For most of my projects, the last bench plane to touch the board is the 4 1/2. At 2.25" to 2.375" wide, it's blade is only somewhat wider than the #4. But I find that additional width makes flattening larger boards that much easier. I am fortunate enough to have several such planes in my shop and decided it was time to do a side-by-side shootout.
Let's meet the contestants...
Lie Nielsen 4 1/2
This hand plane is maybe the prettiest of the lot. Lie Nielsen is known for their amazing workmanship. The machining on this plane is flawless and it is built to be an heirloom tool. It is the second heaviest plane at 5lbs 6.7oz. It is also the most expensive at $360. It is possible to get custom frogs at 50 and 55 degrees at $125. If you don't live in North America, the VAT on this hand plane can make it even more expensive. For all of that, this plane comes ready to go out of the box.
TayTools 4 1/2
This hand plane is the cheapest that you can buy off the shelf at $130. It is also the heaviest at 5lbs 9.2oz. The machining and casting is robust, but rough. I needed to file down the back corners of the heel as they were scratching the palm of my hand. I also needed to lap the blade and chip breaker. Still, out of the box, it took me less than an hour to get it tuned and working.
Stanley Bailey 4 1/2 Type 14
This hand plane can be the cheapest option if you are lucky enough to find one at a flee market or garage sale. I used this hand plane as the benchmark as the Stanley Bailey and Stanley Bedrock of the "Sweetheart Era" (1919-1932) are considered the height of Stanley hand planes. Now, the one I used had to be cleaned, the sole needed to be lapped, the blade bevel needed to be reground, the chipbreaker needed sharpening. I spent at least two hours with this plane before I was happy with it's performance. It is the lightest of the lot at 4lbs 9.8oz. Despite being almost a century old, pitted, rusty, and needing the most work to get functional, it gave the rest a run for their money.
Veritas Custom 4 1/2
This hand plane was new in the box before this shootout. It is the second most expensive at $339. It is in the middle of the pack for weight at 5lbs 0.2oz. Like the Lie Nielsen, you can get custom frogs. However, those frogs can range from 40 to 65 degrees and cost between $61 to $71. It deviates from the Bailey and Bedrock design quite a bit, with a norris-style adjustor, adjustable mouth, a unique 2 3/8" PMV-11 blade and chipbreaker. Beyond custom frogs, you can also order custom totes and knobs in three different styles. For this test, I used the 45 degree frog.
Veritas Bevel-Up Smoother
This hand plane is the only bevel-up smoother in this test. It is the second lightest at 4lbs 11.8oz. The bevel-up design means no chipbreaker and a lower profile. This one has been my primary smoother for years. The benefit of the bevel-up blade is that it is easy to change angles. You can buy the 2 1/4" blade in 3 angles 25, 38 and 50 degrees. They are available in A2, 01 or PMV-11. There are also toothed blades available in corse, medium and fine. These blades range from $41.50 to $59.50. This hand plane with a PMV-11 blade costs $284.
My Process
First, all blades were tended too. The Stanley needed the most as I needed to regrind the bevel, and lap from 120 to 8000 before stropping. The Taytools just needed 1200-8000 before stropping, and the rest just needed a quick stropping.
Second, I cleaned up the corner of one of my workbenches that needed it with each of the planes, alternating back and forth, working different areas. During this phase, the Bevel-Up was standing out as the fastest to get dialed in and most pleasant to use. The Lie-Nielsen was fast to get dialed in. The Stanley still needed more work, and the Veritas Custom was actually being my least favorite as it seemed to be hurting the heel of my hand each time I used it. But I got them all making fine shavings and moved on to a more thorough test.
I had a very large and very rough sawn chunk of wood. Normally, I would grab a scrub plane, then a fore plane, and work my way to my smoother. But I decided to see how it was, opening the mouth and setting for scrubbing, and closing it up and adjusting the plane to final smoothing. The Lie-Nielsen weight shined, and the Bevel-Up was the easiest to readjust. I was still strugging hardest with the Veritas Custom, so I decided to take it apart and see if I could figure out why.
The issue with the Veritas Custom came down to the chipbreaker. It was set too close to the blade edge. This is why it was being the hardest on the palm of the hand. I backed it off from maybe half a millimeter to just over a millimeter where the other chipbreakers were set. The difference was night and day. Now the Veritas Custom has a "stay set" type of nut, so even though I took the blade out to lap it, the chip breaker was back to the way it came from the factory. Readjusting it was not very hard.
