Veritas Medium Shoulder Pane & Replacement Blades

Stuart Ablett

Member
Messages
15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
I've been pondering buying a shoulder plane for some time, after seeing the really nice Clifton #410 shoulder plane that Garrett Hack used here at a demonstration, I put it high up on my list of tools to get. With my moving slowly along Genkan Bench project, I want to use mortise and tenon joints, and I saw how well this kind of tool can make that kind of joint really nice and tight.

After talking to several people about this, I decided on the Veritas Medium Shoulder Plane I had the idea that the bang for the buck is high on this plane, and I think I was right :D

new_plane_blades.JPG

Right out of the box it makes great cuts, which will only improve with more sharpening of the blade, but man is it nice, and it falls to the hand so very nicely, I had no problem holding it and using it, it is very well made for sure :thumb:

I've also been thinking about getting a new plane, a 4 1/2 I'm really looking hard at the Lie-Nielsen, but it is pricey, to hold me over for a while, I thought I'd get a new blade for my regular #4 smoother, as the blade I have, is just about used up, and I cannot get it to keep a sharp edge. I got a new Veritas blade for the #4 (it also fits the #5) boy oh boy did it change the plane, man does it work well! I may be able to push my purchase of the #4 1/2 back a bit yet :D

I also got a new blade for my regular angle block plane, again, what change :clap: the blade is just a touch long. If I put the blade in the first groove, even with the blade pulled back as far as possible, it is just a touch too long, if it is in the second position, it is again not quite right, one good sharpening, from a #220 stone will most likely cure this. You can see the shaving from the block plane is a bit thick.

I'm sure glad I spent the money on these replacement blades, I think I might even get one for one of my #5 planes, and while they can use some sharpening, really polishing, they are really sharp right out of the box.

Oh, btw, I put my order in on the 12th of January, today is the 15th, and I already have my tools, WOW is that fast, and I used the "UPS Express 5-6 Days to Major Centers"

Yep, I'm a happy guy right now!

Cheers!
 
Doesn't it make sense that when buying a "plane" it would arrive quickly? After all, you didn't buy a rock!!!:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
They look nice and the curlies are pretty, I just don't have that talent yet. :(
 
I just wanted to show how much the old blade in my #4 was worn............

old_new_blade.JPG
...... yep, it is about an inch shorter then the new blade, I did not really realize it until I put them side by side, could be why I was not able to keep a keen edge on the old blade, maybe the steel was not as good that far up? :dunno:

Something else that came in the box from Lee Valley was a syringe of the 1µ Diamond Paste for final honing. Garrett showed us some of this when he was here, it makes some sense, instead of spending a fortune on a stone above the #10,000 I have, spend $13.50 and get this stuff!
70m1401s1.jpg

It suggests using a close grained wood, glass, cast iron or MDF, I did the MDF, as I had a chuck handy............

dmt_diamond_paste_1.JPG dmt_diamond_paste_2.JPG dmt_diamond_paste_3.JPG
...worked really slick, but I think I'll be getting a piece of glass, as the MDF was flat, but not that flat, I figure the guy down the hill will cut me a piece of glass for only a few bucks, so why not :D

I also honed the blade in the should plane........

veritas_med_shoulder_plane_chips_3.JPG
.......Oh baby is that sucker sharp!

veritas_med_shoulder_plane_chips_1.JPG veritas_med_shoulder_plane_chips_2.JPG
I made up a tenon on a piece of scrap and used the shoulder plane, it cleaned up the face grain, but then I let it loose on the end grain of the shoulder of the tenon, WOW does that work well! :D

Just like potato chips, I could not resist.......

veritas_med_shoulder_plane_chips_4.JPG
........ those pieces came from the area where the red arrow is.

Nice when you can use good tools, I think I'll get some serious use out of this plane :clap:

Cheers!
 
Boy, that plane was a real user, wasn't it! Congratulations on getting that nice shoulder plane.

Something else that came in the box from Lee Valley was a syringe of the 1µ Diamond Paste for final honing. Garrett showed us some of this when he was here, it makes some sense, instead of spending a fortune on a stone above the #10,000 I have, spend $13.50 and get this stuff!

It suggests using a close grained wood, glass, cast iron or MDF, I did the MDF, as I had a chuck handy............

It looked to me that Garrett was using a piece of solid maple for his honing bed when I saw him. I read over at SMC (sometime back) that Garrett suggested to Dave Anderson that he switch from MDF to Maple plywood. According to Dave, it worked better. It was not about flatness, but more I believe about Maple plywood holding the paste bettter.
 
Wow, Ok, so THAT'S what sharp is supposed to look like! :eek:

Time to practice my sharpening, again... :thumb: :D

So true Brent, it is all in the practice, you have to become good at it, consistent. :wave:

Boy, that plane was a real user, wasn't it! Congratulations on getting that nice shoulder plane.

It looked to me that Garrett was using a piece of solid maple for his honing bed when I saw him. I read over at SMC (sometime back) that Garrett suggested to Dave Anderson that he switch from MDF to Maple plywood. According to Dave, it worked better. It was not about flatness, but more I believe about Maple plywood holding the paste better.

I'll ask him, I think he just used a piece of Maple, but I'm not sure. Maple plywood is harder to find here than glass or cast iron would be :D

good info just the same Bill, thanks! :thumb:
 
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