After several years, I've finally decided to treat myself a bit and purchase a LN Plane. Boy am I glad I did. I've always been a fan of finding a piece of history and tuning up an old Stanley. One of my favorite planes in my shop has been my Type 8 No. 6 Stanley. However sometimes the time spend tuning up and fighting against an old plane sometimes take a bit of a toll on me.
So I decided to splurge a bit and buy myself a new toy. Ended up going with the LN 4 1/2 as my first new plane. I'm honestly blown away. Coming from years of using hand planes that are +/- 100 years old, this is a world's difference. As good as they can perform, I'm sure you all know all in well how older planes can sometimes be a bit finicky...the lateral adjuster that just doesn't quite want to stay in place, etc.
I ended up going with the 4 1/2 over the 4 as my primary smoothing plane. The extra weight and width is quite nice. I've never used a 4 1/2 before but I'm happy with my decision. The LN is the best plane I've ever used. Right out of the box it came ready to use. A few minor adjustments and I was taking off see-through shavings within 5 minutes of having it out of the box. The blade has some serious heft to it. It sharpens quickly and holds its edge well. It is an absolute joy to use.
If anybody is on the fence about whether or not to spend the extra money on a LN -- I would say yes it is. It is money upfront, but you come ahead with less time managing the tool and it is a lot more pleasurable to use.
I'll be upgrading the rest of my planes slowly over time.
So I decided to splurge a bit and buy myself a new toy. Ended up going with the LN 4 1/2 as my first new plane. I'm honestly blown away. Coming from years of using hand planes that are +/- 100 years old, this is a world's difference. As good as they can perform, I'm sure you all know all in well how older planes can sometimes be a bit finicky...the lateral adjuster that just doesn't quite want to stay in place, etc.
I ended up going with the 4 1/2 over the 4 as my primary smoothing plane. The extra weight and width is quite nice. I've never used a 4 1/2 before but I'm happy with my decision. The LN is the best plane I've ever used. Right out of the box it came ready to use. A few minor adjustments and I was taking off see-through shavings within 5 minutes of having it out of the box. The blade has some serious heft to it. It sharpens quickly and holds its edge well. It is an absolute joy to use.
If anybody is on the fence about whether or not to spend the extra money on a LN -- I would say yes it is. It is money upfront, but you come ahead with less time managing the tool and it is a lot more pleasurable to use.
I'll be upgrading the rest of my planes slowly over time.