After that, I continually worked the board down. I alternated planes, and kept tuning them to take the best shavings that each could, and paid attention to how each felt in my hands. Which was the easiest to adjust, keep adjusted, felt best in the hand, etc. Working a rough sawn board to finish with the smoothers took a lot of strokes, so which hand plane introduced the most fatigue and wear on the hands started to show.
Comfort to use - Totes
I have very large hands, and as such, my preference on totes and frog adjustments might be biased. Using the Lie Nielsen started to bruise my pinky finger, which led me to having go to a rock and roll grip. If I am going to use the Lie Nielsen regularly, I am going to have to make myself a custom tote. Otherwise, this plane is at high risk of just being a shelf-queen. What is important to note, is that I do not have this problem with the old Stanley.
As far as totes go, the Veritas planes won as they are the most comfortable in my giant paws.
TayTools also came in the back of the pack, as I had to file down the back corners of the plane body to keep them from scratching up my hand.
Comfort of Use - Weight
Weight is a factor to consider. Some prefer weight because more weight means more momentum and inertia on your stroke. This can help in maintaining a steady cut. It also means more stress on the body with each back stroke. In my mind, lighter is better. The TayTools heft stood out as a negative more than a positive. I always felt relief to move to the other planes.
Ease of adjustment - Mouth
I made sure that my testing forced me to have to fully adjust each plane substantially. Opening the mouths up for scrubbing, and then dialing them shut to get the finest shave possible and avoid tearout.
The Veritas planes both have adjustable mouths instead of frogs. This made for the easiest mouth adjustment. The Lie-Nielsen has the bedrock-style bed, which means that you can loosen and tighten the frog and adjust using the three screws in the back. More awkward, but this is not a very common task. The Stanley and the TayTools have the Bailey style frog, where the two screws tightening the frog down are hidden under the blade. If you hone the frog bedding surfaces and set them just right, you can still adjust depth by the rear screw. This worked for the Stanley, but not the TayTools, making the TayTools again the back of the pack.
Ease of adjustment - Blade
There is a fine balancing game between the bed, cap iron and adjuster to be able to adjust the blade, but then also have the blade stay put when you use it. The Lie-Nielsen and Stanley have lever caps, which require you to get the pressure just right. The Taytools, Lie-Nielsen and Stanley all have lateral adjusters and yoke-style depth adjusters. Of these, the Lie-Nielsen is by far the most finely machined with the least "slop" and easiest level of fine adjustment. Both of the Veritas have the Norris-style adjusters which are lateral adjusters as well. With these, I make maybe a 1/8th turn to loosen or tighten the iron cap by hand, and dial in the cut. The Bevel-Up smoother lacks a chipbreaker. The downside of this that you have to get the mouth and cut depth just right to avoid tearout or jamming. The downside of chipbreakers is that you have to make sure they are set perfectly. For simplicity, I would award the Bevel-Up the no1 slot, but for which was really the least hassle, it was the Lie-Nielsen.
Final Results
If you want a winner for my new favorite, it is the Veritas Custom. In the end, it was my favorite to use. Just an absolute pleasure.
The machining and workmanship of the Lie Nielsen is absolutely amazing. But for me to use it regularly, I am going to have to customize the tote. I look at it in constant awe, and treasure it. I have zero buyer's remorse. I do wish that I could have bought it with a 55 degree frog and custom tote directly from Lie Nielsen.
I bought the Veritas Bevel Up before the rest due to its versatility at cost. It is the best deal for versatility and performance. If the Custom is out of your budget, buy this is, don't hesitate.
The TayTools is in this group almost unfairly. It costs half or a third as much as the other planes. I think the biggest negative is the body. It is too heavy, too hard to adjust the frog, too rough around the edges. I bought it out of sheer curiosity due to its price. I may include it among more fair competition later.
The Stanley Bailey Type 14 was in "as found" condition before this test. It has the wrong era blade and chipbreaker. It has pitting. The knob, yoke and lateral adjuster are kind of sloppy and need adjusting. For all that, once tuned, it was the lightest of the lot. I had the most pride once I got it making fine curls. The one or two hours that I spent on it were very rewarding and reminds me that we are all just stewards of fine hand tools. Most of us will not be the last person to use these tools. Most of them will be here long after we are gone.
Where is WoodRiver or Bench Dog or Clifton?
In the end, I am spending my own money. If I get my hands on other 4 1/2 smoothers, I will do a new comparison. But for now, I am just doing this out of my love for hand planes and the hope that others will find this helpful or entertaining.
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