I said I wouldn't, but then I did. Went looking for that Narex Chisel deal at Lee Valley and ran out of $$ before I got 'em. Happy Birthday to me!! Came away with this:
As you can see, I added a couple irons so it could be all that it could be, and besides, they will also fit the wooden plane I made.
Purchasing: Done online, no problems, and delivered well packaged on the date promised.
Quality: Very impressed. All parts are closely machined and close toleranced. Sole flat, sides square, and irons sharp, but I did hone them with 2000 grit and green buffing compound.
Comparability: Comes in a little larger than a Bailey #5 (more like 5 1/2), in width, length and weight. Handle is more up-right and a bit deeper. Mouth is about the same from the back of sole, but further back from the toe. Casting is heavier. Other than that, it is two different technologies as far as iron advancement, mouth adjustment, lateral control. Iron angle of attack is controlled by the bevel, so is easily modified. Size comparisons:
And shown here with a Bailey #5 and a Bailey #6
Versatility: With the three different irons, [Bevels of 25 (comes standard with plane), 38 and 50 degrees) it attacks the wood at 37, 50, and 62 degrees respectively. The angle of attack can be modified by changing the bevel. I tried all three on face grain (gnarly knotted white oak and black walnut), edge grain (white oak, walnut, purple heart, and cocobola) and end grain with shooting board (white oak, pine, walnut and cocobola).
Definitely makes a difference. The 25 bevel is easy to use, but readily results in tear out on face smoothing. Bad tear-out on the white oak face, but not as bad as the Baileys on the edge grain. Slid through the black walnut and purple heart edges like butter. Did superbly on all end grain except the cocbola (ended up having to re-sharpen the blade as it put minor knicks in the iron). The 38 bevel (basically York pitch as used) did well in all except the white oak face, where again I had tear-out. Seemed to be easier to push than the Bailey, but that may have been due to the added mass. The 50 bevel was a complete surprise. More umph needed on the face smoothing, but it had minimal tear-out that I cannot say was the plane's fault. I need to get more experienced at the proper mouth setting as well as depth for the difficult woods. On the edge and the end grain, it performed flawlessly, and was the best to use on the cocobola (left no tear-out on the intermittent grain). Pushes easily and actually cuts curls on smooth grain. Some examples:
Edge grain on cocobola. left is 50 bevel right is 25 bevel:
White oak with the 38 bevel:
Purple heart with 25 bevel:
and a managerie of white oak, pine and walnut end grains with the 25 on a shooting board:
Ease of adjustment: This is the easiest plane to adjust that I own. The mouth adjustment is made by loosening the front knob, but also has an adjustable stop so that you can prevent hitting the iron edge and micro-adjust the gap. SWEET!. Lateral adjustment is made by swinging the depth adjustment knob, but can be controlled by set screws in the sides to keep an iron square to the sole if not ground perfectly.
Summary: Very well crafted tool that worked great right out-of-the-box. It is different than the Stanley/Bailey in the tote, but I did not find that a problem. In fact, I think it made me more conscious of pushing straight rather than downward, which I found benefited me when I used the Stanley's. It is more versatile with pitch modification and easier in mouth adjustment.
Caveats: I am not a Galoot. I do have and use hand planes, but this plane now gives me a target of performance to shoot for when re-tuning my others. I tried not to let the fact that this is my newest and most expensive (by far for this ol' miser) hand tool affect my judgment, but cannot say that those factors did not influence my evaluation.
Oh Yeah, this is also my birthday gloat.
Go
More pics in my gallery under the "tools" album.
As you can see, I added a couple irons so it could be all that it could be, and besides, they will also fit the wooden plane I made.
Purchasing: Done online, no problems, and delivered well packaged on the date promised.
Quality: Very impressed. All parts are closely machined and close toleranced. Sole flat, sides square, and irons sharp, but I did hone them with 2000 grit and green buffing compound.
Comparability: Comes in a little larger than a Bailey #5 (more like 5 1/2), in width, length and weight. Handle is more up-right and a bit deeper. Mouth is about the same from the back of sole, but further back from the toe. Casting is heavier. Other than that, it is two different technologies as far as iron advancement, mouth adjustment, lateral control. Iron angle of attack is controlled by the bevel, so is easily modified. Size comparisons:
And shown here with a Bailey #5 and a Bailey #6
Versatility: With the three different irons, [Bevels of 25 (comes standard with plane), 38 and 50 degrees) it attacks the wood at 37, 50, and 62 degrees respectively. The angle of attack can be modified by changing the bevel. I tried all three on face grain (gnarly knotted white oak and black walnut), edge grain (white oak, walnut, purple heart, and cocobola) and end grain with shooting board (white oak, pine, walnut and cocobola).
Definitely makes a difference. The 25 bevel is easy to use, but readily results in tear out on face smoothing. Bad tear-out on the white oak face, but not as bad as the Baileys on the edge grain. Slid through the black walnut and purple heart edges like butter. Did superbly on all end grain except the cocbola (ended up having to re-sharpen the blade as it put minor knicks in the iron). The 38 bevel (basically York pitch as used) did well in all except the white oak face, where again I had tear-out. Seemed to be easier to push than the Bailey, but that may have been due to the added mass. The 50 bevel was a complete surprise. More umph needed on the face smoothing, but it had minimal tear-out that I cannot say was the plane's fault. I need to get more experienced at the proper mouth setting as well as depth for the difficult woods. On the edge and the end grain, it performed flawlessly, and was the best to use on the cocobola (left no tear-out on the intermittent grain). Pushes easily and actually cuts curls on smooth grain. Some examples:
Edge grain on cocobola. left is 50 bevel right is 25 bevel:
White oak with the 38 bevel:
Purple heart with 25 bevel:
and a managerie of white oak, pine and walnut end grains with the 25 on a shooting board:
Ease of adjustment: This is the easiest plane to adjust that I own. The mouth adjustment is made by loosening the front knob, but also has an adjustable stop so that you can prevent hitting the iron edge and micro-adjust the gap. SWEET!. Lateral adjustment is made by swinging the depth adjustment knob, but can be controlled by set screws in the sides to keep an iron square to the sole if not ground perfectly.
Summary: Very well crafted tool that worked great right out-of-the-box. It is different than the Stanley/Bailey in the tote, but I did not find that a problem. In fact, I think it made me more conscious of pushing straight rather than downward, which I found benefited me when I used the Stanley's. It is more versatile with pitch modification and easier in mouth adjustment.
Caveats: I am not a Galoot. I do have and use hand planes, but this plane now gives me a target of performance to shoot for when re-tuning my others. I tried not to let the fact that this is my newest and most expensive (by far for this ol' miser) hand tool affect my judgment, but cannot say that those factors did not influence my evaluation.
Oh Yeah, this is also my birthday gloat.
Go
More pics in my gallery under the "tools" album.
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