Choice between two Veritas planes.

[Eugenio Musto]

Good morning folks.
I don't have any block plane so i want to buy my first one.
I can't choose between two veritas: the DX60 and the Skew block plane.
Which of these you suggest me and why?
I like the skew block but i think that I can't round out the edge of the blade so there is the possibility that the blade scratches the piece of wood when i use the plane to clean a dovetail joint or to smooth a surface.It is correct or I'm wrong?

[James Taglienti]

Hi eugenio,
yea, thats pretty much right. You could possibly get away with the dovetail trimming. When I trim end grain with a skewed cutter, I try to have the sharp point of the blade overhanging the finished face of the workpiece. This way it naturally forces fibers back toward the face, and won't break any.

As far as smoothing surfaces, a block plane is going to drive you crazy on anything over a sq. ft. especially a narrow one like the LV. If you really want to do some smoothing, then you could get a standard width one.

I would have wanted my first block plane to be anything that I knew how to sharpen correctly, and have an adjustable mouth. With planes, for a long time, all I did was trim saw kerf and the resulting sharp edge off of boards at work. Once I had to take my #6 to a whole house full of brand new doors. I really felt like a master craftsman, dragging that dull sucker out there, but it worked, and the doors were finished natural so nobody saw the tearout.

[Eugenio Musto]

Thanks James.
I will buy the DX60, it's a fine and beautiful plane although i prefer brass screws in a Veritas plane:D .