Kind of leaves me out...all of mine use the OEM blades...Stanley AND Millers Falls....haven't seen any need to change them out....
Kind of leaves me out...all of mine use the OEM blades...Stanley AND Millers Falls....haven't seen any need to change them out....
I’m ready to order for (was trying to keep brand out of discussion)
L N:
-#4
Block plane. 60 1/2
And 164
I have a machine shop guy
Which one for # 164?
David
Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)
Hi Ken
I use that Stanley #3 a fair amount of the time. With the chipbreaker set close, it can plane anything. In the above situation, the BU Smoother was preferred as it has a slightly wider blade.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Howdy David,
This doesn't make sense to me. Are you going to have your machine shop guy do something to the the planes after you get them?
The #164 is an uncommon plane for a reason. There were few who found a need for a plane that didn't have an essential or special purpose to earn a place in their shop.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Hey Derek,
Not to hijack this thread, but do you think it'd be feasible to pop a PMV11 blade into a Mujingfang plane?
I love the ergonomics of the Muji plane, but hate sharpening the irons.
So, I would refine my answer to JTK in regards to why have a 62 and 164, in that, I like to use a lot of figured woods, and have not mastered the scraping planes that well.
Now, I called LV yesterday wanting to know about what blade to put in the LN planes (recall I said earlier my desire to leave brands out of the discussion).
But, I called LV yesterday, and they put me through to the tech person, who was super nice, but was unable to help me out, said I needed to actually measure my blades; I wound up ordering a PMV11 for my #4.
Yes, I understand that they are competitors, but what harm is there in helping out a loyal customer who wants just to buy a blade w a disclaimer: "Gee David (loyal customer) this is what we think will be pretty close to the (LN) plane that you have, some modification may be necessary".
I am simply not in my shop that much at all. It would be great to be able to handle this stuff without all the fuss.
Even on LN, they don't say how long the blades are. Of course, I understand that upon repeated sharpening, the blade becomes shorter.
Anyway, I expect the PMV11 any day for my #4-my machine shop guy is waiting if I need him.
David
Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)
Matt, if they are the same size, then why not?
The blade in my Muji smoother is 1-3/4" wide. It looks like a Stanley, with the hole for the chipbreaker at the opposite end of the slot. It works in a Stanley #3. So why not the other way around? Measure.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Hi Tony,
The thing is that the steep cutting angle ("included"?) does a better job of severing the oncoming fibers.
I probably have some of my chipbreakers set too close, closer than necessary most of the time.
Is there a downside to that?
I suppose that if I also closed down the mouth as close as possible, it may allow a good result w contrary grain.
Anyway, am watching for delivery of the PMV11 for the #4, hopefully it will not need to be altered.
David
Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)
David,
A close set mouth is overrated as a means to control tear out and can cause more problems than it fixes. Set the cap iron for the planed use, make sure the mouth is wide enough to pass the shavings and go to work. BTW, I can never remember closing or opening the mouth of a plane after the original set up. Moving the cap iron to match need happens all the time.
But then maybe it is because I use mostly "tame" woods and as always....YMMV.
ken
I might. Sharpening Muji irons freehand sucks...or maybe I lack skill.
The PMV 11 came today (the one on the LV website as for the #4) and the pictures are below.
Below are the stock LN blade (top) laid out next to the new PMV11 one
The cutting mat squares are 1/2" each
LN v PMV11 #4.jpg
On to the lapping of the back-easily done; the picture below was obtained quite easily w Shapton stones after several passes. I was surprised at how flat the back was. Ruler trick completely unnecessary.
PMV11 Back.jpg
The picture below was taken w blade straight out of box, on BORG pine:
PMV11 in #4.jpg
The big question is:
How easy does it sharpen?
It did take some work to get to my own 30* bevel, actually more than I anticipated w 220 grit Shapton.
I could have manipulated the angle for an easier time (steeper angle/thinner bevel), but I like to zero in from the get go.
How long will it hold the edge?
No idea-time will tell
My (amateur) thoughts are:
1) Lee Valley would do us a service by making is easier to select a blade for a given non-LV plane (see my previous post in this thread).
2) This here fit my LN#4 beautifully
3) It was not as sharp out of the box as 'some other' premium brands (FWIW)
4) IIRC, the back is flatter than the 'other' premium blades....it been years since I bought any plane blades though
5) Is it as sharp as the stock LN blade given a defined sharpening protocol? See #6
6) Does it hold an edge longer and easier to sharpen than A2, W1, etc?
Probably, but I will leave that to more qualified persons.
David
Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)