Luban No. 4 1/2 Smoothing Hand Plane

The Luban No. 4 1/2 Smoothing Plane: Take a Broader Shave.

Larger and heavier than the #4 the Luban 4-1/2 smoothing plane will accept the same iron as the 5-1/2 and 6. This adds the convenience of interchangeable irons. The big benefit of a large smoothing plane is the ability to take broader shavings covering more ground in fewer passes. The weight is also a big factor, the plane has plenty of mass giving it a good planted feel.

Based on the bedrock planes that gets their name from having a full contact area between the body and the frog. Two locking screws on either side allow for the frog to be adjusted to widen or narrow the mouth of the plane without having to remove the irons.

Luban No. 4 1/2 Smoothing Plane Specifications:

• Precision ground, unbreakable CR40 alloy steel casting.
• Engineered tab style adjuster.
• Low profile cap iron.
• Brushed finish stainless steel lever cap.
• Hardwood handles.
• Sole Dimensions 265mm x 72mm (10-3/8in x 2-7/8in)
• 1/8in (3mm) thick 2-3/8in (60mm) cutting iron.

What makes the Luban No. 4 1/2 Smoothing Plane such good value?

Professional, furniture-making grade plane for an enthusiast's price. Simple really.

Superior linishing across all Luban Planes makes the difference. Linishing is the term given to the belt-sanding process that ensures all plane surfaces are flat, dressing the plane surface before selling. If linishing marks are deep, which they are on so many of Luban’s competitors, then the plane surface simply isn’t flat. 

Now you can fix this, but it takes a lot of time and effort before you’ll get a good result. All Luban planes come extremely finely linished straight out of the box, which means they’re dead flat for fantastic smooth results.