Remember when I asked how you store your router plane?
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....44#post2997444
Rob Lee sent me a preview copy of their new Router Plane box to test and comment. I held my comments and review until they released it on their web site, Right now, it is on sale AND you get free shipping. So, first a few links to the box on their site, and then my review and photos:
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...uter-plane-box
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/tools/routerplanebox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8VR...ature=youtu.be
So, on to my comments, made before they released this; so some things may have changed a bit:
Note: This was done before I had done anything with the router planes, so they are new out of the box.
I was trying to decide how to store my router planes, and I was going to build a fancy case to hold them. Rob Lee from Lee Valley noticed what I was doing and he sent me a box that they are working on. To my knowledge, this product has not been finalized and I do not know if it will be released to the public. In my opinion, if it matters, it most certainly should be.
This is what I received in the mail today (March 25, 2020). Notice the instructions, which are a bit vague, but this is pretty self explanatory. (I have no idea if they have changed).
router_box_lee_valley_01.jpg
My work bench was fully occupied with a larger project (a blessing box that I built, it came out really well), so I laid the parts out on the closest flat surface. The wood looks to be Baltic Birch. My guess is that this was done using a CNC machine. There is a perfect indentation to hold the Lee Valley’s large router plane. You can see the box for my medium router plane and boxes full of blades; I purchased a set of imperial blades.
router_box_lee_valley_02.jpg
This is a close up of one of the sides.
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You can see that there are two feet on the bottom so that it sits better even if the top is slightly uneven.
The first thing that I did was to assemble it while standing on its end. You have a very good shot here of the bottom with an area routed for the large router plane.
router_box_lee_valley_04.jpg
For no particular reason, I flipped this over and took a picture from the other side.
router_box_lee_valley_05.jpg
What these pictures do not show well, is that there is a lip routed in that center piece. I have the routed portion facing down. This will happen automatically if line up the holes in the middle piece with the holes routed in the bottom.
Notice that there are slots in the sides that come in. Screws thread into these from the sides. All but one of these the screws held tight. The one that did not hold tight was held “tight enough” so I am not concerned about this coming apart.
Be certain to properly align all of the pieces before inserting screws into the sides. When you think that it is all correct, double check it. You might wish that you had an extra hand while doing this, but you really do not need it. Again, verify everything is aligned and then carefully screw this together. If you use a cordless screwdriver, do not use too much pressure, or the screw will simply spin. It will get tight, but you do not want to strip it.
router_box_lee_valley_06.jpg
This is a picture fully assembled without the lid in place. The instructions did NOT tell me what to put where, so I guessed. Notice that I have the sharp ends of the blades pointed towards the back so I am less likely to cut myself. From right to left, you see the (1) blade sharpening jig, (2) 1/16" blade, (3) 3/32" blade, (4) 1/8" [or 3mm] blade, (5) 3/16" blade, (6) 1/4" blade, (7) 1/2" two piece spear point blade, (8) 3/4" blade, and (9) the router fence. The 1/2" straight blade is in the router.
router_box_lee_valley_07.jpg
My first thought was that they should have cut more holes to hold blades and then I realized that there was a place to hold the fence; nice! With the fence, there is no place to hold more blades.
My second thought was, what are those two tiny holes between the blades and the fence, and where should I store the hex key (Allen wrench)? I have three of them because I have three blades that are “two part” blades, which means that they can come apart and the blade can be attached to the sharpening jig.
I drilled the two small holes with a 7/64" bit and then I drilled a third. I placed the Allen wrenches in those holes.
I then noticed that there was sufficient space in the corners to place both the small and the medium router planes. I do not own the small plane; someday, but not yet. I chose the medium plane because it can use the same bits as the larger router plane and I think that it will handle most of what will cause a problem for the large plane.
I did not want the medium plane to move around, and I did not want to try to route a shallow hole in the shape of the plane, so I took some fancy 1/2" wood and cut it down a bit. I used brass screws and the medium router plane is solidly in place; yes, I did clock the screws. I considered using a clear acrylic, because I have it. I also considered some curly maple, but I preferred the look of the contrasting wood.
router_box_lee_valley_08.jpg
This is a completed picture with the sliding lid in place. The lid is very clear, so at first glance it is not obvious that the lid is in place. It is difficult to see, but, the lid says “Veritas”. The You can see that the “s” overlays one of the brass screws.
(I will add the picture in the next post).
Significant thought went into this box. The divot in the front that lines up with the hole cut in the top is just one example. There is ample space for a full set of blades, Imperial or Metric, but you are out of luck if you have a full set of both.
I doubt if it was intentional, but if it was, kudos to the person who chose to make space for both the small and the medium router plane in the same box. If it was intentional, I think that it was the right decision to not route a place for the two planes because I think that the top layer of the plywood would not stay structurally sound and it would have simply broken (because there would be narrow sections with little strength). The routed section for the large plane, however, is a great idea since it keeps the plane in place very well.
It was pretty obvious to me that the blades should be placed in the holes near the back, but it was not as obvious to me that there was a place for the fence. Part of me would have appreciated a drawing or picture showing this, but obviously I figured it out with the drawing. Similarly, if it was purposely designed so that there is room for the small and medium planes, A picture showing this might also be a good idea.
I am especially pleased with this box since it holds all of my router related things. If (when) I build a wooden fence that attaches to the metal fence, it will likely not fit in this box assembled. Disassembled, however, I think that the wooden portion of the fence that I would create, is likely to fit behind the large router. Because I do not have a small router, it should fit to the left as well.
Given what I expect this box to cost, I would have spent about the same amount of money just to buy the materials as what I expect this box to sell for. It took me under an hour to assemble everything, and that includes the time to find the fancy board that I cut up to make the stops to hold the medium router plane, and to move parts that were waiting for the finish to cure. I think that this box will be a big hit, especially if you are able to showcase the flexibility to hold the small and medium router planes.
My only regret is that now I need to figure out what to do with my router blade tool roll. I am pretty sure, however, that I can find a home for it as a gift.
To preserve symmetry, I will probably be compelled to eventually purchase the small router plane. I will cut and save some pieces from the same board to hold the small router plane in place when I get around to it.
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Originally Posted by Mike Henderson
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