Got my Steve Knight smoother today

[Mark & Juanita]

Well, my Steve Knight coffin smoother arrived today. It is truly a piece of fine craftmanship, down to the shavings included in the plane. Whispy-thin certainly describes them. I did take it out to the shop and verify its adjustment :-) This plane is a pleasure to use, I'm sold. Unfortunately a business trip is going to prevent my being able to put this tool to good use for several weeks. I'm really looking forward to making full use of this fine tool in the future.

[Ed G]

Once it gets acclimatized and you get used to setting it, you'll look for excuses to use it. I did.

Ed

[Alan W]

Ed:

Did you round off the corners of the blade more than the miter which steve puts on them? I still have a little bit of difficulty with plane tracks. The mouth opening being so small still amazes me, it is a setting I have been unable to duplicate in my stanley's.

My second Knight-Toolsworks plane is awaiting it's tote from Steve's supplier before it will join my coffin smoother.

Alan

[Scott McCray]

I've been meaning to post this for a while - just been 'way busy! You may remember an earlier thread where Steve Knight was looking for a bass guitar for his daughter... we got together back channel and horse-traded a bit. I'm now the proud owner of a matched set of purpleheart planes with mesquite inlay strips: a coffin smoother, a razee jack plane and a razee jointer. To say the babies are schweet would be an understatement! Wispy, "dang near read the newspaper through 'em" shavings...

Steve was a pleasure to deal with and he does high quality work - it's easy to see how he got to that five year anniversary! Thanks, Steve...

If you don't have one of his planes, you need one (you may not know it yet, but you do).

Scott Disclaimer: No affiliation other than being a very satisfied horse-tradin' customer.

[Leon]

The Ipe mouth block that is held in place by the 2 brass screws closes that mouth opening and regulates the size of the opening. The mouth blocks have very pointed and sharp 50 degree bevels before being trimmed and sanded smooth with the sole of the plane. Works pretty good, huh? ;~)

[Lowell Holmes]

If you hone the iron by hand, all that is needed is to alternately bear down on one corner and then the other. It doesn't take long to relieve them enough to eliminate the plane tracks. I found it unnecessary to round the corners. Of course you must have a very light blade exposure. That's why the really shear shavings are there. :-)

[Mark & Juanita]

Yeah the two things giving me some trepidation are 1) having to set the thing when the original setting is no longer correct and more importantly

2) being able to sharpen the blade without doing damage to it. I'm going to make an angle gauge from a piece of scrap for the latter problem.

[Mark & Juanita]

I know in my case, this is going to rank in customer satisfaction right up there with my Milwaukee jig saw. :-)

[Lowell Holmes]

[Alan W]

I was as well, but I decided to bite the bullet, take the iron out and learn it just as Steve showed me in person (neaner, got to meet him a couple months ago in his studio).

The process would have been a whole lot faster if I had not been a dumb ass and spent at least 15 minutes trying to back the iron out by hitting the front of the plane when attempting to set it more shallow. Somehome I was confused. I can now set the plane by feel on the bottom in a minute. It takes me a while to get my boards really, really flat. This plane can be set so fine, you can remove dust if you choose.

I too, however, fear sharpening it. I have ordered a second blade which I will but a 10 degree back bevel on and see if that helps with my purpleheart.

Alan

[Alan W]

Whilst working a piece of beech this morning, the shavings from the no

5 were .003 - .004

The shavings from my knight smoother were .0015 and under.

I might pull the iron when I get a 8000 or 15000 waterstone instead of my 2000 scary sharp.

Alan

[Mark & Juanita]

Thanks, I'll (carefully) try and see what happens.

I would not do so either (deliberately).

I have a Veritas that works OK for wide irons, 3/4 or wider chisels for example. Narrow irons tend to skew on their own while honing -- a definite bad thing.

[Jerry McCaffrey]