BU Jointer Plane scratches

[Wojciech Tryc]

Hi,
My friend managed to create several deep scratches on my Veritas Bevel Up Jointer.... As you can imagine, I feel terrible. I understand that these scratches should not really affect anything, however, I would like to get them removed. I contacted the LV customer service, but was told that they can not help, as they do not offer such service. I am really surprised, as so far they have been great and always standing behind their products. Should I just contact some local metal shop and ask them to remove scratches and flatten the sole? What are my options?

Wojtek

[Frederick Skelly]

Good morning. Welcome to the Creek! You would get more answers if this was in our Neanderthal forum because that is for hand tools. But with luck, a few of us will see your post here and try to help.

You could try sanding out the scratches. Attach sandpaper of 220 grit to a flat plate (glass or granite) and then push the plane back and forth like one does when trying to flatten the sole. Do that until the scratches come out, then wipe the plane off to remove the loose grit. Then change to a higher frit sand paper (perhaps 320 grit) and repeat. (You can start with lower grit paper like 100 grit, if you want too. But I start at 220.)

If the scratches are too deep for that, you may have to go to a machine shop and have them carefully remove them.

I hope that helps you. Good luck!
Fred

[Bill Berklich]

ditto on the sanding if they are light scratches but if you are going to a machine shop make sure they have a surface grinder. Most shops don't have or use one. And you really don't want them to mill it if it can be helped.

[Shane MacMillan]

I had the same thing happen to me, was a tiny rock in a live edge I was working on and left 3 nice gouges in the bottom. All I did was take my find diamond stone and rub it on the bottom to take off the high edges till I couldn't feel them anymore and went back to work. Think of it as a mildly corrugated plane. Veritas BU-C jointer!

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Unless you know what you are doing, you could easily do more harm than good in trying to sand out the scratches. Now you have an ugly plane that works. If you do not do it right, you could end up with a pretty plane that does not work as well as what you have now.

It does not sound like a LV issue to me. Unfortunate they cannot help you, but they sold a good plane, and the operator error is not a defect in the plane or the customer service, in my opinion. If it were mine I would probably just use as is. I know it is probably like a scratch on a new car, but it happens, and they will inevitably develop a bit of character in use.

[Brian Hale]

Fine grit sandpaper to remove the high spots and ignore the cosmetic aspects.

[Jim Koepke]

My friend managed to create several deep scratches on my Veritas Bevel Up Jointer.... As you can imagine, I feel terrible.

Now you know why my good tools are not loaned out to friends or family.

Having an experience like yours can be heart breaking. As others have said, this isn't a problem of the vendor. They would end up lapping the soles of planes to nothing in no time if they "fixed" cosmetic problems like yours.

Next time your friend wants to borrow a tool show him what he did to the plane, tell him how much the plane cost you. Then ask him if a person who did that to your tools should ever be allowed to use your tools again.

jtk

[Mark Rainey]

The scratches have no impact on the function of the tool. The plane is made for hard use & deep scratches are evidence of that. Philip Lowe christins a beautiful new work bench top with a solid blow from a hammer, gouging the surface. Perhaps the next time you borrow a tool from that friend you will not worry about damaging it and use the tool as it was meant to be used.

[Simon MacGowen]

Hi,
I contacted the LV customer service, but was told that they can not help, as they do not offer such service. I am really surprised, as so far they have been great and always standing behind their products.

Wojtek

Totally understandable why they could not help. They are a production shop with machines set up to do batch work, hundreds or thousands of the same items at a time, and the programming in those machines is done by trained people. To make a cosmetic fix for you could mean disruption to their schedules, flow of work, etc., and a lot of money, and frankly, it could have been hundred times cheaper to send you a NEW plane.

Simon

[Hasin Haroon]

Hi Wojciech

If it's a few deep scratches sporadically on the sole I wouldn't worry about it - I would be more hesitant to try sanding it out as I doubt you would be able to keep it as flat as it came from Veritas. It shouldn't affect the performance of the plane. I wouldn't get it ground by a machinist - I could be way off base here but I recall a post by George mentioning that he got a plane that was .01" thinner than it should have been and that was enough to introduce flex into the body.

As for Veritas, they run a big operation and produce a lot of items everyday, and flattening individual customer's planes is probably not practical. If this was a damaged plane when it came to you i'm sure they would help.

Most important thing - never lend your nice tools to friends, especially friends who are not neanders themselves.

[Wojciech Tryc]

All true, thank you for your input. I will share the outcome, but definitely I will not lend my tools to anyone.... Lesson learnt....

[Simon MacGowen]

All true, thank you for your input. I will share the outcome, but definitely I will not lend my tools to anyone.... Lesson learnt....

Sorry that this experience left a bad taste in your mouth.

I loan my tools (power and hand) all the time to my neighbors. I always ask if they have used the tools I am lending out; if not, I show them how to use them. My neighbor used my Japanese pull cut saw to trim his stool legs with success and without damaging the saw's teeth...even though he had never used a pull saw.

Loaning handplanes? Not my most treasured ones, but the block plane is what they really need. I decide what they will get based on the job they tell me to be done. I give them a scratch board and show or ask them to try it.

I dropped some of my tools on the floor (concrete!), and I don't cry. T don't get upset...I just just fix them and move on.

Heartbroken over a tool? Never for me. I will one day sell them all away anyway.

Simon

[Barney Markunas]

Sorry for your misfortune. If you look through old plane threads here, you will find plenty of stories of planes made worse not better by well-intentioned machine shops and even more by DIY types lapping on plate glass, stone counter tops, and whatever presumed flat surface they can find. You might very well make it look better but end up with it not working nearly as well as it does now.

I know it is painful to look at but unless there are burrs that scratch your work, I'd suggest not worrying about the scratches, just consider them a place to hold a little extra sole lube wax. If there are burrs, I would address them individually and then get on with using your plane. Remember it is a tool, not a piece of art or a museum artifact.

[Brandon Speaks]

I agree that "fixing" them will more likely do harm than good.

[Rob Luter]

Sorry for your misfortune. If you look through old plane threads here, you will find plenty of stories of planes made worse not better by well-intentioned machine shops and even more by DIY types lapping on plate glass, stone counter tops, and whatever presumed flat surface they can find. You might very well make it look better but end up with it not working nearly as well as it does now.

I know it is painful to look at but unless there are burrs that scratch your work, I'd suggest not worrying about the scratches, just consider them a place to hold a little extra sole lube wax. If there are burrs, I would address them individually and then get on with using your plane. Remember it is a tool, not a piece of art or a museum artifact.

Good advice here