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Thread: Best Smoothing Plane Update

  1. #61

    Brese "J"-style smoother

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Vanzant View Post
    Definitely the Brese planes I had the pleasure of handling last fall... a "J" and the smaller two of Ron's new stainless family. ...
    +1 on that!!

    Recently I finished a plane kit from Ron Brese. Itīs a small smoother "J"-style with 55° bed angle. The fantastically prepared kit got infills of pretty good figured olive wood (figured like fine marble). The performance of the plane is amazing. Itīs not only the best smoother I own, itīs the unique of my smoothers that will cut if itīs just pushed forward with the right hand without having the left hand on it to give some downforce when itīs freshly sharpened. To me a new experience!

    CIMG2441.JPG

    Klaus

  2. #62
    I do, I still intend to take better pictures. I think I can find them in the attachments here somewhere. I know if I locate them and try to post them again, SMC's picture tool will tell me that I already put them up.

  3. #63
    Here's the smoother. Rather plain and dull on the front, this is its best side. If you've seen a brese lever cap, you know what the front looks like. All I did was refine the scratches in the cap to very fine and then polish it.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachme...0&d=1294697656

    (I have to get off my duff and make more planes so I have something new to talk about)

    And a shepherd panel kit for good measure. I was really disappointed in this kit (you can even see some of the modifications needed to make it work), but in the end, it is a really useful plane. Almost 9 pounds, and with a moderately tight mouth (around a hundredth). It makes it really easy to set wood up for very few smoother passes, and in reality, it can just do the smoothing work itself. Lets you cut the work from 3 planes to 2 on a lot of wood and still have a really flat panel.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachme...2&d=1276693402

    I was lazy and didn't bevel the sides at first, but did after this picture was taken, so it looks a little more traditional.

    This kit cost me a mint, it was a real learning experience. It's usable for me, but a couple of the compromises make it nonsaleable (i wouldn't want to sell it, anyway, after sweating it out making it all go together OK).

  4. #64
    I have a small infill smoother from Gabardi & Son. Matt Hodgson is the planemaker so I don't know where the name comes from. This is 5 inches long, 62 degree bed, and the infill is ebony. I have a handled smoother that is 55 degree that should arrive soon.
    IMG_2134.jpg IMG_2135.jpg I just grabbed a piece of quilted maple to show some test passes and forgot to snap the "before" pic this next one is just the other side of the board. Same as the side I planed.

    IMG_2136.jpg

    I've got a St. James Bay kit in the works so we'll see if I can do any good on my own soon enough.
    cheers
    Pat

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Spring Hill FL.
    Posts
    1,133
    Blog Entries
    8
    I would have to agree that the best smoother I have user was made by Ron Brese.
    Andrew Gibson
    Program Manger and Resident Instructor
    Florida School Of Woodwork

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Chesapeake, VA
    Posts
    96
    I'd love to be able to afford a Gabardi & Sons smoother.

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Sierra Nevada Mtns (5K feet)
    Posts
    267
    I have a LV bevel up smoother and a homemade Krenov style smoother. I can't really say which i9s better for me. The LV is probably better for difficult woods, but the Krenov homemade feels and sounds better.

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Quote Originally Posted by David Marcus Brown View Post
    Derek, where on your scale would you rank your LN 4-1/2 bronze? Have you tried it with a 55 degree HAF?
    Hi David

    The 55 degree HAF is on my List. In fact I may even have it by this weekend!

    The 50 degree frog is not significantly better than a 45 degree frog on our hardwoods. As a result, the standard Anniversary #4 1/2, while an excellent smoother, is not in the same league as planes with a higher cutting angle. The LV BUS, set up at 62 degrees, leaves it for dust. As does my shopmade BU infill smoother at 60 degrees. This is a largely a function of the cutting angle. On the other hand, the Marcou set at 55 degrees still leaves everything else in its wake. So there is definitely a "plane-thing" as well.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

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