I’ve been coveting one of the biggest shoulder planes out there: the Lie-Nielsen 073. However, after reading Chris Gochnour’s current article on Reasons to Own a Shoulder Plane, and re-reading an older article on shoulder planes reviewed, I am left with uncertainty as to which shoulder plane I should purchase as my first (and possibly only – though who am I kidding?). I see in the photos in the current article that Mr. Gochnour uses the two different relative sizes (let’s just call them medium at 3/4″ wide and large at 1-1/4″ wide).
I realize that use should dictate which size plane I purchase. However, Peter Korn, in A Woodworkers Guide to Hand Tools, states that a large plane is often be preferable and may be used for even small work. But, you can’t get into 3/4 dadoes with a large plane. Is that the only thing that I’d be losing with the large plane?
If one were to purchase only one plane, which should it be?
Replies
Hi Ananda,
You posed a tough question, and one that we don't like to answer most of the time. "The Best Tool" is different to different people, and like you said, use often dictates what's best.
That said, I use my 1-1/8 in. wide Clifton shoulder plane a lot more often then my 3/8 in. version. If you're trimming tenons, or planing a relatively large surface, a wide plane does a better job than a narrow one. Plus, a wide sole can still handle narrow rabbets.
Of the nine use cases discussed in Chris Gochnour's latest article, only one couldn't be accomplished with a large shoulder plane, and that's #3 - tuning dadoes and grooves. I'd say that eight out of nine is pretty good.
As for which specific model to buy, Chris's top pick was the 3/4 in. Veritas.
Matt Berger
Fine Woodworking
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