Yeah, I've got that one on order (plus that file/rasp holder thingie). :-)
I've got a "few" of their tools ... like the low-angle block, low-angle spokeshave, three wheel marking gages (hey, that way I can leave them set up for repeat marking during a long project), their #80 clone, low-angle smoother, #151 spokeshave, scraper plane, marking knife, dovetail marking gages, sharpening jig, etc., etc.
IMHO, they are all (with the exception of the sharpening jig) outstanding tools and excellent values.
Chuck Vance (no affiliation ... other than the one a drug addict has with his dealer)
If you are having difficulty with varying grain patterns, then you need to use a high-angle frog. I love my LN planes, but I find that I need to use the 50degree frog often to avoid tearing out tiny pits of wood.
Also, I rounded the corners of the blades and now leave no irritating edge marks.
I'm not Chuck, but I'll step in and say that the way the blade is held down is a problem. A brass screw holds the blade in place, but there is nothing to prevent the blade from twisting side to side except for friction. And when it twists counter-clockwise (when viewed from above) then it loosens the screw and can slip. They really need to fix that.
Second the comment on the sharpening jig, what were they thinking? OTOH, the other sharpening jig that Lee Valley sells (the one that tightens on the object being sharpened so it does not skew) is first rate.
Yep.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety
I actually disagree with both Mark and Chuck - but that;s what keeps multiple vendors/manufacturers in existence! :)
Truth is - the best is whatever works for you....no one jig of anyone's will handle all sharpening...
For general interest/comments - I'll recycle a post I made on a BB on the same subject (below)...
Cheers -
Rob
....OK, since you asked, I'll give you my complete unvarnished opinion...with digressions, and small rants...
I've used that guide for more than 15 years, and have few issues with it - and maintaining the squareness isn't one.
One of the best (and worst) things to happen in the woodworking industry over the past 20 years, has been the general increase in availability (and the decrease in price) of accurate measuring tools - primarily as a result of increased trade with China. 20 years ago, few woodworkers would have had a micrometer, dial indicator, dial caliper, or even a passing interest in measurement or tolerances of most tools. There were just good products, not so good products, and bad products.
Today - the average consumer in our industry is an order of magnitude more educated about, and familiar with, the principles of measurement and tolerances - and is far more demanding (which is a GOOD thing!). However, there is an element of shifting consumer focus from the performance of tools, to the tolerances of tools...
Getting back to the honing guide (and the key word is GUIDE - not fixture, or jig) - it's main purpose is to accurately and repeatably set and maintain an angle. I have never had a problem squaring a chisel or plane blade by eye, nor have I ever found it necessary to do more than that... Why?-..there can be more error introduced by the surface of a stone, or by applying pressure differentially at the edge of the blade while sharpening...and in any event, why get hung up over a fraction of a degree on a chisel??
Every honing guide on the market now has some sort of quirk, "problem" or strength. The vise type guide will clamp securely, but not necessarily square, nor evenly. Ours can set and hold an angle, but is prone to rotation...but ultimately, you can produce an edge you can shave with, with either jig...
Having said all that, we do have a new honing guide headed for product (target spring release) - it's much closer to "fixture" performance, than "guide" performance... I'll say right now that it'll be/do the following...
1) it will square tools precisely (and repeatably) in the jig
2) it will have more capacity
3) it will use a different registration/clamping system
4) it will clamp rock solid
5) it will be more expensive
6) it will have a utility patent
Sounds good eh?
About the only thing I didn't say is that it'd make your tools sharper - cause it won't. Nor will there be a pressing need to replace your current guide with the new one - unless you want to, or have the need for the increased capacity (ie, a #8 plane blade). I know I'll be able to get the same level of performance out of either guide - though the "accuracy" of the new one will be better, with a bit less effort.
17 (or 18 years ago) when we came out with our current guide - it was revolutionary, afforded unheard of accuracy, repeatability, and all for a good price. For many woodworkers - it enabled them to sharpen well for the first time... So what's changed over the last 17 years, requiring a new honing guide?? We, collectively, as consumers have!
Not that that's a bad thing, it's what drives progress, and design....
This L-A-B-P you make is seriously NICE work! It is completely the way a plane should be. Last night I was planing braces (side stretchers) for my first woodworking bench. Just Douglas fir 4x4's with tenons, using the SB #5 first and then the L-A-B-P for final smoothing, it completes the job and makes the surfaces flat and jointable in a working fashion that is easy and accurate, super sweet to use. Great work on the design!
Sure you can fix it. But it doesn't keep it from being a design flaw that you have to work around or keep bits of plastic handy to remedy. It really is better if they fix it.
The problem isn't that the edge isn't square to the side of the plane blade. The problem is that the hold down mechanism allows the blade to twist in the guide. The "rotation" problem you acknowledge in your post. There are a couple of easy solutions to this. I'm glad you have taken the opportunity to address this with your new guide.
Are the clamping sides on the other sharpening jig (I assume it's
60M07.01 you're referring to) parallel?
My Hirsch 26mm firmer is 26mm wide at the end, but is a hair over 25mm wide right before the thin neck. I think chisels are usually made with a slight tapering in to prevent the tool from getting stuck when cutting deep narrow holes, and thus might not clamp into a vise-like guide "perfectly" square, unless the smaller clamping section of the vise-like guide is also tapered to match.
(I personally haven't had any problem keeping my chisel bevels square using the Veritas jig. It may take 2-5 seconds more of checking and tightening, but I've not had any squareness problems yet.)
Hey, I wouldn't expect you guys at LV to be right all the time. ;-)
anyone's will
"problem" or
necessarily
Absolutely. In fact, the last time this subject came up, I think the consensus was that the "perfect" guide (sorry about using "jig" before ;-) would have most of the features that your current design does (like the microbevel setting and wide roller).
It would just get rid of that faulty screw blade-holding mechanism. ;-)
My problem is that in order to torque it down enough to avoid risking having the iron shift during use, I usually wind up skewing the iron just slightly (the last turn does it, and if I tap the iron back into position, then I'm back where I started as it loosens things ever-so-slightly).
It's really mostly a matter of repeatability to me. (Repeatability, plus the fact that I set my bevel-up smoothers with such a fine shaving aperture that if the iron is slightly skewed, it really does affect performance.)
For jacks and such, it's really not a big deal.
product
following...
Yeah, but you forgot: 7) it won't cost an arm and a leg
:-)
sharper -
design....
And the above is why you guys are so good at what you do. You actually *listen* to what Joe Average says and act on it. Chuck Vance
It's the rotation problem that causes problems when I use the guide. I'm not looking for micron precision (I set the angle by eye on a flat surface). The problem with the rotation is that it takes more time to hone what essentially becomes a new bevel. This is especially a problem with narrow chisels; I have a 1/4" Marples that used to give me fits. The other guide you sell addresses this by holding the sides of the chisel repeatably. I was particularly impressed by the clever ability to hold both narrow and wide blades by the inclusion of two separate channels.
... snip
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety
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