Like the first scratch on a brand new car . . . . .

[Frederick Skelly]

I got the urge to put a little time on the LV BU Smoother I got on Cyber Monday. Just havent used her and felt like planing for a few minutes just for "fun". (Sick, I know.)

Grabbed a 2' scrap, brushed it off and set to work. After a few minutes I noticed small ridges in the wood. On my bevel downs, that usually indicates a chipped blade. So I turned over this brand new plane and see a bunch of deep scratches on the sole and the blade. Dont know what grime I failed to brush off, but man it did a number on me. Felt sick to my stomach - I dont have an hour on this tool yet.

After I stopped swearing, I got out some 220 grit sandpaper, glued it to my flat plate, and tried to work out the scratches. Only got about half - they were deep and I was reluctant to get this high performance tool out of tolerances. (Checked and its still flat and takes a .002 shaving, which is about normal/avereage for my sharpening skill level.) So I didnt screw her up.

But she's still scratched. AAAARRRRRRGHHHH!

[Tony Zaffuto]

I got the urge to put a little time on the LV BU Smoother I got on Cyber Monday. Just havent used her and felt like planing for a few minutes just for "fun". (Sick, I know.)

Grabbed a 2' scrap, brushed it off and set to work. After a few minutes I noticed small ridges in the wood. On my bevel downs, that usually indicates a chipped blade. So I turned over this brand new plane and see a bunch of deep scratches on the sole and the blade. Dont know what grime I failed to brush off, but man it did a number on me. Felt sick to my stomach - I dont have an hour on this tool yet.

After I stopped swearing, I got out some 220 grit sandpaper, glued it to my flat plate, and tried to work out the scratches. Only got about half - they were deep and I was reluctant to get this high performance tool out of tolerances. (Checked and its still flat and takes a .002 shaving, which is about normal/avereage for my sharpening skill level.) So I didnt screw her up.

But she's still scratched. AAAARRRRRRGHHHH!

If it makes you feel better, while running my snowblower (sub zero temps out) I brushed up against my new, white BMW. Left two one inch long creases, with a red line at the bottom of the crease. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I'm vowing this year that all the junk will be out of the garage so at least one car can fit in. 2 motorcycles, 1 tractor, 1 push mower, special trim mower, smoker and assorted other stuff.

Red on white!!!!!!

[Sam Murdoch]

Man that hurts. I feel your pain!

[Sam Murdoch]

If it makes you feel better, while running my snowblower (sub zero temps out) I brushed up against my new, white BMW. Left two one inch long creases, with a red line at the bottom of the crease. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I'm vowing this year that all the junk will be out of the garage so at least one car can fit in. 2 motorcycles, 1 tractor, 1 push mower, special trim mower, smoker and assorted other stuff.

Red on white!!!!!!

Oh Man. You guys are making me cringe!!

[Frederick Skelly]

If it makes you feel better, while running my snowblower (sub zero temps out) I brushed up against my new, white BMW.

Oh man. That just hurts. Guess I should count my blessings.
Sorry Tony.

[Mike Cherry]

Here's one for you: I just took possession of a shiny new LN low angle jack and after test driving it on a 2x12 that I was milling for my bench apron, I left it sitting while I picked up my kid from school. Came back 2 hours later to find surface rust had already formed!!!!! Triple ouch!

[Bill Houghton]

Another argument for vintage tools...they come pre-scratched...

Sorry to hear about your painful experience.

[Paul Sidener]

Just a battle scar. Remove it as best you can and move on. There will be more, it happens.

[Chris Hachet]

I have exactly zero tools without battle scars. Using one of my bad Axe saws much more than one of my Bontz saws just because the bad Axe already has battle scars. I like it when a tool is finally broken in enough with very minor cosmetic damage for me to feel comfortable using it.

[Jim Koepke]

Roy Underhill in a recent program mentioned using the easiest to sharpen first on dirty wood. Guess it could also apply to using the one least likely to make a grown man cry if it gets scratched to clean off any scruffiness before hitting it with the pretty tools.

When there are multiples in my shop, the pretty ones tend to get sold first.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys! Your perspectives are making me feel A LOT better!
Appreciate it!
Fred

[Brian Ashton]

Best one I witness was an old boss who proudly marched into the shop with a brand new, and very expensive, Japanese saw. He'd been lusting over mine and finally tried to out do them... one of the other guys in the shop,who was a bit ham fisted, was real keen to give a try... So he pulls a bit of scrap out of the pile and locks it in the vise. A bit of the back story on our shop was that we did a lot with recycled fir, so there were lots of nails to contend with (I'm sure you can see where this is going). Anyways,he lines up the saw on the wood carefully and gives the saw a gentle pull... "Cuts well" Second pull and I hear it before anyone else. That sound of metal on metal. When he pulled the saw from the wood and we all gathered around and had a look the boss was speechless. Hed taken half the teeth off. The boss was livid and just walked away. He came back about 10 mins later and just verbally abused the guy. We did find the humour in it about a week later.

[Larry Edgerton]

I had an employee run some tapered sill pieces through a brand new SCM planer. You had to screw the clamp on each time and I explained to him very carefully to use a hand screw driver so as not to come through the bottom of the sled. I made him repeat the sequence to me, and he had it right so I left and went to a jobsite.

Next time I saw the planer there were not one but about twenty scratches in the bed. Not only that but he had somehow managed to break off the electrical box on the side. That was 15 years ago and it still bothers me every time I see those scratches.

Oh, he was so fired........

[Chris Griggs]

Bummer dude!

I recall a few years ago pulling my LA jack out the box for the only the 2nd time. I still had it in the blue plastic. When I picked it up it slid out of the blue plastic and landed on several other planes before hitting the floor. Nothing to bad (fortunately I was over a wood floor not concrete), but it put a couple dings in the corners of the sole. I've done crap like that a few times and it's never fun to muck up a brand new tool. The good news is that it only bugs me until I use the tool on a project. Once it earns its keep in one project I no longer care if it feels "new" and find myself just enjoying how well it works.

STILL, NO FUN, to have that happen, but you did the right thing. Minimal lapping, just to get out any burrs, but leave the tolerances be to the greatest extent possible.

Just keep using it and eventually the scratches won't bother you...I promise

[Dave Beauchesne]

Fredrick:

While not a scratched plane sole, I got my LV LA block plane several years ago and wanted to sharpen it before I had it lick wood. Welll, I unwrapped it at my cast iron legged bench, fumbled the blade as I took it out of the plane and it dropped bevel down on the cast iron foot. The chunk that came out was a strong 1/8'' deep, nearly 3/16'' - took me a while to lap that one out - - -

Your plane will be fine !

Dave b