Bought mine 4 years ago after watching a couple of Rob's videos. Still my most used plane. And almost impossible to get without trading a kidney (or two) nowdays in Eastern Europe.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Austria here. Bought my 5 1/2 in 2022. I paid 375$ plus 130$ shipping and then add about 30% customs and 20% taxes at arrival. No fun for europeans. The reason I bought it directly is that they aren’t in stock in europe as most of the tools from LN. I‘m on the waiting list for a #7 for years.
Just had a look, and I found that in Romania, it roughly comes to $550 for a 5 and 1/2. To put that in perspective, my mom has a pension of $400 a month.
This tool has single-handedly changed how I work in the shop and the greatly improved the quality of work that I do. Can’t imagine working without it these days!
Great review Rob. I have three of the LN planes which I love, the bronze 4, the little bronze block, and the Low Angle 62. I recently picked up the Veritas 5 1/2 custom and wow, it's so much fun the use. Being a Toronto, Canada resident, I like buying Canadian made when I can. I would like to see how your review of the 5 1/2 plays out.
I have the Veritas #4 and #7 custom planes... absolutely love them! I find Veritas is the most innovative of plane makers if I'm being honest (and being I'm Ottawan, it makes me all the more proud that such great tools come from my home town)! Bought the Wood River #5 1/2 (thanks to Rob) and bang for buck, it's really good! But this LN #5 1/2 seems to be on another level entirely from a fit and finish standpoint! If not for my Wood River, it would be hard to choose between this and Veritas' version!
Thanks, Rob for the review. I bought my LN 5-1/2 which is the first new plane, now I have planes 4-1/2, 51, 10-1/4, 60-1/2 and a 102. 3 tapered saws and split nut screw driver. These are all being used, not just for collection.
I should tell you all my planes have AdjStar and your hex screws and I have your 18” Shooting Board, your 3/4 ShawnShim, 3/4 Kerf X-10, and your plane wax.
Honestly, I haven’t tried doing half blind dovetails. But but the 3/4 Shawn Shim is .021 My LN Tapered Dovetail Saw has a .021 kerf. I can also use a .001 against it to make the cut a little tighter.
Luckily I bought my L-N #5 1/2 after you did your video on your Wood River 5 1/2 years ago. Followed it up with a L-N bronze #4 and two extra frogs/angles later. They are a joy to use. It’s too bad I don’t have kids to leave them to when I’m gone.
Wish I woulda went this method. Had a heck of a time getting a quality Wood River one. Both chip breakers were made way too convex and once whittled down didn’t make contact well. After returning one and whittling down the next I found Rob sells replacement blade and chip breakers ‘with prep service’. Now it works great but the frog pivots counter clockwise when advancing it forwards due to shoddy milling. I can get the blade square and aligned with the adjustment lever but for the price it ought to work a little better. I’ll never buy another Wood River hand plane but now that I’ve ‘Cosmanised’ it with an Adjustar and hex screws, I have a bit of psychological attachment to the thing. Would have been nice to have it be as good out of the box as this Lee Neilson. All the other videos together: 32 seconds to sharp and using Shapton products…for this newbie have been life savers. Rob, you are a heck of an amazing guy for putting this info out there. Proud to have been born in Canada and come from hard working folks with an attention to detail. Keep on keeping on with what you did sir.
I have several L-N planes I bought circa 2011-2012 and asked them to make totes and knobs out of various American hardwoods (I sent them the wood). They were VERY accommodating and graciously did so. I absolutely love the tools, and using them is a joy. I often take a second to just look at them because they are like jewels. My No. 62 low angle jack plane with walnut tote and knob is my favorite. About the only thing I wish they'd do differently is use walnut over cherry.
@@timk5867 Yes WoodRiver planes have bubinga totes and knobs (or they definitely did), the No.62 I have with walnut tote and knob were done by L-N when I sent them the wood, 12+ years ago now.
Great video that is full of plane set-up tips. Love that he touched up an expensive plane with a sharpie. Even better it was an interior connection surface that nobody can ever see.
I have several Lie Nielsen planes. All upgraded with your adjustment star (block planes upgaded with Reeds Ball Bearing Adjustment). Pricy but great planes. It alwasy puts a smile on my face when i recognize: for the next step I'm going to use that plane. Just a joy to use!
Thanks Rob. Love the videos, whether a woodworking demonstration or a review video. It's all good and makes my day when a new one comes in. Thanks to Jake, Frick, Moose, Luther, and everyone else in the org.
Well I am glad to see you doing this review. After watching you on UA-cam for several years I have been buying Lie Nielsen hand planes as they become available. The first one was the 5 1/2 per your love for the plane. I absolutely love the plane & it does not disappoint. I have installed the latest rev of the adjustar. Compliments the plane nicely. Thank You Rob & your crew for all you do with the Veterans. You are helping people HEAL ONE SHAVING AT A TIME!
Hi, Rob. It would be good to see how the Lie Nielsen 5-½ performs on a shooting board with your shooting grip attachment. I presume the results are just as good as planing a board edge on this video. Also, you have let slip that you are producing a plane due to be released sometime soon. Any further news on that, and will it be a 5-½ model or similar?
I bought a No. 4 last year and I love it. My packaging was a little different; the cushioning material was mainly crumpled up local Maine newspaper with heavier cardboard reinforcements/stabilizers strategically placed. I really liked the fact that the only plastic used in the packaging was the tape. They should go all in and start using a paper tape.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Yep. Oh, I forgot to mention that my Lie Nielson's box came encased in a larger standard USPS box with plenty of bubble wrap cushioning the inner box. "Disposable" single-use plastics. Sigh..
