Luban's Number 4 Bench Plane / Smoothing Plane offers exceptional planing quality
The design of these high-performance bench planes are based on the famous Stanley Bedrock series (regarded as one of the very best designs of all time) with a fully machined frog and body seating pad. The Bedrock design ensures the blade is held with absolute rigidity thereby preventing chatter. The sole of the planes are heavy, stress-relieved ductile iron castings that are machined and lapped smooth to tight tolerances so little tuning needs to be done to get them working immediately.
A #4 smoothing plane is absolutely essential in any woodworker’s tool kit generally used for general and finishing woodwork. The sole of this version measures 251 x 62mm with a 51mm wide blade.
Luban Plane Bench #4 Smoothing Features
- 3.2mm-thick high-carbon tool steel blade
- 3.2mm cap-iron mated to the blade for improved rigidity and reduced chatter
- Precision cast and machined stainless steel cap
- Large solid brass blade adjustment hand wheel and screw
- Smooth Bubinga front and rear knobs
- Engineered tab style adjuster.
Why do we love Luban Bench & Smoothing Planes?
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.
How do Luban Planes compare to other brands?
There was a golden age of planes, when the quality and design on the market was simply irresistible. However, if you’re looking for a new plane, some of the age-old planing manufacturers simply don’t make them like they used to. It’s a sad but well-known fact that among modern plane manufacturers, you’re often better off looking to new brands for the best value for money.
Compared to most other brands on the market these days, Luban offer unbelievable value for money. The quality of their planes are exceptional for what you pay and they actually offer a level of planing accuracy and finesse that many of the old planing guard simply don’t offer anymore.
The build quality materials are unsurpassed at this price point. Don’t get sucked into overpriced, poor quality planes with poor fittings and plastic handles! All Luban planes are genuinely crafted with wooden handles, meaning they’re a pleasure to work with for long periods.
All Luban planing blades come straight with no rough edges - unlike some of their more expensive competitors - ready for action. They’re light enough to use while still retaining that solid feel, with superior lever caps that don’t flop and haven’t been attached at strange angles. Put simply, they're a formidable plane and compared to their competitors, an absolute no brainer.