My hand plane experience
Hi,
I have had hand planes for years and used them only when desperate. In the last three years I have learned a lot.
My planes are an old Stanley Sweetheart, Stanley block plane, Veritas (Lee Valley) Low-Angle Smooth Plane 05P25.01 With two A-2 irons, Veritas Low-Angle Block plane 05P22.01 (My son, Glenn, has this same block plane. He also has the Large and Small Totes that let it work as a small Smoothing Plane (P0522.17 and .15)).
I worked and worked with the two Stanley planes, purchased books about planes, took them to Wood Working meetings, etc. I improved
their (and my) ability to work well.
I looked longingly at the Lee Neilsen planes at the WW show. I also noted that it took their "expert" a good fifteen minutes to
alter the iron adjustment and get the plane re-tuned. The LN felt heavy (good) and solid. It worked very well when tuned by the
expert. However, I seem to be unable to tune it as well as the expert. I could not adjust a LN any better than the old Stanleys.
I thought I went way out on the proverbial limb and purchased the Veritas Smoothing Plane---Something like "I can't believe I spent
this much money on a plane."
The FIRST time I set the plane up for use it took about 15 minutes. It did MUCH better than the Stanley's. Even thougth the Stanleys were tuned to the optimum that, I or other wood workers, could achieve. After having learned on that first set up of the Veritas, future blade changes, aligning, setting proper iron and throat adjustments took only a few seconds and the result is far superior to what I can achieve with Stanleys or LNs.
I use my hand planes all of the time now...I do things with them now that I would not have dreamed that I could achieve.
The Veritas planes opened a whole new world to me. The Veritas planes adjust so well and so fast that they are MY STANDARD. I know this sounds like I own Veritas stock...however I have no connection with them.
You now have what my wife's brother would say, "That's one darn fools opinion."
Enjoy,
Jim