Rob, have you done a comparison of the 5.5 wood river v 5.5 Lie Nielson? I have yet to buy a new plane and I have been looking at getting either a new plane for occasional jointing, or getting a wen bench top jointer. When it comes down to space and money, I would honestly rather have a good hand plane, but I am not super confident in my abilities to get square edges by hand yet(but practice). Thoughts?
I had this planer 5 years ago. Also had a Veritas custom 5 1/2 at the same time. Ultimately, I kept the Veritas because it has more accessories. The adjustable release also suits me better.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Yes.Usually I use frogs with 40° and 65°. I also use variable angle fences. The thicker tote also fits my hand better, so I chose to use the Veritas custom series plane until now. The lie-nielsen plane is also good, but it's not quite for me.
I used pre WW2 Stanleys for years. I did some great work with them and always assumed LN was mostly unnecessary luxury bling... Until i bought one. Theyre such a joy to use and and the precision means less fiddling and more working. If you don't have lot of money i recommend just buying whatever size is your favorite smoother.
Never thought I'd see someone "tune" a Lie-Nielsen, but can't argue with shavings like that! I use a machinist's square to check hand tools and the fences/blades on power tools, but have never seen that feeler gauge trick; I use a small Maglite, shine it at the blade from behind, to check for any gaps; works for me.
Rob you owe me at least a couple thousand dollars. I watched some of your plane talk when you were working for Lie Nelsen back then and on your hypnotic sales talk went out and bought a number of LN planes. Most of them I managed to NOT ruin trying to sharpen. I have enjoyed using them for the most part. You can add about 500 for the buying of the Woodriver planes also. As you know there is great comfort and enjoyment in hacking away at a piece of wood with a plane.
Currently have a no 4 from Lie Nielson. Great plane but had a couple things to address when I got it. The blade came with the edge fairly out of square where it maxed out lateral adjustment. Also, was finding that the frog was able to move slightly even though the screws were adequately tighted. Ended up shimming up one of the pins to get a better misalignment for that pointed screw to pull down better. Not amazing to have to do that to a new LN plane, but was a good learning opportunity. Getting that blade square may have been the final straw in deciding to get a slow speed grinder.
Rob, never comment on your videos but since you are on the subject….I acquired your cocobolo handled No 6 a couple years ago. Has your initials on it and has been tuned to an almost mirror finish on the wings
Hi Rob ...one more very nice review...I already have a 5 1/2 from Woodcraft but with your Pinnacle blade and chipbreak kit (amazing by the way)...my dream plane from LN is a 10 1/4 Carriage Maker Plane ( you showed few days ago with your Stanley similar)...this LN is out of stock today... Please can you make a complete review of that when you have time and chance showing each use including nickers...dificult grain...real tight spots (something like inside a cabinet) and if it worth the $425 they asking for ? Congratulations from Brazil
I have the bronze #4, beautiful plane, only sorry id doesn't come as in a #41/2. I also have their low angle jack, junk by comparisment. Love to see how the Lie_Neilsen #51/2 jack sits against the up coming Cosman #51/2?
How is the underside of the lever cap formed? It doesn't look machined so much as sand blasted, but I'm guessing that would not produce a forward edge consistently within tolerance.
I live 20 minutes away from their showroom, haven't had the opportunity to purchase any of their planes though (5 daughters keep me on woodriver haha) You asked me to send some pictures of what I've made in a previous video but I don't know what email you want me to send to. I'm not great but what I have learned is from robs videos!
Hi rob, i recently purchased this plane and i was suprised with the heavy chamfer around the sides. My older LN planes only have a light chamfer. Almost square. Might feel good but im not sure about the look. Thoughts?
Great review any new word on the 5and a have that you guys were talking about producing been waiting to hear something on it befor i drop half my woodworking savings on someone else's if you can give us an update thank you and have a wonderful day
I have both the woodriver and lie Nielsen line of planes. Different models of each plane mind you. While I do like the woodriver planes for their affordability and availability. I will have to say that every lie Nielsen plane I’ve ever bought from my small router plane to my #8 have come out of the box ready for a sharpen and go to work. Where I’ve have more than one woodriver have to be sent back or need “tuning up” before they are up to snuff. Great review. Now what would you sell me that 10-1/2 for been wanting one for a while now.
For some reason I keep fighting to avoid your method of sharpening plane blades. I tell myself I don’t want to wear the tip of the back side because I may want to flatten the whole back side. I tell myself it’s not conventional. I just can’t bring myself to sharpen just the end of the back of the blade. And yet here you are planning 1/2 thousands thick shavings. Why am I fighting success so much? You clearly have a better way! I have Lie Nielsen #5 with a corrugated sole and I’m going to sharpen it using your ruler method if it kills me. I’m so impressed by your shavings I can’t not do it.
Ah you will get over yourself very quickly when you see how little effort it takes to get such a nice polish on the back of the blade if you don't want to try it on an expensive blade try it on an old Stanley or a block plane I slowly started doing it around 3 year ago and now everything I have has the ruler trick done to it **edited spelling**
I've had one for twenty years or more. I have to say fine plane though it is, it has not been without it's troubles. The blade adjustment is always at full extent and now the yoke has worn badly and I have had to solder a piece of brass on to it, which seems to have done the trick. The 41/2 which I got a year or two later is sound. I have often wondered if some redesign took place between one and the other.
I've never owned or used anything better than a regular Stanley No. 4. Would I be able to tell the difference between this and the WoodRiver that you sell pre-prepared?
Yep, we’ve done a side by side. Woodriver and /or a Lie-Nielsen will feel solid, no high pitched vibrations from a thin blade mounted in a light weight casting. Difference is obvious.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I'm asking if I could tell the difference between WoodRiver and Lie Nielson having only ever used Stanley, and therefore whether I would appreciate the difference in price between the two, realising they are both much better than anything I have used? The Lie Nielson product looks fancier but is the difference in performance that big compared with WoodRiver for a rank amateur?
