The new LV combo plane is now available on the last day of free shipping in case you missed it and are interested.
[OP]
Contributor
The new LV combo plane is now available on the last day of free shipping in case you missed it and are interested.
Contributor
Though I would love to give one a try, it is unlikely I could justify buying one. I therefore hope someone who has received one will post a review and explain the use of all those brass knobs.Originally Posted by Chet R Parks
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
I ordered one and had it sent UPS Red, so...
6 rod-clamp (2 ea x (2 skates + fence))
2 fence adjust-lock screws (1 ea side)
1 fence adjust screw
2 depth stop adjust screw (1/fence)
2 depth stop lock screw (1/fence)
1 blade depth adjust
1 blade tension
1 wide-blade bias on secondary skate
1 narrow-blade bias on primary skate
The "blade bias" screws keep the blade registered against the lateral registration surface in the primary skate. There are 2 for narrow/wide blades. It's a big hard to explain.
Contributor
This sounds like the blade tension (lever cap) could be set to allow for blade adjustment in use with the blade bias bolts keeping the blade from slipping laterally. This is a feature that would assist greatly when cutting stopped features.The "blade bias" screws keep the blade registered against the lateral registration surface in the primary skate. There are 2 for narrow/wide blades. It's a big hard to explain.
What is the diameter of the rods holding the fence? I am curious if the Stanley cam stops will work on the Veritas Combination Plane.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Different sized rods......different spacings. Points on the spurs simply fold over, even in Pine.
Member
Right, the rods are completely different.
I haven't yet had the spur problem, though I bought an extra set just in case after reading that thread. I also am very careful about spur depth. They aren't slitting blades and they don't work as such.
Contributor
Spurs would need to be reground to a better profile...and not like a Stanley slitting cutter's profile
The narrower Stanley cutters are to narrow to work with the cutter holder bolt.....won't reach.
NOS Stanley cutters will be almost too long, depth adjuster is almost out of threads on "normal" Stanley cutters. NOS ones are about an 1/8" longer than the normal Stanley cutters.
Veritas irons will fit the Stanley 45, but they are so short, you are near the end of a 45's depth adjuster, when the cutters are new....sharpen them a few times....you MIGHT be able to push them along from above the notch....
The above came from a 6 part review, done with both the veritas and the Stanley planes, side by side. I could list the site where to find it....PM me instead.
Member
It's probably worth noting that many other planes with nickers come with similarly sharp profiles to the LV combo. That includes the LN rabbet and skew block planes and at least some Stanleys as you say. I think the assumption is that anybody who buys a plane like this will grind/hone "to taste'. That being the case it makes sense to start with a sharp point, as it's much easier to round a pointy profile than to sharpen a blunt one.
The only previous examples that I've seen that don't have pointy nickers are the LV rabbets (bench and otherwise) and the LV and LN skew block planes. Those use wheel cutters, though I suspect there wasn't room to incorporate that mechanism in a skate.
The only Stanley cutters that don't work are the #10 (1/8" plough) and the #32 (narrowest fluting cutter). There are two issues: Those cutters have a hole instead of a slot for depth adjust, so the LV depth adjust mechanism is incompatible. Also and as you say, the tensioning bolt falls "outside" of them.
What do you mean by "NOS" here"? The as-factory-ground cutters for my 55 have about 1/8" of clearance with the LV depth adjust mechanism. Did Stanley subsequently change the design?
Also if this is a real issue then I suspect there's a workaround. The Veritas adjuster is made out of 2 parts - the brass knob and the steel nut with the adjustment flange. It looks to me as though you could remove the brass knob and reverse the nut (so that the threaded part is mostly below the flange instead of mostly above) and thereby add about 1/2" of adjustment range. The ergonomics wouldn't be great (no knob = not much leverage).
You could also turn your own nut with a longer threaded section below the flange, obviously (or LV could offer one... hint hint).
I don't have any non-fitting irons so I'm not inclined to try to separate my nut and knob. They appear to be Loctite-ed together.
Errm, how exactly are you sharpening? My LV irons extend 3/8" beyond the bottom of the main skate in my Stanley with the adjuster bottomed out. I don't know about you, but I don't remove 1/8" of steel per sharpening.
Sounds like somebody had a serious axe to grind and didn't let facts get in the way.
With all of that said, the LV is a different design with different tradeoffs. Some will like it, others may not. Personally I like having blade bias screws and a blade tension mechanism that doesn't bind all the time. The Stanley "cone" tensioner design allows their planes to support very narrow irons, but it brings problems of its own...
Last edited by Patrick Chase; 09-12-2017 at 12:51 PM.
Contributor
I did not do the review....two others got together to compare both a Stanley 45 and the Veritas Combo plane. They reshaped the profile on the nickers, AFTER they had found then bent over at the tips..by a pine board.
Afraid the cutters on MY Stanley 45 are about.....90 years old, and have been sharpened quite a few times BEFORE I even got them.
The two "testers" compared the way the cutters fit into BOTH planes. They almost ran out of threads on the veritas plane, trying to install a simple cutter from a #45's set. Again, they used a type 17 and a type 6 #45 and their cutters. YMMV
The bolt referred to? Is the ones that thread into the sides of the cutter, either on the sliding stock or the main stock. Might want to slip back and check on that as well....or did you miss that little detail...since it is what Veritas calls that bolt.
