Popular Woodworking 2007-10 № 164, страница 30

Lie-Nielsen Large Router Plane

Router planes are one of those tools that you never knew was missing from your toolbox. Once you've cleaned up a dado, adjusted a tenon or made a hinge mortise with a router plane, I think you'll wonder why you were fiddling around for so many years with other tools to do those jobs.

Router planes were once common, but they descended into obscurity once Stanley stopped making its version, the No. 71. In recent years, premium tool makers have filled the gap with improved versions of the tool, and the Large Router Plane from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks is the newest one.

The Lie-Nielsen is what is called an "open-throat" router plane, which means the casting in front of the blade is arched instead of simply flat. The open throat increases your field of vision (especially when pulling the tool), but it reduces the support in front of the blade. This makes the tool difficult to use on narrow edges of boards without adding a wooden sub-base (a simple task).

Lie-Nielsen made some significant upgrades to the venerable Stanley No. 71 that are worth noting: The depth stop on the Lie-Nielsen is a world better than the sad excuse for the one on the Stanley. The blade is surrounded by a brass collar that you lock in at your finished depth. Then you simply take repeated passes and increase your depth until you get to where the brass collar touches the main casting of the tool. In addition to improving the depth stop, the entire blade-holding

mechanism of the tool has been simplified and strengthened compared to the vintage Stanley.

The Lie-Nielsen comes standard with a ³/s" square-tipped blade, but the company says other sizes and shapes are in the works. The biggest question about this plane is how it compares to the Veritas or a vintage Stanley router plane. Here's my take:

Skip the Stanley unless you get a steal of a deal. The upgrades on the new tools (both have excellent depth stops) are worth a few extra bucks (vintage Stanleys in good shape fetch about $80). The Veritas router plane is a closed-throat router, which makes it ideal for working on narrow edges. Plus, the Veritas comes with a bigger fence - again, this is a plus when working on edges. For working on faces of boards, such as cleaning up dados, I like the open throat of the Lie-Nielsen. Plus the Lie-Nielsen's handles seem better suited (to me at least) to holding the tool for this sort of operation.

On the topic of depth adjustment, I found the depth stop of the Veritas locks down tighter (it has two j am nuts like a drill press's depth stop), but the Lie-Nielsen adjusts much

Lie-Nielsen Router Plane

Lie-Nielsen ■ 800-327-2520 or lie-nielsen.com

Street price ■

;■$125

For more information, circle #162 on Free Information Card.

faster (slide it, screw it, done). Both stops function perfectly in my book.

Both premium router planes are well-made from unbreakable ductile iron and feature a lot of flashy brass touches for those woodworkers who appreciate the aesthetics of a tool. And the price difference between the two is slight. The Veritas is $139 with the fence and three blades; the Lie-Nielsen is $125 for a fence and one blade.

So is the Lie-Nielsen plane the one for you? If most of your work is on the faces of the boards, then yes. If you do a lot of edge work, consider the Veritas. — CS

Two New DVDs for Turners

"Turned Bowls Made Easy" and "Beyond the Basic Bowl" are instructional DVDs from Pennsylvania wood turner Bill Grumbine. Grumbine is a "regular" guy, not a slick television personality, and he knows his stuff.

Most important, he knows how to convey years of experience in a 1 hour 40 minute DVD. Starting with chainsawing a blank from a log to completing a finished bowl. Bill is an excellent teacher; he covers details like hand and body position, and isn't afraid to show you what can go wrong. He's right there to show you how to make it right.

The down-to-earth presentation is enj oy-able to watch, and this is the next best thing to taking a class and receiving hands-on

instruction. If you're new to turning this is essential information, and if you have some experience there is enough inside information to make these a worthy addition to your library.

At times the production values are a little rough, but the quality (and quantity) of solid technical information more than make up for that. If you want to learn to turn, these are a great start. PW — RL

Wonderful Wood ■ wonderfulwood.com

Street price ■ $29.95 each

popularwoodworking.com ■ 33 CIRCLE #152 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.