Brief Review: Veritas Wooden Plane Hardware Kit

[Frederick Skelly]

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I bought one of these (LV Item No. 05P40.41) a few months back and just got around to using it. The kit has everything you need to build a Krenov-style (laminated) wooden smoothing plane. It includes an A2 blade, a Norris-style adjuster, a brass cross pin and a few other goodies. You supply the wood. (I chose Maple.)

I've restored 3 metal planes now, but I have no experience using or building a Woodie. Plus, I have enough trouble adjusting my metal planes laterally (multiple tries to get it right), so I wasn't "up" to learn the new challenge of a wedge and hammer yet. Thus, the Norris Adjuster was very attractive to me - one less thing to learn right now.

Anyway, I found the instructions very clear and complete. Good drawings, clear step-by-step text, all dimensions clearly identified. It took me about half of an afternoon to resaw the maple, make the parts and glue her up. (I wasn't trying to hurry.) After it dried, I found a lovely picture of a genuine Krenov-made plane on Derek Cohen's website ("In the Workshop"). I bandsawed the basic shape and used my Iwasaki Carving Files to refine it into the shape you see. I think the part I enjoyed most was shaping the front and back to make it fit perfectly into my hand. You don't get quite as many options to do that with a metal plane. Although, after I'd finished shaping it, a neighbor lady came by and said "Oh, what a neat tape dispenser." (I swore under my breath, even as I realized that she was right about the resemblance.:mad:)

I installed the adjuster and realized that I hadn't drilled the mounting hole deep enough. Whether that was my fault or an error in the instructions, I don't know. But the net effect was that the blade was not seating flat on the bed of the plane because the adjuster was "sticking up" too high. So I corrected that, assembled the plane and applied 3 coats of Danish Oil. The final size was 8", which slots nicely between my #2 and my #3. I still need to hone the blade (it came with 23* primary with a 2 * microbevel, but I'll still hone it a bit). I hope to test drive it after work some time this week!

Bottom line: This is a nice set of hardware with good quality instructions. If you're an old hand and just want a good set of hardware on which to base your next design, this might work for you. But if you're a newbie wanting to try making your own "first" Woodie, this is a very good choice. (Another newbie option, depending on how "paint by numbers" you want to go, is a Hock kit that includes all the wood cut to size and ready to glue up. That was too simple for me, but I've been a power tool guy for years. If I was a total noob, maybe that would be a good fit.)

Take care,
Fred

[Bill Moser]

That norris adjuster works great in their BU planes -- how does it do in your woody?

[Frederick Skelly]

That norris adjuster works great in their BU planes -- how does it do in your woody?

It seems to work just as well Bill.

[Mike Brady]

I sadly had a different result with the same kit. I made it out of well-seasoned beech and was very pleased with my portion of the construction. However, I found that the adjuster was not linear at all, so that I got no iron movement and then a big jump that meant starting the setting all over again. I also found that just tightening the wedge tension thumb nut also caused the iron to advance beyond the proper setting. The plane also works only when set extremely fine (with a plane hammer). I gave up shortly after finishing it and it has sat for months unused, so I never finished refining the shape.

My instructions (early on in production) also had a dimensional error that was acknowledged by the maker, but not followed up with any resolution. I'm not sure if their liberal warranty applies to tools they don't deliver in finished state, but I'm beyond the time limit anyway.
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[Frederick Skelly]

I sadly had a different result with the same kit. I made it out of well-seasoned beech and was very pleased with my portion of the construction. However, I found that the adjuster was not linear at all, so that I got no iron movement and then a big jump that meant starting the setting all over again. I also found that just tightening the wedge tension thumb nut also caused the iron to advance beyond the proper setting. The plane also works only when set extremely fine (with a plane hammer). I gave up shortly after finishing it and it has sat for months unused, so I never finished refining the shape.

My instructions (early on in production) also had a dimensional error that was acknowledged by the maker, but not followed up with any resolution. I'm not sure if their liberal warranty applies to tools they don't deliver in finished state, but I'm beyond the time limit anyway.


Man, Mike, that is bad news. That is such a beautiful piece of Beech. I'd be sick.

I'll have to wait until the finish dries more before I can see what it's really capable of doing. The couple test passes I made (before finishing) cut "thick" shavings that I attributed to not having honed the blade yet. I'll let folks know what I learn.

Fred

[Matthew N. Masail]

Making a wooden plane the works well and is easy to adjust is not easy, many little details. Mike, I suggest that you insure the lever cap is contacting the blade evenly, you can do that with some 220grit sandpaper placed between the blade and lever cap, the tighten lightly and pull it through evenly staying clear of the front of the mouth. That should cut a flat bevel that is co-planer with the blade. It is hard to believe a screw from LV is not even, you may have gotten a faulty one, but more likely the lever cap was too tight when you tried to adjust it, and then when you built up enough tension it slipped. If your finding the lever cap holds too strongly with little effort from you, make the screw position lower (I would anyway for proportion with the blade)

[David Weaver]

I'd wax the back of the wedge so that it doesn't push the iron when tightened.

