value a little better. Rasps will wear out eventually. If they will see limited use then I think they both hold their value very well.
just my 2 cents
pat

[Girk]

As an alternative to rasps, I've been looking at some Iwasaki files, which both Lee Valley and Highland sell. I have a gift certificate to Highland, and being a hobbyist, cost is as factor. Has anybody used these? Comments?
Lee Valley
Highland Woodworking

[rectangle618]

+1 on Pat Z.'s comments about "Dragon rasps (Stewart MacDonald sells them)". I have had the same experience and would recommend them to anyone looking for a quality rasp. (And, you save yourself fifty bucks or so.)

[cwarner]

Thanks for the replies, I have done a couple of Maloof rockers without rasps and I'm sure they would have been shaped much faster with rasps vs shapiing with a sander.

I do see at least one dresser, a couple of night stands in my near future which is why I was thinking the small plow for drawer bottoms etc. If I ditched the 5 blades I could probably swing the plow and LA shave. I really do want to get a couple rasps to see how they could help in my workflow... No need to rush but with free shipping, ill probably place the order before that ends

[Dave Diaman]

You may want to take a look at the Japanese rasps LV sells. They are very cost effective and work really well. I find I reach for mine more than I reach for my high dollar hand cut rasps.