Veritas Custom Planes

[Mike Holbrook]

Other than Derek's review, which actually turned out to be more of a general plane choosing pointers article, there has been very little posted about these planes. I am wondering why?

I bought a #4 recently and I am very happy with it. My main concern with the custom planes was weight. They seemed very heavy. As it turns out the #4 does not feel heavy during use to me at all. I ordered mine with a custom 42 degree frog, following Derek's lead. I am amazed at how well it cuts just about any grain. Sharpening is easier, set up and adjustment are easy. I have a new favorite #4, easier to use and works better.

[Frank Martin]

I have a custom #4 and so far used it on several occasions and really like how it performs. I am mostly a power tool guy and use hand tools where it makes more sense than a power tool, so while not a heavy user, I thought it worked great for me. Love the PM-V11 iron. Lasts a long time...

[John Sanford]

I've got a #4 and a #5, love 'em.

[Kurt Cady]

Wish they would make a #3. Much prefer a 3 to a 4. Must be more difficult or a smaller market?

Rob Rob Rob, a #3 please!

[Kees Heiden]

From the pictures I have seen the whole assembly looks rather complex, even needing a special screwdriver. But from your reports guys, I understand it is all half as bad as it looks?

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Kees

It is not complex, just different. This involves a different screwdriver for the chipbreaker, otherwise it is business as usual here. The other difference is one that runs across the whole Veritas plane range - a Norris-type adjuster in place of the Bailey-type.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Mallets%20and%20hammers/Plane%20hammer/Custom-plane-tools1a_zpsa5jitese.jpg

Above, the screwdriver I use, along with a small jeweller's hammer I use to make fine adjustments on Bailey and Veritas planes.

Beyond this, the planes work extremely well. I use a Custom #4 alongside a LN #3. Both are a delight.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Hilton Ralphs]

From the pictures I have seen the whole assembly looks rather complex, even needing a special screwdriver. But from your reports guys, I understand it is all half as bad as it looks?

No special screwdriver needed. It's your bog standard hex bit that comes with every screwdriver set nowadays. LV even supplies a simple one. The original brand name is the Allen key (now a proprietary eponym).

[Normand Leblanc]

Does anyone here can compare their standard plane with this newer custom plane? I've used the custom one a few times and I can't say that I was so good.

[Tim Bridge]

Lee Valley has a video of how they build a custom plane. ;)

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=72875&cat=1,230,41182,48944


https://youtu.be/Sn8KJlPX674

[Mike Cherry]

Bravo Tim!

[Mike Holbrook]

Derek,
Thanks for posting about the 42 degree frog you ordered. I'm not sure I understand why but that angle seems to work very well, doing a large variety of jobs well. I was working end grain on a piece of Ash last night and the #4 seemed to perform as well as my LA Jack. It may have been due to tuning or blade sharpness but I was impressed none the less. My #4 has a hollow ground, 30 degree, PM-V11 blade with a slight camber. It isn't leaving any tracks that I can see, which is good enough for me.

I like the Norris adjusting mech. on the Custom planes. It seems just a little tighter than those on the BU planes I have. Dialing in blade position is the easiest and most accurate I have found yet. My older planes often take several rotations of the depth wheel before any progress is made, then response can be erratic. I wonder if anyone has tried the new "Slow" Norris adjuster? I am happy with what comes on the plane, I like the fast adjusting speed, although I can see how someone use to a Stanley type adjuster might have a hard time with it.

I have the wide knob and classic handle on my #4. I am finding that these options allow me to hold and use the plane in a greater variety of ways. I can adjust pressure or lift the plane with the wider knob better. I like gripping over the top of the knob rather than around the side as it helps with adding & removing pressure and balance. The "Classic" handle/tote on these custom bodies seems rather unique to me too. There is a little more room below the handle on the plane body, even on the #4 body, for my little finger. This means I can either grip with all four fingers on the tote for more steering or go low with three fingers on the handle and one on the base for lower base pressure. YMMV

I have been thinking about ordering a Custom #5. I use my #5 more than any other plane. I like my Stanley #5 but I have more trouble adjusting it. I had been considering the #5 as a coarse/rough plane where fine adjustment might not matter. The more work I do with my #5 the more I find myself adjusting it more than my other planes. Working with a highly cambered blade often requires more adjustment and more precise adjustment, depending on: the exact work, hardness of the wood, type grain, how much and what part of the blade I can/want to use...Now I am thinking that the Jack may benefit the most from more and faster adjustability, especially the way I use it. The additional weight of the Custom plane might help too.