. Having both LN 4.5 and 7, and WR 5.5, I'll say that they can both work equally well. The LN has a better yoke where it fits over the adjuster, mine both have very little play, maybe less than a quarter turn, whereas the WR is more than one turn. Both work well, LN looks great.
Rob cosman thank you for everything you do for the woodworking community. We can not thank you enough !! It is absolutely criminal how this channel isn’t getting more exposure. Please don’t ever stop passing down your knowledge to the next person. I always look forward towards your live stream videos. Please host more !!!! God bless and take care
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Rob, I've been watching you all these years on UA-cam, and I had no idea you guys had an entire catalogue of content on your website. Easiest $35 bucks I've ever spent!
Hey Rob, you’re awesome. The wood working community is blessed to have a master craftsman do reviews like this. Love your appreciation for fine tools. Will you please consider reviewing the Veritas custom 5 1/2 Jack plane? I mean that’s the true comparison to make since almost every Jack is essentially a Stanley reproduction right?
I have a Stanley #5-1/2C that works well enough, but I just can't warm up to it in use. Came across a lightly used LN #5-1/2; really liking it thus far. It's surprising how much more... substantial... the LN feels. Probably need to re-home the Stanley here soon. That said, I think I still prefer a regular skinny #5 (or in my case, a Miller Falls #14) for coarse dimensioning work, and the LN #5-1/2 for refining.
I bought a little blue Stanley #4 plane at a flea market for $10. In trying to figure out why it would not cut well at all, I discovered the seating spot for the frog had a crown in it. To flatten out the crown, I made a bridge type thing so both ends of the bridge were level/even with each other, which allowed it, with some 80 grit abrasive on it, to flatten the frog seat and have it parallel to the base of the plane. I might have used some thing similar to that for leveling the rear tote seat on the plane you had, rather than just filing. Maybe a piece of shim stock that was level with the tote seat for the file to rest on. Not sure how critical that is for the tote though, but for the frog, necessary. I have several Lie Nielsen planes that my dad gave me before he passed away. He bought them and never used them. That started me on a journey to learn how to use the hand planes. Now, I need to make some, probably out of wood. Don't like the 3 inch square ones. Too much wood and it will never reach equilibrium in the center, which to me is why all of them seem to crack after a while. I plan to leave a center bored out some way to prevent that.
my 5 1/2 is great and the adjustar on it is wonderful. lately been seeing lines being left behind in the surface when I plane. do not see any chips or burrs. Weird.
Couple of questions: First, other than appearance, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using bronze rather than iron or steel for the frog? Second, how does the Lie Nielsen compare with the Woodriver plane from Woodcraft?
@@DKWalser The big advantage is that Lie-Nielsen tools are made in the United States. The only disadvantage is the price. So the WR is essentially the same as the LN, except it’s made in China.
Its basically looks. WoodRiver has all the same functionality, slightly less tolerances in the casting squareness of the sides, and none of the LN bling. WR is a best value.
COuld be but my guess is it is a good substitute for foam, probably cheaper, and certainly greener. The old boxes did not have any and there were always problems with the plane blowing out the box in shipment
I bought this plane a few days ago. I think it has a big defect. The steel y - lever is too short for the thickness of the blade. When the screw is tight, the steel y- lever does not engage the cheepbraker and the blade does not move. Now I replaced the blade with a thinner one (quansheng blade) and i have no problem but i think i will change the steel y- lever with a longer one (quansheng) so that is good for the original lie nielsen blade. Anyone else has this problem? Sorry for my poor english
@@Rocketninja200 every thing is set properly. The problem Is that the chip breaker is too thick for the lenght of the y- lever. In other words, the y- lever barely touches the chip breaker so that when the screw Is tight the Blade has difficuties to move and you have to release the screw a little
@@memilanuk no. For the Moment i changed Blade and chip breaker with thinner ones and the plane works perfectly. In the future i Will change the y-lever with a longer One (quansheng) and i Will put the original Lie Nielsen chip breaker and Blade back.
As a woodworker who uses Japanese tools, I'm rather tempted by a Western plane. I don't have to deal with the humidity factor that affects kanna. I may go western for planes but I'll never drop my nomi. PO cedar is a wonderful citrusy smelling and pricey piece of timber. It's the NA equivalent of hinoki cyrprus, which is the basic Japanese material of choice for traditional Japanese timber framed houses.
I hope Rob's new premium plane will be much better than this Lie Nielsen. I know he can make it better. I will be the first buyer of that plane, despite I have this exact LN 5-1/2 and it is a great plane.
Price point is a HUGE thing. Specially for me being limited financially from injuries. I made the big mistake buying a plane off Amazon. Its a Japanese maker, I read all the positive reviews.. unfortunately not the negative. If you want to see just how big a mistake that was have a laugh at the video I posted to warn people about that plane. Been over a month filing and hand lapping that plane flat and its just now getting to the point it actually cuts rather than digs holes because it was so not straight at all. I wish I saw your video on checking the shoe before anything else on a brand ne plane.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I replies hours ago but I dont see what I posted. maybe because I dropped a link to it on Amazon. The brand was Faithfull and it was a number 6 fore plane
It's like buying a Ferrari and taking it directly to the shop to get it "right". One expects that with the lower cost planes. Having to fix issues that aren't minor on a premium plane is a fail. Everything you did could have been done at the factory. I certainly understand tool bias, but when salesmanship throws the mascara on the tool to call flaws acceptable, particularly one supposedly as premium as this one, it diminishes the definition of "premium".
