Lie-Nielsen #212 Question

[Stan Smith]

Hello to all. I have been slowly acquiring hand tools so am finally visiting this forum. My most recent acquisitions are from L-N--a dovetail saw and a #212 scraper plane. I've followed the instructions for the 212, but it just seems to take off sawdust and not scrapings like my cabinet scrapers. The directions say not to put a burr on it initially. Do I need to hone it some more or what?

Stan

[Steven Wilson]

Hone the blade real well and then set it fairly vertical. Allow the blade to touch the wood and then tighten. Now, working the knobs move the blade forward. This will not only change the angle of attack but effectively make the blade lower. At some point you will start getting some nice but small shavings. Once you've found an angle of attack (or range of them) that works then you can easily set the cutting depth by placing the very front of the plane on a sheet of paper, insert the blade letting it touch the wood, and then tighten the blade. If you're looking for a very aggressive cut then you'll need to turn a hook. With an A-2 blade though you'll need a very hard burnisher

[Stan Smith]

Thanks, Steve, that's exactly the kind of info I am looking for. I'll try to give your suggestions a try today. I also have a old #12 that I bought from Pat Leach. I did get a Hock blade for it. It works just fine.

Stan

[Michael Perata]

I have the larger 112 and agree with everyone Steven says except you may find the thickness of a sheet of paper too thick for scraping.

What I have done is use moderate downward pressure on the blade (heavy fore finger) , rather than simply letting it touch the surface when tightening. You should end up with a tightly curled "scraping", not a shaving.

[Stan Smith]

Thanks, Mike!