[Patrick Chase]

From the pictures I have seen the whole assembly looks rather complex, even needing a special screwdriver. But from your reports guys, I understand it is all half as bad as it looks?

It uses standard (English) hex keys. They ship one with the plane as a courtesy, but there's nothing special involved.

The only part of the plane that's more complex than their previous iteration (or most others out there) is the use of a specialized nut to attach the blade to the cap iron. They did that for 2 reasons: First, the adjuster registers to the nut instead of to the cap iron, which means that the plane can be used in a single-iron configuration. Second, the nut can be left on the blade during honing, which potentially avoids the need to re-adjust (though I always end up removing the nut...).

[Patrick Chase]

No special screwdriver needed. It's your bog standard hex bit that comes with every screwdriver set nowadays. LV even supplies a simple one. The original brand name is the Allen key (now a proprietary eponym).

It might be "special" for Kees inasmuch as he lives in metric-land and it's an SAE key.

[Patrick Chase]

Does anyone here can compare their standard plane with this newer custom plane? I've used the custom one a few times and I can't say that I was so good.

I have both in a couple sizes (4 and 4-1/2, set up differently though). IMO they work equally well when equally tuned.

From a price to performance perspective I would actually recommend the standard design. They're about $100 less IIRC, and the only things you give up are customizable blade angle and tote (the knob can still be customized if you're willing to do some work). I think that the mouth adjustment on the standard planes is particularly clever, in that it:


Provides decoupled mouth/depth adjustment (bedrocks incl L-N can't do this)
Supports the blade all the way to the sole at all mouth settings (no Stanley or derived plane, bedrock or bailey, does this)
Has a solid toe in front of the mouth, which ensures that the leading edge of the mouth presses on the wood without depending on a multi-part tolerance stack (the custom planes don't do this)

The custom planes overcome (3) via precision machining - the tolerance stackup through the sole and movable toe is small enough that it isn't a practical issue, though it may account for a bit of the added cost.

[Kees Heiden]

Good to hear that the planes are easy to use. I posted about my impression from the pictures which had me scratching my head. In reality it is probably all pretty obvious.

If I dig deep in my piles of stuff I can probably find some SAE hex drivers. But those are not easy to find outside the USA.

[Normand Leblanc]

Thanks Patrick. One thing is sure here. The custom ones look much better then the older one.

[Patrick Chase]

Thanks Patrick. One thing is sure here. The custom ones look much better then the older one.

That depends on the eye of the beholder IMO. The old design is a classic example of "design by engineers, for engineers". They made no concessions to aesthetics, to the point of creating a single 2-3/8" lever cap design and simply cutting it down for the 2" planes (4, 5-1/4W).

As an engineer I actually appreciate that - I'd rather they spend my money on things like that clever mouth adjustment instead of swoopy curves on the lever cap.

EDIT: Replace "cap iron" with "lever cap" in a couple planes.

[Reinis Kanders]

I have and like both custom and old style veritas No.4 planes. Nevertheless in the last year I somehow always pick one of my two the old Bailey style 4s. Cycling an iron is faster in the Bailey style plane, I like to sharpen preemptively and both Veritas planes cycle slower.

[Mike Holbrook]

Interesting Reinis. I love the PM-V11 blades on the Custom planes. I have no problem putting a 30 degree hollow on them with a CBN wheel. From there I can renew the tiny micro bevels on my Spyderco stones and MDF with LV Green buffer in a very short time. The PM-V11 blades seem to cut very well for me for a longer period of time too. More important to me though is, I can adjust the custom plane faster and more accurately, which may be a product of my having more experience with the Norris Adjuster than the Stanley. I have to adjust my blade many times between sharpening so the time adjusting seems more important to me at this time.

I just put a PM-V11 blade in my Stanley 4C, but thus far I like the Custom #4 better. Again, I am probably oriented to the lower center of balance in the Veritas LA/BU planes which is different than the more top weighted Stanleys. For me the Custom Veritas planes are sort of in a middle ground balance wise. With a classic handle on a custom Veritas plane I feel like I can adjust my grip to lower or raise the planes center of balance, providing the best of both worlds.

I have been making a concerted effort to get better with the Stanley adjustment system but I am much faster and more confident with the Norris system to date. I like the easy to adjust mouths and screws that hold/mark where I left the blade. I can pull a blade out of a Veritas plane, sharpen it and get it back in very close to the same position as it was with very little effort. I can't do that with a Stanley plane. I know some Stanley users do not miss not having an adjustable mouth but I find it a major inconvenience.