a2 steel question?

[Justin Cavender]

I just recently bought a lv bu smoother with the a2 blade. This is my first a2 blade and I thought the edge was supposed to be more durable I am sharpening p.o.g. to .3 micron and it is razor sharp but after a couple of passes the blade feels dull to the touch. Can anyone guess what my problem is or better yet know what it is? Cheers

[Tri Hoang]

Very unlikely but sometimes the very tip of the blade is weak due to oxidation during the heat treatment process. I don't think this is the case for LV blades. The advice normally given here is to grind pass the first 1/64" or so and try again.

I'll also check the sharpening angle...very low angle will dull quickly. For BU smoother on hardwood, I suggest a 33 primary and 35 micro (1/64")

The back has to be flat and polished...to at least a 1/4" from the tip. If not, you can hone it to .3 micron and still have a very weak edge.

[Justin Cavender]

The back is polished as far as the blade can be sharpened. It has a 35 deg primary and a 38 deg secondary. Plus the 12 deg bed angle equals 50 deg so a low angle isn't the problem. I just wish it would hold an edge properly I will reluctanly try grinding it tomorrow. Thanks Tri

[James Harrison]

I would call lv. I have found them to be very responsive.

[Justin Cavender]

I hate to call them Mr. Lee personally offered me the plane at a discount as a cosmetic second. I realy hate to bother them because I bought it as a second.

[george wilson]

Even a cosmetic second should not have a defective blade,maybe a blemish,scratch,etc. . I wouldn't worry about asking for a better blade. I do think the edge of the blade should be ground back and rebeveled first. When things are heat treated,the very end of something like a blade can be gotten too hot.A2 can also get a soft skin on it if air got to it at all.In that case,grinding back would not help. I've made many tools out of A2. That soft skin would be all over the tool,and could be 1/32" deep if it was exposed to air.

[Tim Put]

I hate to ask, but are you sure it's really sharp to start with? How are you testing it? You might be getting a smooth but rounded edge, which will seem pretty sharp at first but won't last.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

That is not right. There was a flaw in the process somewhere.
they should replace the blade.

[Steve Thomas]

I've been luckly enough to have toured the Veritas Manufacturing facility and from my experiance, I would be more inclinded to see what i'm doing wrong before i questioned Veritas, and or Lee Valley...

That said, once you've checked that your doing every thing right at your end and it's still not right then they (Lee Valley) will sort you out straight away i'm sure.

Good Luck

[David Keller NC]

I hate to call them Mr. Lee personally offered me the plane at a discount as a cosmetic second. I realy hate to bother them because I bought it as a second.

Justin - A2 can be very tricky to properly temper after the hardening process. Even companies with very high reputations for quality and a lot of experience making blades like Lee Valley and Lie-Nielsen can sometimes have issues.

My guess is that Lee Valley would want you to call about this, as would Lie-Nielsen. They don't want blades that are too soft/hard out there with their name emblazoned on them.

[Justin Cavender]

I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything right. I dont have many sharpening problems. I use a honing guide and I'm pretty meticulous about making sure it is set up right.

[Justin Cavender]

Okay i ground back the bevel honed it to razor sharp 20 passes and it wont even pull the hair out of my arm let alone shave it. Should I send it back? My old stanley blades stay sharp longer.

[george wilson]

Send it back.