Originally Posted by
Dan Kraakenes
So..
Custom BD for more experienced.
Chipbreaker - a bit more cumbersome sharpening.
BU/LA for beginners or a lot of tropical wood.
No shipbreaker - faster and easier sharpening
Most of the Bevel Down irons are easier to sharpen freehand. If one wants, the chip breaker can be slid back on the blade while sharpening. Stanley may have suggested this is some of their publications.
My Bevel Up blades are thick enough to experience stiction on a flat water stone.
That said, I do get tearout occasionally with my BD planes, but have learned to either clean it up with a scraper or sand it out.
A way of overcoming tear out that works for me is to have the plane's blade as sharp as possible and to take a shaving as thin as possible. In some cases there is still a part of the surface with a satin finish from reversing grain. It has worked to then take a shaving or two in the opposite direction to turn the satin feeling area into a glossy area.
I think the bu statement about beginners and tropical woods is not right.
I'd recommend the #4, 5, 7 combination. If you don't buy all premium, a vintage #5 will do everything a premium #5 will do, with or without a replacement blade. A well tuned chipbreaker is a wonder but not hard to achieve.
Agreed.
For many years my LN LA BU Jack was mainly used for shooting. Now with a Veritas Shooting Plane it doesn't get a lot of work. Since shooting planes are made left or right handed my LA BU Jack will likely be saved for those times when it is better to do the shooting from the other side.
jtk
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