Things I would like Lee Valley (or someone) to make.

[Eugenio Musto]

Eugenio -

There are more on your list that are coming, than on anyone else's list...

I think you're 3 for 4 .... ... eventually...

Cheers -

Rob

These are News!

[David Weaver]

for the single digit number stanley bench planes, buying vintage users and fettling them is fine. it's when you get to the more interesting planes that things get difficult. I bought the LV medium shoulder plane because I couldn't find an equivalent stanley quick enough in good enough shape to get the job I needed it for done. having a source for quality tools with fast return time and good customer support is a gosdend. having that source be an aggressive innovator is better yet.

I'd love to see veritas come up with a functional equivalent to a set of hollows and rounds. or a compass plane. or an adjustable travisher.

it's not just about bubinga handles. it's about keeping sight of function and making good tools available to working woodworkers of modest means. I think it's great that the fancy versions are available- I can lust after them in the catalogs and perhaps purchase a few. but what I need is tools that get the job done efficiently and cost effectively.

I can only think that they could absolutely minimize the machining on their planes (not the shoulder plane, of course, but maybe the bench planes) to make them cheaper.

Maybe make nothing on them machined other than the bed and the sole, but some of them are already close to that.

I think it's probably just not possible to make accurate tools much cheaper than they do in the days of huge taxation, compliance and employee benefits costs. That overhead is still there no matter the price level, and spending less on the plane makes the balance of keeping the lights on and paying the fixed costs too high a % of the plane cost.

I've got no clue on shoulder planes and how to get them cheap other than just getting one small one and substituting a reasonable old beech rabbet plane for most things. I paid asking price for the two shoulder planes I have, but as I get more moulding planes I use the shoulder planes less and less. I can usually find a good beech rabbet plane, skew or straight, for about $15 down here.

>>I'd love to see veritas come up with a functional equivalent to a set of hollows and rounds.<<

Wouldn't we all. Since Larry Williams released a video pretty much giving up the entire bag of secrets, it seems like it's a better idea to make them, but even making them isn't that cheap if you want to make an entire half set.

[harry strasil]

After I ended up with a genuine factory made cigar shave, I realized why the one I made was so easy use. The original has to be sharpened with a flat on the outside radius of the cutter, while mine is sharpened on the inside radius, and has no external flat. All I did was machine the center of the body so the outside of the cutter and the main body are the same diameter.

[john davey]

Second this. I would buy one in a heartbeat

Hey, how about a remake of a Langdon Acme mitre box (a nice small one). Christopher Schwarz brought one to a class I was taking and it was a big hit. I think it was a 16 1/2. It worked extremely well.

[James Taglienti]

So i guess I'm the only one who would like to see a stop chamfer plane with beader. Can you guys over at Lee Valley make me just one, number it 1/1, and all sign it ? Also I'd like to keep it under $300.

[michael craigdallie]

rob,

what are the chances the tucker vise will be back in the near future?

cheers,
M

[Rob Lee]

rob,

what are the chances the tucker vise will be back in the near future?

cheers,
M

Hi Michael -

Depends on what you mean by "near"...

Tooling alone would be at least 12-18 months from pulling the trigger...

It's a really big investment too. Sitting behind each new tool that "pops" out, is hundreds of hours of design, tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars in tooling, and the raw material for at least a year's worth of sales. We have to prioritize our development schedule to keep our capital working, and to generate cash flow to bootstrap the next batch of new products. It's a lot more difficult than it looks.... and makes for careful choices....

Cheers -

Rob

[Rob Lee]

So i guess I'm the only one who would like to see a stop chamfer plane with beader. Can you guys over at Lee Valley make me just one, number it 1/1, and all sign it ? Also I'd like to keep it under $300.

Hi James -

Yes we can......


... but no, we won't ...

Cheers -

Rob

[bridger berdel]

After I ended up with a genuine factory made cigar shave, I realized why the one I made was so easy use. The original has to be sharpened with a flat on the outside radius of the cutter, while mine is sharpened on the inside radius, and has no external flat. All I did was machine the center of the body so the outside of the cutter and the main body are the same diameter.

how about some pictures?

[bridger berdel]

Hi Bridger -

The Bubinga handles are far less expensive than maple (our first handles were maple). I'm all for less expensive too...!

Cheers -

Rob

that says something- I'm not sure just what- about global finance, or manufacturing, or forestry, or something. handles made from the wood in your own back yard cost more that ones of wood from halfway around the world?

what's your take on the reasons for this?

[Brian Ashton]

that says something- I'm not sure just what- about global finance, or manufacturing, or forestry, or something. handles made from the wood in your own back yard cost more that ones of wood from halfway around the world?

what's your take on the reasons for this?

Some years back I once worked for a shop on the wet (west) coast of Canada where we made high (very high) end joinery. The price of Western Red Cedar got so high that we found it was cheaper to buy purple heart for the window and door frames. Apparently it has the same anti fungal properties as Red Cedar... Ironic that it was cheaper to buy wood from Mexico than it was from our own back yard...

[Rob Lee]

that says something- I'm not sure just what- about global finance, or manufacturing, or forestry, or something. handles made from the wood in your own back yard cost more that ones of wood from halfway around the world?

what's your take on the reasons for this?

Hi Bridger -

Machinability, and appearance.

Natural maple handles just didn't look good. Maple was a pig to stain evenly, and was just not as machinable. Higher defect rates, and less desirable for consumers...

Cheers -

Rob

[David Weaver]

Doesn't bubinga come from the third world, too?

There are some awfully nice pallets of exotic wood that come through peebay for a dollar a board foot or so - prices that wouldn't happen in the US if someone had to find it, mill it and dry it.

I think it's a fine choice of cost / appearance / durability.

What would I like to see? A 20 degree bed BUS plane with the tote tilted forward five degrees or a little more and a 45 degree design of the same thing with the frog machined directly into the body and the adjustable mouth - single thick iron still, bevel down instead of bevel up.

[harry strasil]

how about some pictures?

I am assuming this is a MF's Cigar shave, it has no name on it, and a previous owner has soldered a brass insert into it as the blade was worn down so much that the mouth opening became too large. And the holding screws would not be usable anymore.




This shows the blade on my version.



And this is the adjustable mouth opening I came up with.



If Rob Lee wants to use my design, I am sure we can work out some kind of arrangement.

Jr.

[Brian Dormer]

How about a proper striking knife - like:

http://adamcherubini.com/Layout.html

Granted - the "modern" knives are good. But I'll bet that LV can take the classic and bring it into the 21st century as a "modern classic".

bd