066 – Luban Rabbet Block Plane first look
066 – Luban Rabbet Block Plane first look
A quick (ha!) look rather than a review at the Luban Rabbet block plane.
This plane was purchased from the folks at Fine Tools, where you can find more information like specifications of the plane
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In this video I take a first/quick look at a Luban Rabbet Block Plane, also known as Woodriver.
I bought this tool from Fine Tools Australia, http://www.finetools.com.au/products/luban-rebate-block-plane
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Music
Music by Sophonic Media http://instrumentalsfree.com
I have the low angle block plane and the shoulder plane from Luban and love them both, i know that the Wood River planes in the US are made in the same factory. Is is as good as a Veritas or a Lie Neilson, NO, does it do the job and do it well YES. I find the blade hold an edge well. So to all the people knocking chinese made tools, get over it! Thanks paul
Great video Paul, thanks
Great review and its really great learning that this brand is rebranded as the woodriver planes, which I own and love… but looking online they offer more planes than woodriver, so I can get for example a #8 or this Rabbet block plane… thanks for the review.
T10 is a great steel!! Nice 🙂
I assume that this type cannot be used for shooting, is that correct?
Hey Paul, Three and a bit years on and I came to the same opinion to you about the used market for planes in Australia. You really don’t know what your getting yourself into with ebay. The premium stuff is a bit out of reach for me maybe if you do this for a living they make sense. Most reviews I have found say the Luban planes will work very well after you do minimal fettling.
There´s no nicker on the Lubans!
Hi Paul, I have the same plane from Quangsheng and a number4, since 3 years, I bought them together and I ‘m very pleased with them. The edge keeps up very well and I can take really thin shavings.Enjoy
Nice (p)review! I too have one of these (branded as Juuma). With this one too the small mouth opening gets in the way. That’s why i’ll return to the Dictum (Quengsheng as well) model that has an adjustable mouth and is still very affordable. The first one broke when falling on a concrete floor. Otherwise they seem of equal quality.
I bought one of these planes in the UK under the same brand name. I can confirm that the build quality of these planes is very good. They maybe don’t look as pretty as the LN or Veritas planes, but perform very well. I did however have a small problem with mine where the mouth opening was so tight, that I had difficulty getting the plane to take a cut without the shavings getting clogged. I could have easily used a file to open the mouth a little, but chose to sell it- which I now sorta regret. I also own a low angle jack plane from the same brand, which is a fantastic plane – easily better than any of the old Stanley’s i have restored!
The scratches on the bottom probably are not in the steel. I have noticed that new planes and other tools often have a coat of shellac or varnish/lacquer as a minimal protection against initial scratching. Often this is not noticed because the first step is generally to flatten the bottom… ergo the film is gone. If this is the case,your steel wasn’t scratched at all.
I bought a luban rabbet plane. Blade was skewed , tolerances were rubbish. The plane does not cut at all. It is nothing more than a rubbish paper weight. Waste of money. I wish I had money towards a quality lie Nielsen
Really good description, Paul. Thanks.
nice clear review….cheers….
Now that you have had it for more then a year, could you please do another review?
Cheer
I have a couple of Luban planes and I love them. From my very ‘hobbyist’ perspective they are streets ahead of anything you can buy in any of the big name hardware stores. Thanks for the video. All the best, Brian.
I SAY THE BEST PLANES I LOVE IS A BEAUTIFUL GREAT MADE BLOCK PLANE TO GO WITH MY GREAT LOVE OF WORKING WITH WOOD FROM HAPPY AUSTRALIA HERE TODAY HELLO WORLD TODAY
Great videos.
This is a great concept being two planes in one. Is there any drawback to a standard block plane?
It took you almost 14 minutes to tell us that?
Luban is an ancient chinese carpenter. Check this out http://www.qstools.com/aboutbr.asp
Paul, its quite easy to find pre-WWII planes in the US that are in very good shape. I’m not sure where you are looking, but it appears you’re looking in the wrong places. I would be interested if that plane you have there has a flat sole, it doesn’t seem flat looking at how it’s sitting on your bench.
I have a few Luban’s too and they are nice block plane’s, I have a Lie Nielsen rebate block plane, and I have a few veritas plane’s too .
Firstly, great to find another local woodworker putting up great videos. Keep them coming Paul. I’ve got the Veritas and the Luban block plane and I find no real difference in functionality between them. The tight mouth of the Luban can be a problem if you want a deeper cut but these planes aren’t really designed for deep cuts. I do wish the mouth was adjustable. I also find the blade hard to sharpen but I think that’s just me. Anyway I use it all the time. It is a great block plane. Cheers.
