Lee Valley/Veritas Router Plane Issues

[Rob Luter]

I have a large router plane from Lee Valley that I purchased in May of 2019. I've used it a few times and generally it works very well. That said, it's terribly fussy to adjust. I had a little spare time during the last project that I used it on and did a little digging. It appears that the stud that the depth adjustment wheel rides on isn't parallel with the shaft of the cutter. See below. The upper photo is a very shallow cut and the wheel is barely engaged with the cutter. The lowere photo is adjusted quite deep and the engagement is much better. I'm not sure if it's due to the cutter not being bedded properly or the stud being installed crooked. I think it may be the bedding as the cutter has a bit of wiggle even with the clamp snugged up very firmly. I tried to take it all apart and check the alignment but the clamp can't be removed.

Has anyone else dealt with this? It's a nice tool but is rather a PITA to get adjusted properly.

[Kevin Jenness]

The clamp didn't grow there so it must be removable, which would allow for truing up the notch the cutter shaft sits in. I would call LV customer service for advice.

[Jim Koepke]

The clamp didn't grow there so it must be removable, which would allow for truing up the notch the cutter shaft sits in. I would call LV customer service for advice.

Kevin, from all I can see on the LV site and instructions, the clamp is held in place by a flange on the top of the column and is not removable.


My first test would be to see if the condition changes when mounting the cutter to the back mounting bed on the router.

I think it may be the bedding as the cutter has a bit of wiggle even with the clamp snugged up very firmly.

This doesn't sound right.

Have you checked the cutter and the mounting area with a straight edge?

Could the depth stop be lifting the cutter off of the mounting bed?

jtk

[Rob Luter]

The cutter post seems to be straight and true. I need to get out the inspection tools and find out. The depth stop isn’t a factor. It’s loose against the cutter post. It’s the same if I remove it completely. I’ll reach out to LV. They’re a good bunch and I’m sure they’ll steer me right.

[chris carter]

I just messed around with mine. The shaft looks parallel to the utter on mine. It is a TINY bit closer at the bottom and further at the top, but not as much as yours. I wonder though if that is actually causing the issue. This line caught my attention: “I think it may be the bedding as the cutter has a bit of wiggle even with the clamp snugged up very firmly.” This is an issue with this router plane (and from I’m told, with many others as well, but I have no first-hand knowledge). In the beginning when I first got the router plane I was frustrated that it often seemed like there was a little wiggling after clamping it down. And sometimes it seemed like the setting would jump. After tons of googling and finding some labor intensive fixes that required modifications it turned out that all I have to do is give the locking knob a wiggle when tightening. So I tighten it down, then give it a quick side to side wiggle and then I tighten again and I get another maybe 5 degrees of rotation. Prior to that I was tightening the dickens out of the thing without success. I use this router a lot and it has become second nature to me so I don’t even notice. It only takes one second. So try that first. It’s tighten, side to side wiggle of the knob, and then tighten. Let me know if it works.

[Frederick Skelly]

Yeah, I'd send those pics to LV and ask what they make of it.

[Matt Hunstiger]

I have had problems with my router plane from Veritas as well. I am going to try the wiggle thing next time I use it. I find that the cutter moves because (I think) the wheel on the adjuster knob is smaller than the slot in the top of the cutter. You can see the gap in the lower picture. So if I move the cutter up, the wheel is resting against the top of the cutter notch, and the cutter will get pushed up until the wheel contacts the bottom of the cutter notch. What I've tried is moving the cutter, locking it down, then moving the adjuster wheel so that the cutter notch is touching the bottom of the adjuster wheel. I'm a fairly new woodworker (and first post), so I haven't had much success yet with the router plane (surface often looks chewed up), but I'm trying...

[Russell Nugent]

I'm no expert with my router planes but if I need to get a decent surface my last few passes are extremely light cuts, much like taking small bites with a chisel when dovetailing.

[Rob Luter]

Follow Up.....

I finally got some free time to do a deeper dive. I swapped the blade over to the other side of the adjustment post to the bullnose position and "Voila", no more issues. What I found was that the steel collar that sits above the clamp collar is machined such that the V shaped bed doesn't align with the V shaped bed in the plane body. As a result, when you tighten the clamp it pulls the bottom of the cutter in and pushes the top portion away from the adjustment wheel.

I shot a note and some photos off to Lee Valley Customer Service. They've always been a good bunch to work with and I'm hoping they'll have a remedy.

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[Rob Luter]

I've always thought that LV was a class outfit, but their response really impressed. I'm kind of stunned. They're sending me a new plane and asked that I return the defective one at their expense.

[Tom M King]

That's what I expected would happen.

[Christopher Charles]

Rob, Bummer you got a lemon and am glad they're taking care of you. Its a great plane!

[Rob Luter]

Rob, Bummer you got a lemon and am glad they're taking care of you. Its a great plane!

Yup. Hoping the new version can be adjusted. The current one, not so much.

[Rob Luter]

Another follow up.......

Lee Valley sent me a plane body as opposed to a new plane. I told them that made perfect sense. I transferred the knobs and other bits to the new body and it now works as it's supposed to. The interface between the cutter, the body, and the clamp is still a bit sticky, but a little wax or other lube should fix that. It's nice to not have the cutting edge drop 1/16" just from tightening up the clamp.