Well I assume you are referring to the blade. I have prepared hundreds of LN planes and this blade was not typical, still I will say its acceptable in the state we found it. Metal moves, after they have ground and treating the blade it will move. I expect that. This one was as far out as I would accept before asking for a new blade
Lie Nielsen is a very strange company. It seems to me, that in the entire history of their existence, they have not created a single unique tool, i.e. developed from scratch by themselves. Yes, perhaps the workmanship of their products is excellent, but it’s still just a clones, and a clones of a 100-year-old planes, the design of which is now outdated. In this sense, Lie Nielsen is no better than Chinese copies, because it doesn’t take much intelligence to copy other people’s inventions. Today the best planes are Veritas Custom. Period.
Disagree, the design is not outdated. What's to improve on them? I have owned Woodriver, Lie Nielsen, and Veritas planes. The ergonomics of veritas planes suck and the norris style adjusters are stupid and finicky. There's nothing to improve upon on the bedrock design which is solid and ergonomic with the adjuster in the correct place. Sold my veritas planes and I'll never buy one again ever; expensive well made garbage; I feel sorry for the poor suckers who bought them on ebay.
@@zaszzzableThe main problem with ALL Stanley based planes is the terrible ergonomics. They have a closed handle, or rather the handle is limited in height by the blade shank. Because of this you have to hold them with three fingers, which is very uncomfortable. It may be okay for girls or subtle teenagers to work with such a plane, but it is definitely not the most ergonomic tool for a full grown man’s large hand. And the stupidest thing is that such a long blade makes no sense at all, because it does not increase its sharpening life. Anyway, there is a slot in the blade for the chipbreaker screw, which will not allow you to sharpen further than it. As a result, we simply have excessive consumption of steel and a bad handle. But this is not all the disadvantages of Stanley planes. It is very inconvenient to adjust the width of the mouth in them, because you have to unscrew and move the frog, then readjust the reach of the blade. On Veritas you just need to slightly unscrew the front knob and that's it.
Chinese copies are not comparable qualitywise. Not even close. I own Veritas and LN, both are making great tools. If you don‘t like the old designs you miss the point. Stick with Veritas, but what’s the point for badmouthing LN?
I completely disagree with you on the ergonomics, and that’s probably because you have been using Stanley 3s, 4s, and 5s, not their adult versions, the 4-1/2 and 5-1/2. I think Stanley’s planes made pre-WWII are the nicest things to hold on to. They seem to hold your hand as much as you hold it. As for the blade length, you’re really showing your ignorance. The blades have a slot that restricts use after consuming 2” of the leading edge. 2 inches!! You’re talking about 30-40 years worth of blade use before needing to be replaced. How is this a concern for you? Ignorance is the only explanation.
Bought mine 4 years ago after watching a couple of Rob's videos. Still my most used plane. And almost impossible to get without trading a kidney (or two) nowdays in Eastern Europe.
So whats the price in eastern Europe?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Austria here. Bought my 5 1/2 in 2022. I paid 375$ plus 130$ shipping and then add about 30% customs and 20% taxes at arrival. No fun for europeans. The reason I bought it directly is that they aren’t in stock in europe as most of the tools from LN. I‘m on the waiting list for a #7 for years.
@@thomasliebreich3510Wow really? Just went on the site here in America and almost everything was in stock. Just ordered my first plane the 5 1/2 jack
Just had a look, and I found that in Romania, it roughly comes to $550 for a 5 and 1/2. To put that in perspective, my mom has a pension of $400 a month.
@@DGAB955 $450 + VAT 19% + shipping costs
This tool has single-handedly changed how I work in the shop and the greatly improved the quality of work that I do. Can’t imagine working without it these days!
I completely understand
Great review Rob. I have three of the LN planes which I love, the bronze 4, the little bronze block, and the Low Angle 62. I recently picked up the Veritas 5 1/2 custom and wow, it's so much fun the use. Being a Toronto, Canada resident, I like buying Canadian made when I can. I would like to see how your review of the 5 1/2 plays out.
I have the Veritas #4 and #7 custom planes... absolutely love them! I find Veritas is the most innovative of plane makers if I'm being honest (and being I'm Ottawan, it makes me all the more proud that such great tools come from my home town)! Bought the Wood River #5 1/2 (thanks to Rob) and bang for buck, it's really good! But this LN #5 1/2 seems to be on another level entirely from a fit and finish standpoint! If not for my Wood River, it would be hard to choose between this and Veritas' version!
I have that plane. Absolutely worth every penny.
I agree
lucky you
I, too, bought this plane several years ago on Rob’s recommendation. It is a work of art and a pleasure to use…mine has been adapted for the Grip.
You got to love "The grip"
At $425 this is out of my league. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂
in that case I recommend the WoodRiver 5-1/2 to you. It's a best value
Thanks, Rob for the review. I bought my LN 5-1/2 which is the first new plane, now I have planes 4-1/2, 51, 10-1/4, 60-1/2 and a 102. 3 tapered saws and split nut screw driver. These are all being used, not just for collection.
I should tell you all my planes have AdjStar and your hex screws and I have your 18” Shooting Board, your 3/4 ShawnShim, 3/4 Kerf X-10, and your plane wax.
@@stephenclingerman4865 So, do your 3/4 Shawn Shim and 3/4 Kerf X-10 work well with you LN Dovetail saw?
Honestly, I haven’t tried doing half blind dovetails. But but the 3/4 Shawn Shim is .021 My LN Tapered Dovetail Saw has a .021 kerf. I can also use a .001 against it to make the cut a little tighter.
@@stephenclingerman4865 Thank you.
All good decisions
Beautiful plane and works exceptionally well. I own a few Lee Nielsen tools as a true nerd. I had to stop in at their shop when I was in Maine
Their shop shopin Maine is tiny. I was a bit surprised when I first visted it
Luckily I bought my L-N #5 1/2 after you did your video on your Wood River 5 1/2 years ago.
