Which Shoulder Plane?

[TBradley190]

Hey Guys,
I'm in the process of building a morris chair which is taking my M/T skills to a new level to say the least. I have figured out that I need a shoulder plane and was wondering what you guys are using and what you are happy with. I must say I'm not impressed with any of the Stanley line at all. I'm leaning toward the Veritas med and the Lie Nielsen med. Both are really out of my price range, but I'm gonna have to bite the bullet. I like the pivot knob for comfort on the Veritas, but other than that they both look like well made tools. Any opinions appreciated, Thanks,


Tim

 

[jlimey]

I have used the large LN shoulder plane and handled their other sizes. I do think the medium is the most useful size. I am not very pleased with the ergonomics - I just cant seem to get a good grip! I read recently that they may actually be best used pulling towards you in a backwards fashion but I haven't tried it yet.

The Veritas look like they may be more comfortable, but I have a caveat about the pivoting knob. If you plane the shoulder halfway to avoid blowing out the far side, you have to flip the plane to come back from the other direction, leaving the knob on the wrong side. If I was you, I would listen to someone who has used both! :gar-Bi

 

[merrill77]

I have Stanley 92 which, at least for me, works great for tuning tenons. No doubt a plane that is twice the price should be even better!

 

[dancam]

I have the Veritas and am completely satisfied with both the comfort and cut. I've not tried the LN but I do remember one of the ww'g mags did a review (I think FWW) and the Veritas came out the best choice.

Dan C.

 

[kirkpj01]

I have used the Stanley 92,93 and 94 planes for a while now. They seem to work well enough for me. I have no experience with the LN or Veritas shoulder planes.

 

[eyekode]

I have the veritas medium shoulder plane. The knob flips back and forth very easily. It does not present any problems with planing in both directions on a shoulder. Conversely I don't find it very useful either .

It is difficult to get a grip and avoid crushing your fingers. That being said I think all shoulder planes suffer from this issue. And I do like my plane .

Salem

 

[Dan Bowman]

I assume you're talking about trimming the tenons: I have the medium LN shoulder, which I like, but having just had the opportunity to use a LN rabbet block plane on some tenons, I'd probably opt for that. It was easier to grip and control. http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=60_5R

 

[eyekode]

For shoulders it is hard to beat a shoulder plane. It has more surface to register square to the tenon. But that assumes he tenon is parallel to the rail/workpiece.

Which is where a router plane comes in. I think this is the best tool for trimming tenons because it is registers off the workpiece insuring the tenon is parallel to the workpiece.

I don't own a rabbet plane but I am not sure where I would use one either (except for rabbets wider then my shoulder plane ).
Salem

 

[JimD]

I bought the biggest Stanley based upon price. The plane iron was terrible, very roughly ground. The steel is great, however, so once I got it sharp the plane works very well. The weight is nice.

Jim

 

[TBradley190]

Thanks for the replys,
The reason I didn't want to go with Stanley was because I read some reviews and heard some horror stories about the products that are now coming from mexico. The quality is less than the previous UK built planes.

Jeff: My thinking for the medium plane was the width, I thought it might be nice to plane flat bottom 3/4 dados, and you bring up a good point about turning it around to keep from blowing out the corner. Is this the best way to plane shoulders? I was thinking of trimming the shoulders using my shooting board with one long pass and a backer, but don't know how it will work.

I have 40 m/t joints in this one project so I'm thinking I'm going to give the Veritas a try, besides Rockler (20% discount) has the Stanley backordered anyway

Tim

 

[merrill77]

Thanks for the replys,
The reason I didn't want to go with Stanley was because I read some reviews and heard some horror stories about the products that are now coming from mexico. The quality is less than the previous UK built planes.

Ahhh, I see. Mine is an old SW, though I'm not sure of the vintage. It was a gift from a relative that frequents estate auctions, flea markets, etc. They're not hard to find on eBay.

 

[eyekode]

Tim,
I have never used my shoulder plane for dado's. I much prefer my router plane for this.

As for how you use one: personally I do always cut from both sides. If you try to cut it all from on side it will blow out.

If you have 40 m&t joints to do saw accurately! And I would not want to be without a router plane. I picked up my first one for 35$ from eBay. I is a Stanley #71. I also have the veritas large router plane. Would you believe in some ways I like the stanley better? The veritas has much nicer blades and nicer adjustment and a good depth stop. But the I like the straight Stanley handles better. And I dont't have any accuracy problems with the old plane so some of the improvements of the veritas don't mean much to me.

And although I like to use hand tools I would saw the shoulder cuts accurately with a crosscut sled and stop block on the TS. Much less cleanup required unless you are truly skillful with your backsaws.

I think you can't go wrong with either the LN or the LV. But make sure you pick up a router plane too!

Salem

 

[merrill77]

Tim,
I have never used my shoulder plane for dado's. I much prefer my router plane for this.

As for how you use one: personally I do always cut from both sides. If you try to cut it all from on side it will blow out.

If you have 40 m&t joints to do saw accurately! And I would not want to be without a router plane. I picked up my first one for 35$ from eBay. I is a Stanley #71. I also have the veritas large router plane. Would you believe in some ways I like the stanley better? The veritas has much nicer blades and nicer adjustment and a good depth stop. But the I like the straight Stanley handles better. And I dont't have any accuracy problems with the old plane so some of the improvements of the veritas don't mean much to me.

I thought I was the only one who used a router plane for tuning tenons and cleaning up dados! I, too, picked up mine from eBay. A 71 1/2 that was cheap ($21 IIRC) because it has a chunk taken out of one side. Works great, love it :>

 

[bluedawg76]

out of curiosity, how does a shoulder plane compare to a stanley 78 for trimming tenon shoulders and tweaking cheeks. i realize it's a different style plane (a rabbet and bullnose plane) and the blade is considerably wider (i.e. not useful for cleaning up dados). i recently used it to clean up the shoulders for some breadboard ends i'm making as i don't have a shoulder plane (yet?). there is a reasonably good surface area to hold onto on one side however, b/c the other side is pretty open, it was difficult to register on the tenon to be square. switching to the bullnose for the tenon cheeks worked well, but would a router plane be better for this? (like i really need a reason to buy more tools!)

Sam

 

[gazzer]

I have the large Veritas. I bought it primarily to shave tenon cheeks so I wanted the extra width. I have not tried the medium. The large has some heft to it; however it seems to fit my hand nicely - really nicely. Oh - it works well for shoulders too.

 

[eyekode]

Shoulder planes have more of a surface on the nose to register the cut. So it should be more accurate and easier to control. That being said if you get great results with a bullnose plane you are all set .

But I dont see how you can trim a tenon accurately with a shoulder plane or a bullnose plane. On most tenons there is too little shoulder to register against. Compare that to how much surface a router plane has!

Before I used a router plane I thought I wanted a rabbet block plane. After using one I can't figure out how I would use a rabbet block (but I still wan one ).

Salem

 

[bluedawg76]

But I dont see how you can trim a tenon accurately with a shoulder plane or a bullnose plane. On most tenons there is too little shoulder to register against

good point. i used it to trim 4" wide tenons for breadboard ends. but for more typical sized tenons, there would be a very short surface for the plane to ride on. i see a new tool arriving in my future!