Bench Dogã‚â® Tools No 60-1/2 Low Angle Block Plane Reviews

Low-Bending Block Airplane Review

Most block planes have adjustable plates in their soles, which means yous tin open the throat up to take heavy shav­ings for rough work and then tighten the mouth back up for ultra-fine shavings in difficult hardwoods. Anytime you need to 'dress a joint' flush or work on small scale, centralized areas, it's the block plane to the rescue. I've been 'test driv­ing' the post-obit models and volition share my opinions with you, kickoff with the least expensive and working my way up from there.

Stanley SW No. sixty one/2

Length – 6 ½"
Width – ii ⅛"
Blade Thickness – ⅛"
Price – $103

Stanley Tools have recently introduced their new line of 'premium' hand planes and the 60 ½ is their low-angle block. Labelled with the SW (Sweet Heart) logo, a trademark used in the 1930s to acknowl­edge the president William H. Hart; information technology paints a pleasant moving picture of a very afar past when planes were truly innova­tive and some of the best that money could buy.

When I received this plane in the post opened the box to find a tool that felt didn't quite deserve to wear that aforementioned slap-up logo. Here's why:

The outset matter I noticed, and almost opened upwardly my mitt with, was the bottom machining. The sole seemed to be well flattened to the signal where the edges, where information technology meets the plane sides, were sharp plenty to cut me. Not a great first impression but a scrap of easing with some fine sand newspaper and won't need any stitches just withal. The plane felt pretty hefty in hand, which is a skillful thing, and went straight to the work bench for a test drive. Adjusting the plane was a little frustrating to say the least. Norris-type adjuster had quite a bit of backlash and needed almost a dozen full turns to bring the aeroplane fe to depth. idea this may be for the sake of aircraft and for blade protection, but later on working with the tool again it took me far likewise many turns to movement the iron dorsum in.

Once the atomic number 26 was out attempted to adjust it laterally and was again disappointed. In guild to make the iron sit foursquare to the plane sole had to move the adjuster about all the way over to the left hand side. Non the end of the world but clearly not the way it should function. When did finally get the iron foursquare and true to the sole, a elementary turn of the front knob and a twist of the eccentric lever closed down the throat and was able to become a very adequate shaving. The ⅛" thick blade was decent but like most new tools could benefit from some more honing after purchase. I suppose I could spend a little time adjusting and tuning the plane for an improved and more reliable gear up, only I'm not so sure I'll find the time. This airplane was the least expensive in my review and suppose yous really practice become what y'all pay for.

Veritas

Length – 6 ⅜"
Width – two″
Bract – ⅛"
Toll – $149

The 2nd block plane I'll look at is from Canadian-fabricated Veritas Inc., the manufacturing arm of Lee Valley Tools.

This plane is slightly shorter and narrower than the Stanley just felt good in hand while in use. The lever cap is a footling bit large for the size of the trunk, but subsequently some use it didn't pose any issues. Similar the Stanley, the Veritas also has a Norris-type adjuster, but unlike the competi­tion it was responsive and authentic. Debark plough of the rear knob gave almost instant feedback and the blade advocacy took only a 2nd or ii. Squaring upwardly the fe was easy and almost pre-determined thanks to two tiny set screws set into the sides of the plane trunk that register the iron and aid with any unwanted lateral movement or shifting while in utilise. The pharynx conform­ment was almost instant thank you to a 'i-step' blueprint. Veritas has eliminated the eccentric lever and the throat is loosened and positioned using the same front knob. Machining is above average and the fe came ready to go. These features solitary made this plane worth the extra $46 in my book, only it didn't cease in that location.

'Innovation in Tools' is the Veritas logo and this low-bending cake is indeed innovative. They offering various accessories to maximize the utilize of the plane, making information technology a great investment for someone who'south on a budget (and who isn't today?).

Some of the 'additions' you lot can make to this plane are optional irons, pre-ground with 38° and 50° bev­els for working difficult forest too every bit a chamfer guide that easily installs in one case the front throat plate is removed, which makes information technology easy to cutting repeated and accurate cham­fers in wood. You tin can too purchase a wooden front knob and rear wooden tote, essentially turning this plane into a small-size smoothing plane. For $149 at the fourth dimension of writ­ing this article, I recollect you lot'd be difficult pressed to find a ameliorate deal in a low-angle cake aeroplane.