Followed it up with a L-N bronze #4 and two extra frogs/angles later.
They are a joy to use. It’s too bad I don’t have kids to leave them to when I’m gone.
Wish I woulda went this method. Had a heck of a time getting a quality Wood River one. Both chip breakers were made way too convex and once whittled down didn’t make contact well. After returning one and whittling down the next I found Rob sells replacement blade and chip breakers ‘with prep service’. Now it works great but the frog pivots counter clockwise when advancing it forwards due to shoddy milling. I can get the blade square and aligned with the adjustment lever but for the price it ought to work a little better. I’ll never buy another Wood River hand plane but now that I’ve ‘Cosmanised’ it with an Adjustar and hex screws, I have a bit of psychological attachment to the thing. Would have been nice to have it be as good out of the box as this Lee Neilson. All the other videos together: 32 seconds to sharp and using Shapton products…for this newbie have been life savers. Rob, you are a heck of an amazing guy for putting this info out there. Proud to have been born in Canada and come from hard working folks with an attention to detail. Keep on keeping on with what you did sir.
I have several L-N planes I bought circa 2011-2012 and asked them to make totes and knobs out of various American hardwoods (I sent them the wood). They were VERY accommodating and graciously did so. I absolutely love the tools, and using them is a joy. I often take a second to just look at them because they are like jewels. My No. 62 low angle jack plane with walnut tote and knob is my favorite. About the only thing I wish they'd do differently is use walnut over cherry.
It’s bubinga I think don’t know if that matters or not
Sorry I’m thinking woodriver my bad
@@timk5867 Yes WoodRiver planes have bubinga totes and knobs (or they definitely did), the No.62 I have with walnut tote and knob were done by L-N when I sent them the wood, 12+ years ago now.
Great video that is full of plane set-up tips. Love that he touched up an expensive plane with a sharpie. Even better it was an interior connection surface that nobody can ever see.
Sharpies work great
I have several Lie Nielsen planes. All upgraded with your adjustment star (block planes upgaded with Reeds Ball Bearing Adjustment).
Pricy but great planes. It alwasy puts a smile on my face when i recognize: for the next step I'm going to use that plane. Just a joy to use!
The upgrades are nice...
Thanks Rob! Always love your videos and expertise.
Thanks Rob. Love the videos, whether a woodworking demonstration or a review video. It's all good and makes my day when a new one comes in. Thanks to Jake, Frick, Moose, Luther, and everyone else in the org.
Its a true team effort
Well I am glad to see you doing this review. After watching you on UA-cam for several years I have been buying Lie Nielsen hand planes as they become available. The first one was the 5 1/2 per your love for the plane. I absolutely love the plane & it does not disappoint. I have installed the latest rev of the adjustar. Compliments the plane nicely. Thank You Rob & your crew for all you do with the Veterans. You are helping people HEAL ONE SHAVING AT A TIME!
Its a misson of honor
I bought mine after watching one of your video's when first starting to do hand tool woodworking. Now having several plane's it is still my favorite.
Mine too!
Magnificent tool. So impressive. Thanks Rob.
its a great tool
Hi, Rob. It would be good to see how the Lie Nielsen 5-½ performs on a shooting board with your shooting grip attachment. I presume the results are just as good as planing a board edge on this video. Also, you have let slip that you are producing a plane due to be released sometime soon. Any further news on that, and will it be a 5-½ model or similar?
it will be a 5-1/2, hopefully will be ready in 6-12 months
I bought a No. 4 last year and I love it. My packaging was a little different; the cushioning material was mainly crumpled up local Maine newspaper with heavier cardboard reinforcements/stabilizers strategically placed. I really liked the fact that the only plastic used in the packaging was the tape. They should go all in and start using a paper tape.
Agreed
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Yep. Oh, I forgot to mention that my Lie Nielson's box came encased in a larger standard USPS box with plenty of bubble wrap cushioning the inner box. "Disposable" single-use plastics. Sigh..
Awesome Video Rob! This is def going to be the next Plane that I buy.
Rob, have you done a comparison of the 5.5 wood river v 5.5 Lie Nielson?
I have yet to buy a new plane and I have been looking at getting either a new plane for occasional jointing, or getting a wen bench top jointer.
When it comes down to space and money, I would honestly rather have a good hand plane, but I am not super confident in my abilities to get square edges by hand yet(but practice).
Thoughts?
How would you compare it to the Woodriver? (and the upcoming RC)
WoodRiver has all the same functionality but not the bling. WoodRiver is a best value. Go watch my review of the WR 5-1/2
I had this planer 5 years ago. Also had a Veritas custom 5 1/2 at the same time. Ultimately, I kept the Veritas because it has more accessories. The adjustable release also suits me better.
As long as it works for you
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Yes.Usually I use frogs with 40° and 65°. I also use variable angle fences.
The thicker tote also fits my hand better, so I chose to use the Veritas custom series plane until now.
The lie-nielsen plane is also good, but it's not quite for me.
I used pre WW2 Stanleys for years. I did some great work with them and always assumed LN was mostly unnecessary luxury bling... Until i bought one. Theyre such a joy to use and and the precision means less fiddling and more working. If you don't have lot of money i recommend just buying whatever size is your favorite smoother.
Good advice
Looking forward to the Cosman 5-1/2!
Never thought I'd see someone "tune" a Lie-Nielsen, but can't argue with shavings like that!
I use a machinist's square to check hand tools and the fences/blades on power tools, but have never seen that feeler gauge trick; I use a small Maglite, shine it at the blade from behind, to check for any gaps; works for me.
