Cutting groove for drawer bottom.

Dodgy Loner · March 17, 2011, 12:11:15 PM

All the plow plane irons I picked up are different brands, but they all seem to work with my plane. I've only sharpened and used two of them so far, but they all have about the same taper and the same groove running down the back.

SwampDonkey · March 17, 2011, 12:29:52 PM

The Veritas Honing and Sharpening jig comes in handy for keeping the primary and micro-bevel on the upside and back bevel on the underside of the blade as it was meant to be from the manufacturer. The jig comes with various angles and a knob on the side can adjust the bevel 1 - 2 ° if needed. Need a water stone as well to sharpen (800-1000 narrow blades <2", 250 for wide blades), then a finer grit (8000) to hone. You might even need to use that 1000 or a little coarser to lap that old blade (make it dead flat on it's belly). Just something to think about. If the micro-bevel is honed to a glass shine it will cut a lot nicer. ;) I just received mine and put a shine on a new chisel (said it would need honing, doesn't come honed). Works nice.

Dave Shepard · March 17, 2011, 06:31:04 PM

I have the Veritas MKII jig. In fact, I took it to the job with me today so I could catch up on some sharpening while the brush fire was burning. Not much to do after all the junk is piled on but wait for 4:30. :D I polished the back and then worked on the front. The angle on the front must have been about 28°, and hand sharpened. I couldn't find a corresponding hole on the registration jig, so I just moved the iron back about an 1/8" for the micro bevel. When I got back to the shop, I set the iron in the plane and put a groove in a pine board I had laying there. The groove was pretty clean. Didn't score the groove, that might help with just a little tear out I had on the edges. Bottom had a little chatter, but I think that will go away when I get a chance to play with the setup. I know more than put that groove in then I got a text saying out hay trucker was having some trouble. Apparently the bridges on the NY Thruway are a little less than 15' tall(or whatever four layers on a step deck add up too).

More fiddling and fettling tomorrow.

SwampDonkey · March 17, 2011, 07:39:33 PM

You probably know all this stuff anyway Dave, because it's in the booklet with the jig. But, I'll type it anyway. :D

Yellow color code (Standard Angles) on the reg. jig and set to yellow position (2) on the blade carrier. Find the yellow coded 25° on the reg. jig, then one hole to the right, then pull out the micro-bevel knob and turn the indicator to 3 O'clock (to the front). That gives you 28° (see the back of your booklet). Is there a back bevel on them knives? With a back bevel you increase the cutting angle to easier cut figured woods and oaks. Just a 1/32" depth should be made or increasing this will cut bigger chips. Use the green (3) coded position on the blade carrier and marked green coded angles on the reg. jig. You probably don't want to go higher than 20 ° according to their recommendation.

Dave Shepard · March 17, 2011, 07:46:12 PM

When I flattened the back I didn't notice any back bevel. Iron is laminated. I tried getting one of the screws out to see if it had a point or was blunt, but it didn't want to come out. I wonder how old it is. From what I saw of the one groove I had time to cut, I think this thing is going to be a lot of fun to use.

SwampDonkey · March 17, 2011, 08:21:15 PM

Yeah, was just asking. Don't see any back bevel on the Veritas plow plane either.

Got any rust reaper to soak on that screw?

Dave Shepard · March 17, 2011, 09:03:27 PM

No, I don't. How would that react with the wood? I think if I get a good well dressed screwdriver I can get it out.

SwampDonkey · March 17, 2011, 10:53:43 PM

Don't know how it would react against wood. It's not an oil in the sense of chain oil or 3-in-1 oil. The man to ask would be Mike himself. Link to contact info is somewhere on the Index page.

woodsy · March 18, 2011, 07:17:07 AM

As dodgy loner alluded to, the irons on these plow planes are interchangeable. I don't ever recall having an iron or a set of irons that didn't fit any other plow plane, no matter the manufacture of either. If you find a satisfactory deal on one or a set I wouldn't worry too much about them not fitting. I believe Highland Hardware sells replicas but they are bit pricey.

Dave Shepard · September 06, 2011, 09:01:32 PM

I picked up a plane at a tag sale this weekend. I don't know if it's specific to either grooving or dado, or will do both, but I tried it on a dado. I did sharpen it, but otherwise it is in great, ready to use condition. I think I need to sharpen the nickers. The close side of the dado is cut very cleanly, while the far side has some damage. $12 ;D

beenthere · September 06, 2011, 11:54:43 PM

Ahhh! The dreaded X

;D

Dave Shepard · September 07, 2011, 07:39:11 AM

I think I took the link location while I was still editing the pic. All better now. :D

SwampDonkey · September 07, 2011, 03:16:47 PM

Could have used a fine tooth Japanese saw to cut the width lines, then used the plane to take the innards out to depth. ;)

Dave Shepard · September 07, 2011, 03:52:08 PM

True, but it does have nickers on the front, right at the leading edge or the iron "shoe". I played with the adjustments a little today and got it cutting better. It also works very well parallel to the grain. I'm not sure it's appropriate to groove a drawer side with this, but if you did, and you could, how would you kerf the groove if it is 24" long with a saw?

SwampDonkey · September 07, 2011, 04:02:26 PM

You would then use your plane to work with the grain, as you found out it works better that way. ;)

Dave Shepard · September 07, 2011, 04:25:51 PM

It works well across the grain, I just have to fine tune it so it's nicking properly on both sides. The one side of the cut looks like it was done on a table saw, very smooth.

SwampDonkey · September 07, 2011, 04:55:06 PM

Well, work at it. Then you'll know a whole lot more about it.

Dave Shepard · December 07, 2011, 11:37:15 AM

I bought a Stanley No. 50 plow plane, or maybe it's a plough plane, it's made in England. :D Complete in box with all the cutters and fences etc. 8) Can't wait to try it out. I had to recreate some t and g flooring for a lighthouse restoration two weeks ago. A real pain on the table saw, but I bet it would have been easy with this plane.

SwampDonkey · December 07, 2011, 08:50:19 PM

I just bought a Veritas left handed block plain today. I saw how the left handed one was set up and it seems to me it would be steadier to hold for a right handed person the way it's set up. ;D It has a wooden fence. I have my eye on a shoulder plane as well. I've never been disappointed by Veritas tools. Comes with A2 hard steel blade. ;D