Originally Posted by
Graham Haydon
Slightly off topic but I'm selling a Record 045 multi plane on behalf of someone else. I'm taking the opportunity to try it out before moving it on. The first set up I used was the sash profile cutter. I could set it and stick a sash profile. However it was a fiddle and the process made me realise that it would be much easier to use a moulding plane and sash fillister. I would go as far as to say I'd rather buy a shaper to stick larger mouldings than work with a multi plane. I look forward to trying the other cutters, they are very similar to the Veritas offering, and see how they work out. At this moment my opinion is multi planes aren't much fun. Not sure I'll ever use the Veritas, I'm sure it's as good as a multi plane could be, but maybe you can't polish a turd. Steampunk boat anchor perhaps? Look forward to people who have purchased the Veritas sharing their experiences.
Your post reminds me of someone who tried riding a bicycle and gave up after their first fall.
My first attempts at using a multi-bladed plow plane and later a Stanley #45 were also somewhat frustrating at times. There are many little nuances to, as you say, "fiddle" before it all falls into place.
The curve of learning taught me a lot about using other planes as well. Now when different moldings are seen in public, private homes, on TV or in movies my mind sometimes wanders off into how it could be made with the tools in my shop. With just a few different planes and/or blades it is possible to make a wide selection of molding without the expense, the space needed or the noise of a shaper.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)