Not sure where YOU bought those two cutters at....you might want a refund for getting the wrong ones. IF you want, I can go and look at the ones I have ( I just used the #11 this week..) There IS one cutter by Stanley, that has no notch, as it is shorter than the normal cutters. The pin will push on the end of that. And, I just went and checked the 1/8" cutter and the #11 3/16" cutters. The 1/8" cutter was too narrow to make a notch for the pin.
Even nhplaneparts has no idea WHY there are cutters with holes, instead of slots....
Last edited by Lee Schierer; 09-12-2017 at 8:50 PM.
Member
In that case that would improve the fit since the Stanley irons are LONGER. My set is 107 years old. The straight irons had been ground to h*ll, and I had to reverse the bevel on one of them, which knocked another 3/16" or so off. Those cutters all fit fine. The concern with Stanley irons is that when in factory-ground condition they are towards the UPPER length limit of the LV plane. I purposely checked a bunch of irons that had not been previously sharpened (which is basically the definition of "NOS"), and they all fit.
"Almost" only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. They fit, period. I'm sure LV were fully aware of the length of factory-ground Stanley irons when they designed the adjuster the way they did, and that's why the as-factory-ground Stanley iron are right up at but not over the limit.
The Stanley doesn't even *have* that bolt. So the complaint here is that an added useful feature doesn't work with a small number of 3rd party blades? Wow, that's some drawback.
The drawback that I cited (tensioner screw too far from registration face with the #10 and #32) is actually far more serious btw.
EDIT: It may be that Stanley widened the shafts of those two irons later in the production run. Can you please measure the width your #10 (1/8" plough iron) just below the slot/hole/whatever? Also is yours constant width from edge to slot/hole, or does it get wider like the narrower Veritas irons.
I said #10 and #32, not #11. The #11 has a slot and fits fine in the LV plane. If you have a basic 45 cutter set then you don't even have the #32, but I was being thorough for the benefit of others. Please read carefully before you reply.
The TWO (not one) Stanley cutters in question are so narrow (both have 1/8" shanks) that there wouldn't be enough metal on one side of a slot to resist retraction force when the blade is under tension. Using a hole instead of a slot provides support on both sides and fixes the issue. I suspect that's also why the 45 and 55 use a pin instead of a tab for adjustment in the first place.
EDIT: Added question about later-production 10 and 32 irons. See "EDIT" above.
Last edited by Lee Schierer; 09-12-2017 at 8:52 PM.
Contributor
I am merely stating THEIR results. I am more than happy to be using my combo plane.....even if it is a "young" 92 years old.
Last edited by Lee Schierer; 09-12-2017 at 8:53 PM.
Contributor
My recollection is this was how the type 5 and maybe type 6 cutters were made. A few of my #45 cutters are this way. It is easier to install a cutter into the plane with a notch than it is a drilled hole. Stanley designers were likely quick to figure out this little upgrade.Even nhplaneparts has no idea WHY there are cutters with holes, instead of slots....
After reading the review on LumberJocks, it seems there are a few features on the Veritas to improve on a 130 year old design.
One significant point made in the review seems to be aimed at those who do not want the experience of finding and rehabilitating an old tool. The Veritas is the one combination plane to offer peace of mind into their buying experience. Many folks are like me and love to tinker with things. Many more like to open a box without worries and put their new purchase to work.
The #45 is for those who enjoy the smell of rust and like to tinker. The VCP is for those who do not even want to be bothered with sharpening a blade when the plane arrives.
The Veritas Combination Plane is simply a modern day version of a good old tool. It benefits from modern manufacturing technology and improvements.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
The author, who does not own the Veritas, ended up preferring it to the Stanley and stating that he would like one. His comments were almost completely in favour of the Veritas ... and I think he was surprised, since he went in skeptical.
I would, however, hardly view his review as full - he did not use most if the blades. I, on the other hand, have not only used all, but have extensive time on both planes. I am in a position to make first hand comments.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Last edited by Lee Schierer; 09-12-2017 at 8:53 PM.
Member
The slots on Stanley irons are just under 1/8" deep, which would leave the #10 (1/8 plough) and #16 with very little metal to support the top of the slot. Do you happen to know how they addressed that in later variants? Did they reverse-taper the shafts of later iterations of those irons to make them wider at the slot?
Contributor
An early version of a similar feature does appear on the Stanley #55. There is a screw mounted on the main body on the right hand side near the handle. It screws into the adjustable skate to provide stability for a blade when working on a face that is at an angle, other than 90º, to the fences. The fences remain fixed and the blade is adjusted deeper in the work on successive strokes. The screw keeps the blade from moving laterally with the blade locking mechanism slightly loose. This screw is often missing. If my recollection is correct it is a 10-28 thread and has a head like the other three locking screws on the plane. (depth stop lock and the rod keeper screws on the main body)The Stanley doesn't even *have* that bolt. So the complaint here is that an added useful feature doesn't work with a small number of 3rd party blades? Wow, that's some drawback.
This feature of the #55 hit me like a flash during my experimentation with stopped cuts using the #45.
jtk
Last edited by Jim Koepke; 09-12-2017 at 1:47 PM. Reason: wording
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote