To Rob Lee - Veritas and new planes?

[Rob Lee]

(snip)

So if say, you were jointing then a jack sized plane would be OK for up to about 4 feet?

In my shop - yes....

[Robert Trotter]

Just sliding back to the LA jack for shooting...

If I have an LA jack I would need 3 blades, is that right?
One low angle bevel with a slight camber in the blade for softwood and general hardwood,
One high angle bevel with a slight camber in the blade for more difficult hardwoods to stop train tracks,
AND one low angle (standard with plane) but straight edge for shooting.


What blade set up would be suggested for an LA jack as a first plane? Maybe with a smoother as well.

[Rob Lee]

Just to really add to the confusion... my personal choice would be a low angle O1, and a higher angle A2 or O1.

O1 for the low angle, as A2 is best at bevel angles of 30 degrees or more... for shooting, O1 will let you minimize your effective cut angle.

Same advise for plades as planes - I'd start with two... one low, one high. You can always change 'em if you want, to whatever you want. The important thing about angles is to understand that changing the effective cut angles to suit the operation or the material (grain, figure, species) ... don't overload yourself!

If you buy any plane (any manufacturer) and only ever use one effective cut angle, then you're probably "missing out" on some aspect of performance.

Cheers -

Rob

[Gary Herrmann]

O1 for the low angle, as A2 is best at bevel angles of 30 degrees or more... for shooting, O1 will let you minimize your effective cut angle.

Doh! And here I just tuned up my new LV edge plane iron (20 degree bevel) and I got the A2 version. Oh well. I doubt at my level of expertise or (unfortunately) frequency of usage, I'd notice a difference.

[Robert Trotter]

Thanks Rob, for that little tidbit about the A2 and 01 steel. That was going to be one of my questions to someone.
"When and why would you use A2 or 01?"

And there you go and read my mind. You've probably answered alot peoples questions about that one.

[Robert Trotter]

Sorry, forgot to ask;

So should the blades be cambered or straight?

I understand about smoothing planes on wide surfaces that you need a slight camber or rounding of the corners to stop those trains coming along. Smoother blades should have cambers.

Having say a jack (LA) and a smoother, the jack being used for jointing shorter pieces, for general planing and shooting....

...I would think that for shooting and for jointing , a straight blade would be better.

...Would it be advisable to have a cambered blade and a straight blade? Or would a straight blade be all that is needed with the jack? And just clean up with a smoother later if used on wider stock? Or would a slight rounding of the corners greatly effect shooting?

Sorry if these are basic questions.

With all your great replies I am getting close to making a well informed decision about what to purchase now and what to get later. And I hope others are, too.

Thanks

[Rob Lee]

Hi Robert -

The answer is ..... yes..

I do ease the corners on blades used for surface work - it doesn't take much (but on LA planes, the camber effect is reduced due to the low slope...) ..

For jointing - a straight blade is good. For glue-ups... I like a slight camber, so the edges of the pieces being glued touch before the centers... this is the smallest of cambers!

A slight rounding of the corners will only affect shooting if you use the blade full width...but again - I personally would use a square blade, low effective cut angle for shooting....

So - to get to what I'd do, if I had two blades... I'd have a square 25 degree blade, and a lightly cambered higher angle blade...

Again - there are no correct answers here (can you see the pattern developing.. ) .... it depends on what you do, and prefer...

You're doing the right thing by soliciting other people's experiences - but use them as a baseline for a plan to developing your own ... what's right for me won't necessarily be right for you...

Cheers -

Rob

[Robert Trotter]

Hi Rob and all the followers,

I'm sorry about the break in any replies and such. I have had to catch up on some sleep.

Anyway, Rob I just like to say thnakyou very much for all your wisdom. It has answered a lot of questions and I hope other's as well.
It looks like this thread might finish here so once again thanks.

I'm sure I'll have lots of other questions in the future.

Robert (Rob)

[Paul Koenigs]

Hi Rob. I'm a newbie to the forum. Hope this is OK.

I am looking at buying some new planes. And have been reading around on the net about planes. What would be really great is to have some planes with all the great Veritas inovations with the LN looks and finish. Are there any plans for special editions or grade up version in the works?

If so are they coming up soon or quite a while off. ie. is it worth waiting before spending my money? What kinds of planes? Smoothers or LA jacks etc? Any hints?

Hi Rob, I am a big fan of Lee Valley and this is not bashing them.
There's a left handed shooting plane on ebay now, if you don't want to wait.
Obviously, I Can't post the link here, but search on "Lee Valley Veritas Left-Hand Shooting Plane"

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Paul and Welcome to the Creek.

From personal experience I know how easy it is to get into in a post and forgetting it is sixteen years old. They are often called Zombie threads because the keep popping up.

Funny, when this thread started there weren't any shooting planes made by Lee Valley or Lie-Nielsen. I did end up buying a Veritas Left Hand Shooting Plane and like it very much.

jtk

[Mike Allen1010]

Hi Robert -

Short answer - the wood can't tell the difference between the planes...

Yes, there are differences in mass, centre-of-gravity, and features such as ease of blade changing and adjustment.

It also depends on how many planes you want to own.... the 4 1/2 (or 4) is a good general application plane - well suited to most domestic woods. If you can bring yourself to use backbevels - it can do all of the same high angle work that a bevel-up plane can. Our bevel-down planes have a frog adjustment that allows you to vary the mouth opening without changing the blade depth (or even having to remove it). Really, it was designed to encourage back-bevels.

The bevel-up planes were designed for rapid blade swapping, and have a very low centre of gravity ... the feel is different. The BU Smooth is very much a single purpose plane. The LA smooth is a versatile shooter and smoother, specifically designed to be held on its side as well (the lever cap sides are designed as finger rests...)...

Either plane, with equally sharp blades having the same effective cut angle will produce equivalent finishes on the wood...

Cheers -

Rob

Rob,

For what it’s worth, I super appreciate you participating in forums like this – it’s incredibly rare for the CEO of a company to interact directly with customers, and for that we are grateful! I also appreciate the momentum that comes from “the latest comments” etc.

As a 30 year customer, I super applaud your value proposition of a focus on efficiency and execution. For my money, your tools are always top of the line. I look forward to with any new offerings you have, checkbook at the ready.

Best, Mike.

[Phil Mueller]

16 years later, still the best advise… (from Rob Lee):

“The best advice I can give you is to go slowly... learn the planes you have - and identify what functions under what circumstances you have difficulty with... and then look for the solution. You don't need many planes - you just need the right ones for you... and we can't relly tell you which those are going to be!

Buy slowly, and buy well.... none of the manufacturers are going anywhere....”

[Andrew Pitonyak]

And if possible, try a specific tool type before purchase. You may find that you simply dislike a certain style or thing or absolutely love something.

Lee Valley is often at wood working shows and you can try their stuff. Be warned that it is a very popular booth so plan accordingly (like try for low attendance times, whatever that means...).

I tried one tool and did not care for it... Tried another that I thought I did not want and bought one.

I purchased a saw for my daughter who tried it and LOVED it. With school she never has time to use it but it has become one of my "goto" saws.

[Mike Allen1010]

Ah, a face only a mother could love eh...Actually, Rob, they aren't that bad.

Take care, Mike
duckin' and a runnin'

P.S.
This issue of LV style and traditional style is like my fondness for 20th century Modern furniture as well as much of the then concurrent Art Deco furniture. Some people like it, some don't. But [nearly] everyone has an opinion about it...

Shout out to Mike Wentzloff- one of best saw makers ever! Thanks for all the great saws- still great sources of fun and satisfaction in many shops , including mine!