Plane chatter

[steven c newman]

So....what did you find out?

[Patrick Chase]

Once past the 'ground after hardening' price point that Patrick and others have mentioned, I tend to look more towards the user than manufacturer with regard to inconsistency of standards. How else to explain - in tool reviews or discussions - how one user finds an edge to be delivered 'razor sharp' and ready to go, while another reports 30 minutes of flattening and polishing the blade and honing of the bevel to use the same model of tool from the same manufacturer? I see a little bit of variation in the blades that come in the door in student tool kits, but none - whether small shop or factory made - are in immediately usable condition.

I've only ever seen one tool with an edge in what I consider usable condition, and that was a Tsunesaburo chamfer plane that required plenty of other work (while flattening the sole of a wooden plane body is usually quite easy, that is not the case when it friction-fits into a surrounding shell).

I have a LOT of LV planes, and I don't think any of them came with a truly sharp edge. They were all geometrically correct and took very minimal work, though (as in: straight to the polishing stone).

[richard b miller]

haven't had time to sharpened it yet. i work 50+ hrs with one job and lowes 20 hrs over weekends