router plane
#11
Who makes the best router plane, Veritas or Lie Nielsen? And is anyone interested in parting with one?

Tom
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#12
I prefer the visibility of the large Veritas. Check out the array of blades available for each. I'm keeping mine
Thanks,  Curt
-----------------
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
      -- Soren Kierkegaard
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#13
Another vote for the Veritas. That said, its personal preference, had both kept the Veritas. You can pickup mine at my estate sale, hopefully in at least 15 years.... :-)
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#14
Largest - Veritas with a solid bottom weight, among other things.
Smallest - LN (square shank).

Not parting with either of them.

Simon
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#15
(05-30-2020, 07:04 PM)tablesawtom Wrote: Who makes the best router plane, Veritas or Lie Nielsen? And is anyone interested in parting with one?

Tom

Tom, a better question would be “what makes one better than the other?”. If you do not ask this, all you get are partisan replies. 

I have used both, and if you did not, you would be happy with either. They are both made to high standards. However, I am definitely on the side of Veritas, and not because I have been fortunate to test their planes at a pre-production level for many years.

In the hand, they both are equal. The choice of upright vs splayed knobs is a personal choice. The fences are different affairs - I think that most would find the Veritas preferable, but again this can be personal. However, the Veritas has two major advantages over the LN: it has a wide range of blade widths and accessories. The LN have few blades, and most of these are designed for their Small router plane and used in the Large router plane via a converter. I find that this can become loose and the blades drop out. The second feature if the Veritas is a spring-loaded clamp, which holds the blade and prevents it falling out when changing settings. This is a big deal as the clamp must be loosened for both when altering the blade depth (I have often wondered if the LN could be modified by simply adding a wavy washer).

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#16
I do not own either, but have used the wooden version extensively. I can’t imagine a better functioning tool. When creating a dado for example, I typically waste material away with a chisel, then deploy my OWT to bring the surface level. I very often roll the plane about its rounded toe as I work away material.

My guess is, somebody at Lee Valley, or maybe Derek, used a plane like mine and made a toe that will allow you to do what I do, essentially varying the depth of cut without adjusting the cutter. If I were to choose one, I’d select the Veritas for that reason. But I think it would be good to ask the galooterati what they think of my technique.

Btw, adjusting the OWT is blisteringly fast and easy
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#17
I bought the Veritas large because it takes the same blades as the Veritas small I already had. No complaints. One of my favorite tools for cleaning up dados.
Math is tough. Let's go shopping!
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#18
I have the Veritas (large version) only, so I can't really compare them.  I do a pretty even hybrid of power and hand tools in my shop and am a LONG ways from the caliber of some of the other replies here, but easily one of my favorite tasks in the shop is when I get to use the router plane with the spear point blade to clean out the bottom of a dado.  I have a decent collection of good tools in my shop, but there are a couple that just have this feeling of being perfectly suited and capable when I use them, and this is one of them.

When I bought mine they only had a couple blades options, but I see they now have a whole selection of different widths.  The spring retention of the blade when adjusting is very nice.  I would probably find myself dropping the blades without it now that I'm used to it, but if you hadn't ever had it I'm sure you would have no problems with the LN version.  Bottom line is they both make incredible tools.  And you can't have mine!
Big Grin
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#19
(05-30-2020, 09:26 PM)adamcherubini Wrote: I do not own either, but have used the wooden version extensively. I can’t imagine a better functioning tool. When creating a dado for example, I typically waste material away with a chisel, then deploy my OWT to bring the surface level. I very often roll the plane about its rounded toe as I work away material.

My guess is, somebody at Lee Valley, or maybe Derek, used a plane like mine and made a toe that will allow you to do what I do, essentially varying the depth of cut without adjusting the cutter. If I were to choose one, I’d select the Veritas for that reason. But I think it would be good to ask the galooterati  what they think of my technique.

Btw, adjusting the OWT is blisteringly fast and easy

Adam, we are on the same wavelength. The ease of adjusting a blade projection is vitally important on a router plane. On the Veritas or LN (I cannot recall how well the Stanley does this), one starts by setting the final projection depth, then progressively sneaking up to that. While I may waste much of the rough dado or sliding dovetail with a chisel, it is the router plane that does the work in obtaining an even-depth floor. The spring-loading on the Veritas is good here. 

Actually even easier is the wooden router plane I built - not really an OWT, which I associate with using a plough blade. A woodie just needs a hammer tap to deepen the cut ...

[Image: BuildingaWoodenRouterPlane_html_28115f9d.jpg]

Free plan and build here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeToo...Plane.html

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#20
These are pretty simple tools so you probably can’t go wrong with whatever you choose. I’m just curious if any else tips their’s forward to alter depth of cut or if that’s even possible with a footed cutter?

When making boxes for whetstones, pretty sure the WOY (woodworkers of yore) used a center bit to excavate the majority of the waste then a router plane to level. Often those center bit centers are still evident under the lids. Ditto all sorts of inlays, the side plates of flintlock rifles, ...center bits and routers are an effective combination for inlay work, lock mortises, etc.
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