Your light test os a good one
Mr Linn's Workshop does a three video "super tune" of a L-N #4 that's a.) just absurd but b.) very compelling.
All these plane reviews… yours must be coming soon.. just got a large router and love it
Our pane is at least6 months away maybe more. Just was a good time todo a review. We have another pane review out soon!!!
Merci Rob, super vidéo👍 J’adore ces rabots
Thanks
I have the #4 smoothing plane. What a joy to use.
All Lie Nielsens are nice
Rob you owe me at least a couple thousand dollars. I watched some of your plane talk when you were working for Lie Nelsen back then and on your hypnotic sales talk went out and bought a number of LN planes. Most of them I managed to NOT ruin trying to sharpen. I have enjoyed using them for the most part. You can add about 500 for the buying of the Woodriver planes also. As you know there is great comfort and enjoyment in hacking away at a piece of wood with a plane.
It is fun and you can never have too many planes!!!!
Currently have a no 4 from Lie Nielson. Great plane but had a couple things to address when I got it. The blade came with the edge fairly out of square where it maxed out lateral adjustment. Also, was finding that the frog was able to move slightly even though the screws were adequately tighted. Ended up shimming up one of the pins to get a better misalignment for that pointed screw to pull down better. Not amazing to have to do that to a new LN plane, but was a good learning opportunity. Getting that blade square may have been the final straw in deciding to get a slow speed grinder.
Just typing beautiful plane as you say it, just magical
Well said
Rob, never comment on your videos but since you are on the subject….I acquired your cocobolo handled No 6 a couple years ago. Has your initials on it and has been tuned to an almost mirror finish on the wings
A truly valuable plane. Glad you enjoy it
Hi Rob ...one more very nice review...I already have a 5 1/2 from Woodcraft but with your Pinnacle blade and chipbreak kit (amazing by the way)...my dream plane from LN is a 10 1/4 Carriage Maker Plane ( you showed few days ago with your Stanley similar)...this LN is out of stock today...
Please can you make a complete review of that when you have time and chance showing each use including nickers...dificult grain...real tight spots (something like inside a cabinet) and if it worth the $425 they asking for ?
Congratulations from Brazil
Well I would only get it if you do a lot of cabinet making, that is where it excels
Thank you...I was thinking it is a "must to have" plane...not the case...I"ll save this money
Great review! Next up is a Veritas Custom 5 1/2.
I have the bronze #4, beautiful plane, only sorry id doesn't come as in a #41/2.
I also have their low angle jack, junk by comparisment.
Love to see how the Lie_Neilsen #51/2 jack sits against the up coming Cosman #51/2?
We will do a review at some point, maybe
My favorite tool
Can you share where your plane will be made Rob? Canada? USA? China?
How is the underside of the lever cap formed? It doesn't look machined so much as sand blasted, but I'm guessing that would not produce a forward edge consistently within tolerance.
Is there a performance (as opposed to, undisputed, beauty) relevance of the brass lever cap and frog?
No, just looks
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Thanks
I live 20 minutes away from their showroom, haven't had the opportunity to purchase any of their planes though (5 daughters keep me on woodriver haha)
You asked me to send some pictures of what I've made in a previous video but I don't know what email you want me to send to. I'm not great but what I have learned is from robs videos!
robswebmaster@robcosman.com
Hi rob, i recently purchased this plane and i was suprised with the heavy chamfer around the sides. My older LN planes only have a light chamfer. Almost square. Might feel good but im not sure about the look. Thoughts?
LN doesn't chamfer the corners of the metal on the sole...is that what you are talking about?
No sorry, the top of the sides have a heavy chamfer which I don't really like. Cheers
Nice review as I would expect
Thanks!
Great review any new word on the 5and a have that you guys were talking about producing been waiting to hear something on it befor i drop half my woodworking savings on someone else's if you can give us an update thank you and have a wonderful day
our plane is still 6-12 months away
I have both the woodriver and lie Nielsen line of planes. Different models of each plane mind you. While I do like the woodriver planes for their affordability and availability. I will have to say that every lie Nielsen plane I’ve ever bought from my small router plane to my #8 have come out of the box ready for a sharpen and go to work. Where I’ve have more than one woodriver have to be sent back or need “tuning up” before they are up to snuff.
Great review. Now what would you sell me that 10-1/2 for been wanting one for a while now.
10 1/4, the Stanley?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking yea but I want that Lie Nielsen one LOL
For some reason I keep fighting to avoid your method of sharpening plane blades. I tell myself I don’t want to wear the tip of the back side because I may want to flatten the whole back side. I tell myself it’s not conventional. I just can’t bring myself to sharpen just the end of the back of the blade. And yet here you are planning 1/2 thousands thick shavings. Why am I fighting success so much? You clearly have a better way! I have Lie Nielsen #5 with a corrugated sole and I’m going to sharpen it using your ruler method if it kills me. I’m so impressed by your shavings I can’t not do it.
Ah you will get over yourself very quickly when you see how little effort it takes to get such a nice polish on the back of the blade if you don't want to try it on an expensive blade try it on an old Stanley or a block plane I slowly started doing it around 3 year ago and now everything I have has the ruler trick done to it **edited spelling**
Go for it, you will love it. You can always regrind it back if you dont like it
I've had one for twenty years or more. I have to say fine plane though it is, it has not been without it's troubles. The blade adjustment is always at full extent and now the yoke has worn badly and I have had to solder a piece of brass on to it, which seems to have done the trick. The 41/2 which I got a year or two later is sound. I have often wondered if some redesign took place between one and the other.
good question. I do not know the answer
Is it bad that I tend to watch your videos twice cause I like them so much haha 😂
I've never owned or used anything better than a regular Stanley No. 4. Would I be able to tell the difference between this and the WoodRiver that you sell pre-prepared?
