Replies

1. 
   Napie | May 16, 2005 02:48pm | #1

   You will love it, I use mine all the time.  Finished some very curly cherry this weekend, no tear-out at all, glass smooth.   Remember, "Buy the best and only cry once".

1. 
   n1k86 | May 17, 2005 07:40am | #3

   indeed i am crying, lol, but i would be crying more if i had  to sand all my projects surfaces.  There not in stock till friday, : , so hopefully the knot in my stomach from spending 300 on a handplane will be eased by its performance

1. 
   Peter36 | May 17, 2005 12:55pm | #4

   You are going to love it. No other hand plane will do. Get's very expensive of coarse. What do you use for sharpening?           Peter

1. 
   n1k86 | May 18, 2005 06:19am | #5

   ya, i figured i'd rather spend 300 on something i know i will love vs. spending 180 on something i might wish to upgrade later on.  I use a combination of dmt diamond red/blue grit, and a 4000/8000 combo norton waterstone.  I use the David Charlesworth ruler trick.  Veritas honing guide w/ plywood setting jig.  Using my dad's stuff, he's got the narrower diamond stones, i'm going to get the 4 inch wide ones for flattening the waterstones easier, when i get my own shop, probably next year.

   Edited 5/19/2005 2:24 am ET by n1k86

2. 
   dlb | Jul 13, 2005 04:40am | #10

   I have just decided to purchase a LN 5 1/2 and just thinking about it makes me want to cry!The Undisciplined Life Is Not Worth Examining.

1. 
   DougF | Jul 14, 2005 06:27pm | #11

   Now, now there, don't cry; you'll get over it.

   Just got the #5 as my birthday present.  Didn't cry (misted up a little) but oh my, what a sweet plane. 

    

2. 
   DougF | May 16, 2005 04:01pm | #2

   I just got the No. 4 and a high angle frog.  Finished drawer fronts and panel inserts of resawn big leaf maple using the HAF this weekend.  What a beautiful tool.  I debated over getting the 4-1/2 but in the end I figured this may be more tool than my inexprience could handle. 

   Doug

1. 
   daveinnh | May 29, 2005 03:42am | #8

   Doug:

   How/why did you choose the HAF over the std. plane?  What hardwwood/ pine mix dod you typically work with?

   Thanks,

   daveinnh

1. 
   DougF | May 29, 2005 03:54pm | #9

   Actually, I bought the standard frog and also got the HAF so I could interchange them.  The HAF is for highly figured woods such as curly, birds-eye and quilted big leaf.  This decision was made, not from experience since these are my first planes, but on the receommendation of the Lie-Nielsen folks at a local woodworking show.  Since I received the plane I have used both frogs on the quilted big-leaf and there is a difference in reduced tear-out using the HAF.  Another post suggests that you can achieve the same results for less money by buying an extra blade and putting a back bevel on it to produce the same angle of cut provided by the HAF.

   The problem with using the planes is that I now am being to learn why they make so many different planes and this could become even more expensive.  One thing to keep in mind is that the frogs are interchangeable bewteen the No. 4-1/2 smoother and the 5-1/2 jack or the No. 4 and No. 5 jack.  Since I'ce decided my next plane needs to be a jack, I'll stay with the compatible size to take advantage of the interchangeability of the frogs.  Actually, I'd also like the low-angle jack but I can't get both in this year's tool budget.

   Doug

   Edited 5/29/2005 8:56 am ET by Doug

3. 
   Midnight | May 19, 2005 12:32am | #6

   I beat myself up with 6 months of soul searching before I finally bought that very same plane; my first L-N.... only mistake I made in the purchase was waiting the 6 months... thesedays the soul searching's down to around 10 secs.... yet to have a regret..

   Use it, look after it, love what it's capable of...

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

1. 
   studly | May 20, 2005 12:05am | #7

   I've got the #41/2. I like the extra weight. Beautiful tools. Icould just kick myself thinking I could turn one of those ebay wonders into something like my LNs.