They are well made and good quality except for one feature. The particular cast iron used is far more likely to suffer from rust than for example the Stanley or Record planes. I purchased one in the winter time and left it in the wooden box it came in and after not using it for a couple of weeks found that there was rust on the sole and sides. When this was removed there was bad pitting which I have never suffered on my other planes. The actual performance of the plane after honing was excellent and the blade holds an edge very well and definitely benefits from being thicker than a Stanley blade, but you must be careful to protect the body from a damp atmosphere. Keep it well coated with camellia oil and it should be fine, but the pitting on mine is too deep to get out which is disappointing and happened so quickly.
Enjoy it Paul. I have exactly the same one….though mine are branded as Qiangsheng here in the UK. Ive been using mine today in face and I absolutely love it. I also recently picked up the regular LA Block and the Shoulder Plane which I have reviewed on my channel…and both are also very good.
Though I dont own one, I recently tried a Wood River at a woodworking show which too felt equally as nice. I would certainly endorse these tools over an old Stanley/Record.
Follow up, follow up, follow up!
Four years later, do you still have it, are you using it? If it was stolen would you purchase it again? That kind of a thing.
I’m trying to put together a minimal type workshop (apartment, need to lug everything outdoors) and any tool that does multiple jobs reasonably well is a win! I’m concidering going for the "JUUMA" version of this plane which is sold in Europe. I’ve seen that the LN rabbet block plane is aparently "finicky" to adjust.
oh man. i’m learning so much from your videos.
I believe that you might have given this plane a better review if you had sharpened the blade properly. I have both the Luban and the LN rabbet block planes and they both perform similarly and far better than you showed the Luban to be capable of. The shaving your showed the plane producing would be representative of the maximum thickeness this plane should be asked to produce. It is capable of far finer work than you have shown.
20 bucks or so for a used plane made in my hometown vs a lot more for a questionable chinese plane from who knows where made from who knows what?
Sorry mate, no thanks. Flea market all day everyday till I die before I give the chinese any more of my money.
Wow. What a ripoff. The LN Rabbet Block plane is $175 in the US. A $100+ markup is atrocious. — I agree about your sentiment on the older planes. The demand became too great and they became stupid expensive. That and you never really know what you’re going to get until it arrives. I don’t even bother with eBay any longer. Veritas and LN are my only choices, because I know exactly what I’m going to get when it arrives at my door.
thanks for info
all the best
I suggest, here in Germany has Dictum this chinese product rebranded. Depending on the specifications the price varies and begins by 69€ (101 AUD).
I like this iron planes more than the wooden models.
I also was searching for used second hand planes, but they was all to expensive. So I decided to by an new one.
I am just a hobby DIY’s, so it is good too know that also a professional buy new stuff.
https://www.dictum.com/de/werkzeuge/holzbearbeitung-metallbearbeitung/hobel/dictum-hobel/703335/dictum-einhand-simshobel-sk4-eisen?ftr=dictum+simshobel_2_2_97.88_1_48_12
I use the Luban for fine work, Stanley for joinery and $10 Chinese to take off the arris. The cheapo Chinese has the widest mouth ever but it still works! I find the Luban planes heavier than I would like. I find the backlash in all adjusters really annoying. It can’t be that difficult these days with cnc machinery to virtually eliminate it.
Nice review on this plane mate! I’ve got mine just for a week and it’s a pretty good quality concidering the price . The only thing what should have been better is the little too small wheel and the blade which is slightly broader as the plane bed itself in my case. But it cuts nicely and smooth.
Lie Nielsen Chinese rip off.. one more American product ripped off by the Chinese
You forgot about Clifton plane’s they very very expensive but the quality is second to none, I have a few Clifton plane’s from before Clifton changed hands, they have a stay set chip breaker and Bubinger handles and are green, the new Clifton’s now don’t have the say set chip breaker and the handles are walnut instead of Bubinger, they have cut down on the quality but not the price unfortunately , the first Clifton’s are the better plane’s, and are all Bedrock plane’s very thick chip breaker and blad Iron’s absolutely brilliant plane’s in every way possible .
Thanks for the information and taking the time
Hello sir Knight. As a compatriot, I am faced with the same dilemmas when purchasing tools here in the great down-under. I have the extra burden of being new to this craft;so I rely on those of you who are generous enough to share your knowledge and experience with me.. Thank you for your time and effort. I will give this plane a place among my tools.
Regards Phil
I’ve got the Lie-Nielsen Rabbeting Block Plane (No° 60-1/2) and wouldn’t trade it for any other block plane. I use it for 95% of all block planing.
Hi I have the plane in video and for me it works well with a nice feel. Can I suggest you look at Clifton planes out of England sold by Fine tools Australia out of Melbourne. Fit and finish of these planes are extremely good. A 5 1/2 $579 in my opinion better than lie Nielson. Cheers from Tasmania
Hows this plane going? What do you think of the blade – does it hold an edge well?