One of the things that always fiddles me for a while when I make a fresh plane (OK, that's like only 4 now) out of solid wood with a bed is getting the iron to advance the way I want it, which involves these things *not* happening.
* the wedge significantly pushing the iron because the wedge grip is stronger than the bed grip (either the grip of the bed should be increased or the bottom of the wedge should be decreased - I usually wax the bottom of the wedge)
* lateral movement issues - I don't usually have a problem with this because I bed the iron carefully, but it could be a problem, esp. if a wedge doesn't have even pressure at the bottom
* the cap iron set changes with advancing the iron (this is also solved by either increasing the grip of the cap iron screw with roughness between it and the back of the iron or again, waxing the back of the wedge where it touches the cap iron. I, of course, don't wax the wedge fingers that touch the abutment)

The cap iron bit obviously isn't relevant here, but I'd still was the back of the wedge. I don't know anything about that plane design (the wooden plane kit), but would assume that the iron is on some sort of carrier like a norris adjuster has.

[Don Rogers]

I purchased the LV kit several months ago and purchased another for my son's recent birthday. Neither have been started yet mostly due to the time required in building my workbench. My son has a time problem also and when we both have time will probably build both planes at the same time in my shop. The bench should be usable in about 2 weeks and I can start playing catch -up with other projects.

Some years ago I made a Krenov-style plane which works very well. I also made the blade from a piece of O1 flat stock, heat treated it with a propane torch , and quenched it in old motor oil. After tempering it somewhere around straw color (don't remember exactly) and sharpening, it was put to work.

At least with the LV kits. the blade and the Norris style adjustors are supplied and we will not have to make those. Hopefully we will not have the same problems as you - but will let you know. Good luck with yours. Mike, If LV sent you defective parts, I'm sure they will make it good.

[Frederick Skelly]

I checked the threads on the adjuster. I didnt get a thread per inch count, but its a fine thread as Id expect for this application and the machining looks to be the usual LV quality, with no apparent damage. They look like my other LV bevel up.

I honed the blade to 6000, waxed it on both sides (rust protection) and installed it. I noticed that when I tightened the cap screw, the blade retracted very slightly (just like Mike saw) - just enough to lift the blade from the pine test board. I put a dab of beeswax on the end of the screw that contacts the blade and that seems to cure it. I did not observe any big jumps like Mike did as I adjusted the depth - it felt like a uniform progression to me. (FWIW, I waited to fully tighten the cap screw until I had the depth set, like I do on my other LV BU.)

Shavings ranged from a thick 0.01 down to as little as 0.002 as I got the hang of it. But it was kind of an inconsistent thing - the average hovered around 0.005. Plus, I was only getting full width shavings part of the time. Im thinking the sole needs more work and things should stabilize on the low end of the range. I experienced a fair bit of clogging in the mouth with the thicker (approaching 0.01) shavings. Most of that went away as they thinned down, but I still had to clean it out more often than my metallic planes. Im reluctant to file that mouth at all, since this tool has not chipbreaker to protect against tearout. If you have any thoughts on that Id be glad to have your advice.

I expect to spend more time tuning this little woodie, much like I did with my MF#9. (Took me a year of on and off tuning to get that one just right.). But it was worthwhile on that smoother and I expect it will be on this one.

Thank you for the tips you all posted this afternoon. They helped me, and I hope they will help Mike bring his plane to life. (Mike, Id sure love to see a pic of that beech plane when you get her tuned and shaped. That wood is just beautiful.)

Fred

[Mike Brady]

Thanks for all of the tips, guys. I will try them all. One thing I noticed last time I used the plane was that it had gone significantly out of flat on the sole. I will start with that aspect and then fiddle-fettle-faddle with the adjuster / wedge assembly and report back. I'm working on a tool chest right now so I might not get right to it.

[Mike Brady]

I worked on my plane today and did the following:
I filed an indentation in the lever cap directly under the brass cross-pin. I used a round file for this. My goal was to stop the lever cap from advancing with the iron adjustment, which it had been doing. I also put paraffin wax on the junction of the lever cap and iron. This was to ease the adjustment action.

These actions worked well and the Norris adjuster now has a linear action and the lever cap tension screw can be set with more less less tension on the iron.

I also flattened the sole of the plane again.

I still find that the plane functions only when the slightest amount of the cutting edge shows below the sole of the plane. Any more makes taking a shaving impossible. The iron still tends to skew in the plane during use. Perhaps I have removed too much friction from the lever cap / iron contact area. In general, I find that this plane requires much more effort to use than any of the of the modern or vintage planes that I have, particularly in the amount of down force that is required to keep the plane in contact with the wood.

I will continue to attempt to make improvements. I also will have a friend of mine who uses and makes wooden planes take a close look at mine.

[Steve Voigt]

Mike, if the iron skews, either the lever cap is not making even contact with the iron, or it's not making even contact with the brass pin.
I'm a little skeptical about whether a wooden lever cap can ever hold the iron securely enough, but getting even contact all the way around should at least improve things.

[Kees Heiden]

Yes a wooden lever cap can put enough force on the iron to hold it sufficiently. I am not so sure about its longvity though.