Yep, we’ve done a side by side. Woodriver and /or a Lie-Nielsen will feel solid, no high pitched vibrations from a thin blade mounted in a light weight casting. Difference is obvious.
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I'm asking if I could tell the difference between WoodRiver and Lie Nielson having only ever used Stanley, and therefore whether I would appreciate the difference in price between the two, realising they are both much better than anything I have used? The Lie Nielson product looks fancier but is the difference in performance that big compared with WoodRiver for a rank amateur?
. Having both LN 4.5 and 7, and WR 5.5, I'll say that they can both work equally well. The LN has a better yoke where it fits over the adjuster, mine both have very little play, maybe less than a quarter turn, whereas the WR is more than one turn. Both work well, LN looks great.
My 'go to' plane is a 5 1/2 Bailey from 1910. It has corrigated sole.
Nice video Rob!!!
Thansk for commenting
I have that plane and I love it!
me too
Rob cosman thank you for everything you do for the woodworking community. We can not thank you enough !! It is absolutely criminal how this channel isn’t getting more exposure. Please don’t ever stop passing down your knowledge to the next person. I always look forward towards your live stream videos. Please host more !!!! God bless and take care
Get more folks to watch.....
Got the LN block plane...first plane I ever bought from Rob. Now looking for a LN skew block plane if anybody has a line on one.
They arespending now. But I do love LN's skew block
I could watch Rob take apart - and talk about - tools I'll *never* be able to afford... All... Day... Long...
It's always a good day when a new video drops!
yes it is
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Rob, I've been watching you all these years on UA-cam, and I had no idea you guys had an entire catalogue of content on your website. Easiest $35 bucks I've ever spent!
Hey Rob, you’re awesome. The wood working community is blessed to have a master craftsman do reviews like this. Love your appreciation for fine tools. Will you please consider reviewing the Veritas custom 5 1/2 Jack plane? I mean that’s the true comparison to make since almost every Jack is essentially a Stanley reproduction right?
I have a Stanley #5-1/2C that works well enough, but I just can't warm up to it in use. Came across a lightly used LN #5-1/2; really liking it thus far. It's surprising how much more... substantial... the LN feels. Probably need to re-home the Stanley here soon.
That said, I think I still prefer a regular skinny #5 (or in my case, a Miller Falls #14) for coarse dimensioning work, and the LN #5-1/2 for refining.
One these days I upgrade from my old Stanley to him or Veritas though it's hard to move away from it after I got a new blade and chip breaker...
they are all good planes
I bought a little blue Stanley #4 plane at a flea market for $10. In trying to figure out why it would not cut well at all, I discovered the seating spot for the frog had a crown in it. To flatten out the crown, I made a bridge type thing so both ends of the bridge were level/even with each other, which allowed it, with some 80 grit abrasive on it, to flatten the frog seat and have it parallel to the base of the plane. I might have used some thing similar to that for leveling the rear tote seat on the plane you had, rather than just filing. Maybe a piece of shim stock that was level with the tote seat for the file to rest on. Not sure how critical that is for the tote though, but for the frog, necessary.
I have several Lie Nielsen planes that my dad gave me before he passed away. He bought them and never used them. That started me on a journey to learn how to use the hand planes. Now, I need to make some, probably out of wood. Don't like the 3 inch square ones. Too much wood and it will never reach equilibrium in the center, which to me is why all of them seem to crack after a while. I plan to leave a center bored out some way to prevent that.
Sounds lik eyou want to be a plane maker not a woodworker ???
@@RobCosmanWoodworking Well, some of both. Mostly I am a bowl turner, but getting back into flat work.
Well that's the 1st time I seen someone use a file correctly, and great video
Glad I could help
Have a 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and 7 with different angled frogs. All great out of box.
cannot go wrong with LN
I bought my LN 5 1/2 from their store 3 years ago. It never leaves my bench.
Not at all relevant to the content, but my wife was thrilled to see Chicopee Fire Dept on Rob's apron. She grew up there!
my 5 1/2 is great and the adjustar on it is wonderful. lately been seeing lines being left behind in the surface when I plane. do not see any chips or burrs. Weird.
check the throat for burrs
Maybe someday...but I'm quite happy with my WR 5 1/2
WR is a best value. Its works great too
Had to settle for the 5 1/2 in 2020 cause of lack of stock. I absolutely hate it. Hurts my hand. Tote needs to be further back on the sole.
Rob great video can I have the clifton plane I can't afford a premium plane at 62 I'm retired due to medical issues
You’ll never beat a man who works in one-thousandths of an inch tolerance.
No need to file the edges with the Lie Nielsen?
yes you need the chamfer the edges
no longer a Wood River fan?
Champion! Xxx
Couple of questions: First, other than appearance, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using bronze rather than iron or steel for the frog?
Second, how does the Lie Nielsen compare with the Woodriver plane from Woodcraft?
Great question.
@@DKWalser The big advantage is that Lie-Nielsen tools are made in the United States. The only disadvantage is the price. So the WR is essentially the same as the LN, except it’s made in China.
Its basically looks. WoodRiver has all the same functionality, slightly less tolerances in the casting squareness of the sides, and none of the LN bling. WR is a best value.
The likely reason for the cardboard is that they use the box for a bigger plane too.
COuld be but my guess is it is a good substitute for foam, probably cheaper, and certainly greener. The old boxes did not have any and there were always problems with the plane blowing out the box in shipment
Just noticed the new intro.