Lie-Nielsen 60-1/2

Length – vi-i/2″
Width – 1 ¾"
Blade Thickness – ⅛"
Toll – $170

Prevarication Nielsen Toolworks in Warren, Maine have been setting the standard for quality hand tools over the by 25 years. While not the cheapest tools in the bunch they certainly are one of the all-time both in machining and office. When you lot pay the extra coin for a truly 'premium' quality product, you end up with a lot fewer surprises and disappoint­ments. Precise manufacturing leads to a low-angle cake airplane that can be taken straight out of the box and immediately put to piece of work.

This airplane is over again slightly smaller in size than the previous two reviewed, but heft in paw is still nowadays thanks to the heavy statuary cap iron. Finely machined and aesthetically pleasing, the generous size of the cap combined with the nar­row body of the plane made this tool the most comfortable of the bunch. In utilize, the large blade adjuster nut at the rear of the plane gave positive feedback, with only near ¼ turn of back lash detected. Adjusting the thick, ⅛" iron laterally is accomplished manually with a modest hammer due to the set upward of the blueprint. It has no mechani­cal chemical element for lateral adjustment, which keeps things simple and means there is perhaps one less chemical element to worry about. The throat plate, similar in design to the Stanley only far more receptive, functioned with ease and I was able to take extremely fine shavings in difficult maple stop grain.

The Lie Nielsen cake plane is an heirloom quality tool that doesn't have many bells or whistles; only a solid, exceptionally well made design that volition exist the workhorse of your forest shop for generations to come up.

Veritas DX60

Length – 7″
Width – 1 ¾"
Blade Thickness – 9/32″
Price – $189

At the top of the scale both in cost and in function, the new line of cake planes from Veritas are a true marvel of technology. The DX60 came out of the box ready to go and the kickoff thing noticed was just how finely manufac­tured this tool really is.

Attention to detail is an understatement with this plane. From the knurled stainless-steel adjustment knobs to the total body casting wrapping the throat plate completely, Veritas left no stone unturned when designing this tool. The response in the Norris type adjuster is absolutely spot-on, the slightest turn of the bract adjustment mechanism and you'll observe an instant response in the fe, making it like shooting fish in a barrel to accurately set and re-set the cutting depth. Once you practise have the bract depth set, you lot tin can tune in the throat open­ing for the finest shavings possible. Unlike the other planes reviewed here, Veritas has added a kind of 'safety feature' with the throat. A tiny ready screw tin be set as a 'stop' so you never accidentally bang the front of the throat into the blade while adjusting. When you lot'd like to quickly open up the throat to remove shavings, you'll know that when closed it'll be back where you set it originally. Information technology has the same side ready screws every bit the lower priced Veritas cake-planes and then lateral shifting of the blade while in use is a not-issue.

The model they sent me for the review is listed at $189 at the time of writing. Practice think the extra toll is worth information technology? Well, permit'southward just say if you like buying premium tools, and so this ane is a must. For the home hobbyist or apprentice woodworker and so the actress cost may non be justified, merely information technology's well reflected in the loftier quality of this offer. The new DX60 is indeed setting a new standard in hand plane manufacturing and look forward to seeing what this Canadian company comes out with next.

Then there you have information technology – four planes run­ning the gamut from merely over $100 up to $189. They all have advantages and disadvantages so information technology usually boils down to your own personal preference. I should mention that Veritas is also offering a 'premium' version of the 'premium' cake aeroplane reviewed in a higher place. The 'NX60' is essentially the aforementioned plane but a highly polished version made from a nickel-resist ductile iron. The manufacturing of this material is a little more than avant-garde so that version retails at $299.

Are you fix to spend that much on a block plane?

Many woodworkers are and this new premium line from Veritas is definitely worth a closer look. On the other terminate of the spectrum, if you're watching your upkeep and perchance just getting into hand tools then the lower priced tools nevertheless take a lot to offer.

So did I choice a winner overall? For the price, quality and optional accessories, I'd recommend the Veritas low-bending block plane at $149. For those who aren't all that concerned nigh cost range, so it's hard to trounce the DX60 or the top-of-the-line NX60. A more traditional style airplane with a 25-year runway tape, as well equally existence the model I found the most com­fortable in utilize, was the Lie Nielsen.

Attempt them for yourself at your local tool dealers and woods shows and let your ain easily be your guide. Happy shavings.

Uber high-cease – The Veritas NX60 has all the smashing office of the DX60 but with a sleek finish that is certain to please collectors and users akin.

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Source: https://canadianwoodworking.com/tools/low-angle-block-plane-review/

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