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1. 
   gdblake | Feb 04, 2010 12:53am | #1

   Montee:

   The LV low angle jack is a versatile tool. Yes, you can use it to flatten, smooth, and edge joint (plus it is very effective used with a shooting board). Derek has pointed out in other posts that the standard low angle iron can be sharpened with a steeper microbevel to give you the flexibility of various cutting angles depending on the work you are doing. Should you want to make custom adjustments to the cutting angle it is easier to do with the low angle blade. Having a couple of extra low angle blades with steeper microbevels gives you the broadest range. If you are doing larger scale work you will eventually find yourself wanting a #7 or #8 jointer. It has been heavily discussed here on Knots, vintage Stanley jointers are plentiful, can be had for less than $100, and can be tuned to work well. I have a LN #7 that I only use on stock that I have already refined (I just can't bring myself to risk getting the sole scratched up by some loose debris on "new" boards). I still reach for my well tuned Stanley #7 to flatten and straighten boards that are fresh from my lumber dealer.

   gdblake