Actually its the Old intro now...needs replacing
I bought this plane a few days ago. I think it has a big defect. The steel y - lever is too short for the thickness of the blade. When the screw is tight, the steel y- lever does not engage the cheepbraker and the blade does not move. Now I replaced the blade with a thinner one (quansheng blade) and i have no problem but i think i will change the steel y- lever with a longer one (quansheng) so that is good for the original lie nielsen blade. Anyone else has this problem? Sorry for my poor english
I may have not had the chip breaker screw set into the slot on the frog properly.
@@Rocketninja200 every thing is set properly. The problem Is that the chip breaker is too thick for the lenght of the y- lever. In other words, the y- lever barely touches the chip breaker so that when the screw Is tight the Blade has difficuties to move and you have to release the screw a little
Did you contact the manufacturer first?
@@memilanuk no. For the Moment i changed Blade and chip breaker with thinner ones and the plane works perfectly. In the future i Will change the y-lever with a longer One (quansheng) and i Will put the original Lie Nielsen chip breaker and Blade back.
It would be wonderful to have a Rob's comment
As a woodworker who uses Japanese tools, I'm rather tempted by a Western plane. I don't have to deal with the humidity factor that affects kanna. I may go western for planes but I'll never drop my nomi.
PO cedar is a wonderful citrusy smelling and pricey piece of timber. It's the NA equivalent of hinoki cyrprus, which is the basic Japanese material of choice for traditional Japanese timber framed houses.
Wood movement is the issue with all wooden planes
I hope Rob's new premium plane will be much better than this Lie Nielsen. I know he can make it better.
I will be the first buyer of that plane, despite I have this exact LN 5-1/2 and it is a great plane.
You know it will. Al the little annoyances I have with it are fixed and we had a few new features not found in any other plane ever
👍
Price point is a HUGE thing. Specially for me being limited financially from injuries. I made the big mistake buying a plane off Amazon. Its a Japanese maker, I read all the positive reviews.. unfortunately not the negative. If you want to see just how big a mistake that was have a laugh at the video I posted to warn people about that plane. Been over a month filing and hand lapping that plane flat and its just now getting to the point it actually cuts rather than digs holes because it was so not straight at all.
I wish I saw your video on checking the shoe before anything else on a brand ne plane.
what was the brand?
@@RobCosmanWoodworking I replies hours ago but I dont see what I posted. maybe because I dropped a link to it on Amazon.
The brand was Faithfull and it was a number 6 fore plane
I wonder why you don’t make the _perfect_ after-market totes? I’d trust RC to do it.
Now that's something I should consider...Thanks
Why not add replacement totes to your product line?
Someone else mention that...I will think about it
Where is Wood River 5 1/2 =) 🤠💥
It's like buying a Ferrari and taking it directly to the shop to get it "right". One expects that with the lower cost planes. Having to fix issues that aren't minor on a premium plane is a fail. Everything you did could have been done at the factory. I certainly understand tool bias, but when salesmanship throws the mascara on the tool to call flaws acceptable, particularly one supposedly as premium as this one, it diminishes the definition of "premium".
Well I assume you are referring to the blade. I have prepared hundreds of LN planes and this blade was not typical, still I will say its acceptable in the state we found it. Metal moves, after they have ground and treating the blade it will move. I expect that. This one was as far out as I would accept before asking for a new blade
State the price.
$425.
550 € and this amount of adjustments ? 550 is a no go for me anyway for a hand plane but I would have expected a better fit than😁
Lie Nielsen is a very strange company. It seems to me, that in the entire history of their existence, they have not created a single unique tool, i.e. developed from scratch by themselves. Yes, perhaps the workmanship of their products is excellent, but it’s still just a clones, and a clones of a 100-year-old planes, the design of which is now outdated. In this sense, Lie Nielsen is no better than Chinese copies, because it doesn’t take much intelligence to copy other people’s inventions.
Today the best planes are Veritas Custom. Period.
Interesting take.
Disagree, the design is not outdated. What's to improve on them? I have owned Woodriver, Lie Nielsen, and Veritas planes. The ergonomics of veritas planes suck and the norris style adjusters are stupid and finicky. There's nothing to improve upon on the bedrock design which is solid and ergonomic with the adjuster in the correct place. Sold my veritas planes and I'll never buy one again ever; expensive well made garbage; I feel sorry for the poor suckers who bought them on ebay.
@@zaszzzableThe main problem with ALL Stanley based planes is the terrible ergonomics. They have a closed handle, or rather the handle is limited in height by the blade shank. Because of this you have to hold them with three fingers, which is very uncomfortable. It may be okay for girls or subtle teenagers to work with such a plane, but it is definitely not the most ergonomic tool for a full grown man’s large hand. And the stupidest thing is that such a long blade makes no sense at all, because it does not increase its sharpening life. Anyway, there is a slot in the blade for the chipbreaker screw, which will not allow you to sharpen further than it. As a result, we simply have excessive consumption of steel and a bad handle. But this is not all the disadvantages of Stanley planes. It is very inconvenient to adjust the width of the mouth in them, because you have to unscrew and move the frog, then readjust the reach of the blade. On Veritas you just need to slightly unscrew the front knob and that's it.
Chinese copies are not comparable qualitywise. Not even close. I own Veritas and LN, both are making great tools. If you don‘t like the old designs you miss the point. Stick with Veritas, but what’s the point for badmouthing LN?
I completely disagree with you on the ergonomics, and that’s probably because you have been using Stanley 3s, 4s, and 5s, not their adult versions, the 4-1/2 and 5-1/2. I think Stanley’s planes made pre-WWII are the nicest things to hold on to. They seem to hold your hand as much as you hold it.
As for the blade length, you’re really showing your ignorance. The blades have a slot that restricts use after consuming 2” of the leading edge. 2 inches!! You’re talking about 30-40 years worth of blade use before needing to be replaced. How is this a concern for you? Ignorance is the only explanation.