There always comes a moment in woodworking when you’re ready to throw away the saw and give up on patience. You’ve cut your pieces to size, but now edge doesn’t fit right, the joint is sloppy, or something else isn’t just so. Normaly that means scraping, filing or sanding.
A form of punishment for having had good ideas in the first place. Use the router plane to take guesswork out of mating parts. With exactness it’ll smooth a surface or deepen a groove.
Comparing Lie Nielsen And Veritas Router Planes
What Is a Router Plane
There is generally two competing tools in the discussion. On one side is Lie-Nielsen. Expensive?
Yes. Crafted by hand? You bet.
On the other side is Veritas. Affordable? Indeed.
Smartly engineered? You got it. Both produce great results, but these tool have small differences in how they handle precision cuts.
These differences determine whether you are buying a piece of equipment or a new way to do woodwork.
Lie-Nielsen Traditional Design
Forged by hand Made with high grade materials in the traditional way in the UK, Lie-Nielsen construct their planes as a single unit with only minor adjustments if necessary. The sole can be adjustable for perfect parallel and body is machined from brass.
Take it out of the box and you’ll notice its heavy weight and high polish… Almost as nice as fine jewelry. Because of location of bearings and blade geometry, the cut is very clean; they is designed for delicate tasks.
And you will pay for that refinement. This is not a tool but rather an investment piece that sits on your bench as statement of intent.
Veritas Modern Engineering
Enter Veritas which addresses this issue in a more moddern but still very functional way.
They’ve made their router planes easy to adjust and efficient at doing so. It is typically easier to understand how they work, and they requires fewer steps when adjusting for depth then the old style ones do. And it’s built really well even if it doesn’t make you feel quite so fancy with your brass.
They’re meant to be work horses that gets the job done for typical wood worker. These users want nice repeatable results without messing around with micro adjustments. It works well and isn’t intimidating.
Price and Investment Value
So price point is noticeably different, and it makes you wonder if you’re getting what you pay for. A Lie-Nielsen can cost several hundred dollars, whereas a Veritas typically costs roughly half that amount. As a pro who rely on this as an everyday tool, I suppose you could of argue it’s worth it for the resale value and longevity.
The brass body won’t ever go bad, and accuracy holds up over decades. That kind of money is less acceptable to a beginner/hobbyist. Veritas offers something compelling that do not sacrifice the main purpose of the tool itself.
Adjustability and Ease of Use
The user experience really differs in terms of adjustability between the two brand. Generally, Lie Nielsen planes needs more skill to get set up properly. They have an accurate depth gauge but getting them to work well take some practice.
Veritas planes generally has easier to read markings and adjustment knobs. When you’re on the clock or needing to make adjustments quickly this is important. If they aren’t easy to adjust then you won’t use them, and that defeats purpose of having a tool.
Even seasoned craftsmen finds complexity a barrier to entry.
Choosing the Right Plane for You
So where do I stand? In the end it’s a matter of preference, which kind of workshop tools fits your values best.
Do you like how traditional tools look and feel with their hefty brass? Then Lie-Nielsen wins hands down. It is a pleasure to own and a joy to use.
Do you prefer something less expensive up front easy to use, and without any ego? Then Veritas gives you everything you need for serious work at a fair price. Yes, both will cut a perfect clean groove.
Yes, both will flatten a sole without any problem. Truth be told, there is no lie in either plane. They are just two different ways to get to the same satisfying outcome.
Pick the one that fits your wallet and fits your hand.