HNT V LN Shoulder plane

[groeneaj]

I'm in the market for a shoulder plane to trim down tenons on an upcoming bench build. I'm tossing up between the HNT 1 inch and the LN 3/4 inch. They are around the same money, but I'm unsure which one to go for. I know I can't go wrong either way but i'd like to get some input from those who have used them.

I'm going to the Canberra show so maybe it's a case of what feels better?

Thanks,
Andy

[Basilg]

I have several shoulder planes including a small veritas, medium HNT & large LN all of which do the job. If I was starting again from scratch I would most likely purchase all Veritas. They are very well engineered at a reasonable price & are the simplest to adjust.

Obviously they vary in price & bling, but that is a personal issue.

If you intend to use the plane on a bench build, I assume these are going to be large tenons, & I would suggest the 1 1/4", would be the best for the tenon shoulders. You could use this plane for the tenon cheeks, but I would reach for a Router plane Veritas® Router Plane - Lee Valley Tools
and or the Veritas skew block planehttp://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=65373&cat=1,41182,41192&ap=1

I have a Stanley Router plane which also does the job as would an LN

I have the Veritas skew block plane which I think highly of but I would expect the LN or Stanley would also suffice.

Regards

[groeneaj]

Hey Basil - thanks for the reply.
Are you suggesting id be better off with a router plane than shoulder plane for trimming the tenons?
The reason I was leaning towards a 1" shoulder plane was because I could use it as a all-rounder for other projects, rather than having just one big one.

Andy

[pampelmuse]

I'll just chip in.....
I would think the choice of tool depends on your method of tenon manufacture. I used a #78 and a 2inch chisel for tenon trimming on my bench build and it was fine. I also have a router plane which I think would be perfectly useable if the tenons were short or you made a series of cuts across the cheeks on a table saw leaving a narrow temporary supporting "runner" at the end of the tenon and removed the waste between. If the tenons are long (>50mm) and you have ripped the cheeks off with a saw then it is tricky to keep the unsupported router plane level as the angle of the blade pulls the plane down into the timber.
I think the #78 is a most useful creature and I would recommend it to anyone based on its versatility. Of course that is no reason to stop you spending money on other gear that is a pleasure to use.

[Basilg]

Andy

Woodworking is very similar to cat skinning as there are many ways to do most tasks. Individuals have their own ways of doing things, some because they prefer a particular method, others because they are limited in their tool selection.

A router plane I find useful, as you can hold one end of the router on the end of the rail adjacent to the tenon, and by swinging the router, trim the cheeks parallel to the surface of the rail. Changing to the other side of the rail, with the router set for the same depth of cut, you will produce a tenon at the centre of the rail, or change the depth of cut to produce an offset tenon.
Where you have a long tenon, the cutter on the router may not reach the whole of the tenon & in this case you can support the router on offcuts from the rail placed adjacent to it to provide the necessary registration, or screw an off cut to the underside on one side of the router.

Where the tenon has been cut very close to the finished size & a very small amount of material needs to be removed the skew block plane would most likely suffice on the cheeks.

The shoulder plane can then be laid on the tenon cheek, which should be flat & square to the face of the rail, to trim the shoulders of the tenon square, which is its primary use & hence the name.

The process I am suggesting would be for trimming the tenon to its final size & most of the wood would be firstly removed by sawing close to ( & ideally to ) the final size.

Regards

[Sam]

Router planes are very useful. My #71 really stepped up a notch after I installed a LV blade in it. Amazing improvement for $12

[Polie]

Router planes are very useful. My #71 really stepped up a notch after I installed a LV blade in it. Amazing improvement for $12

Stop it Sam...

There are some very serious tool addicts on this forum and your comments don't help.
If anyone needs me I will be on the LV site looking at how to invest $12

Note: All comments made in jest

[Sam]

So much easier to sharpen too !

[orraloon]

I am still on the lookout for a shoulder plane when I find one for the right price. In the meantime I get by with a 78. I found it works well on tennons.
Regards
John

[rhancock]

$12? Is that all? Unfortunately I can't just order $12 worth so I'll be spending the rest of the evening finding a couple of hundred dollars worth of stuff to buy...

Stop it Sam...

There are some very serious tool addicts on this forum and your comments don't help.
If anyone needs me I will be on the LV site looking at how to invest $12

Note: All comments made in jest

[Sam]

Yep 1/2 straight blade, get the sharpening jig too.....there that's two things !

[derekcohen]

Andy, this may help you decide what you need ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...ndMortice.html

This review compares different sizes of shoulder planes: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRev...lderPlane.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[IanW]

Andy - I have a 1 1/4 (home made) shoulder plane, which is very hefty, but capable of trimming quite small pieces, so I'd recommend going for a medium to large shoulder plane as they are more versatile, unless you do mainly small stuff.

I second the opinion that a 78 style will do as well for trimming the faces of tenons, in fact better in some ways, because it has a big mouth & can take a coarse to moderately fine cut. But the 78 won't do anywhere near as good a job on the shoulders, without a lot of fiddling about - this is where a fine-set, solid shoulder plane comes into its own. So if you only have one, the shoulder plane is probably capable of a wider range of uses.

Cheers,

PS. Not sure I would be bothering with a shoulder plane on a bench build, anyway! Saw close to the scribe lines and trim that last half mm off with a sharp 1 to 1 1/2" chisel. That will trim a shoulder pretty cleanly - certainly more than adequate for a bench......

[groeneaj]

Hey guys thanks for all your feedback - it's much appreciated