Calling Rob Lee - New LV planes

[Mr Ed]

I keep reading threads on other forums about the new 'premium' Lee Valley planes. Understandably Rob is not giving anything away until the release date, but a couple of bits of info would help;

1. Release date
2. The general types of planes

If you're reading Rob can you throw us a few scraps of information to keep my curiosity at bay?

Cheers, Ed

 

[Karl]

There was a time when UKW would have been one of the first to know about the new LV offerings. Seems we've dropped down the pecking order since Alf departed.... :?

Cheers

Karl

 

[tnimble]

As I understand it, all the fuss about the new line of 'premium' planes is based on a slight misinterpretation about the Veritas and the Utilitas brands / companies. Each and every tool made under the Veritas name has to be fully manufactured and assembled in Northern America and must be a new design.Some tools like the Veritas marking knife had to be discontinued as the company from who Veritas source the material for the blade moved production. Under the new brand / company this knife can be produced again and this also gives opportunity to reproduce tools which have been discontinued by other companies (such as the chisels ranges Stanley once made) but have no room for a new design.

There are a few tools coming up (these are under the Veritas brand I believe), they are a new profile scraper plane and a matched pair of skew block planes.

To sum up:
- profile scrapiner plane (end of this year?)
- pair of left and right skewed block planes (next year?)
- reintroduction of the marking knife (unconfirmed)
- introduction of chisels (unconfirmed)

 

[Rob Lee]

Hi Ed -

I'm still here... well ... actually in Pennsylvania right now...

Premium planes will still be Veritas, and not the Utilitas brand...

The basic idea here is that I've asked our designers to design some planes without giving them any cost restrictions, nor any restictions on other design choices. Some of our earlier designs (notably the bevel down planes) are a tad "utilitarian" in the area of aesthetics (so I'm told :roll: ). We have always been concious that we are really spending your money, in a way, when we design a tool - and so are somewhat averse to spending it on elements that contribute nothing to the performance of a tool. It's not that we can't go further than we have, we just choose not to...

Just as the automotive companies develop concept cars to explore different configurations and material choices, we've done the same with planes. Literally, dozens of designs....

The first premium planes are in production right now, though we have not yet set a release date. I will be re-evaluating our production status when I return (next week) to see where we are. We have to have built enough inventory that we won't run out, before we can release it...we're in no rush here.

Price wise - while these are "premium" planes, I still have an aversion to really high prices, so have put the screws to our design and production folks to dial the costs back a tad - and it's taken us more than a year to do so. Then too, we are using a new material and that's taken a bit of learning too.

Overall - I'm very pleased with how the entire effort has turned out - and you will see some of the benefits of the exercise creep into other planes in the regular line, and we are agressively expanding the regular line in parallel to what we're doing with the premium planes.

Time will tell, of course.... but it won't be too much longer now 8) .

Cheers -

Rob

 

[wizer]

Intrigued. Keep us in the loop Rob.

 

[Chris Knight]

Rob,
It all sounds very interesting. I look forward to seeing the outcome.

Now of course, if you need a reviewer here... :wink:

 

[Mr Ed]

Thanks for coming back to us Rob.

Only thing is, I am even more intrigued now!

What I really need to know is wether there's a smoother in that secret bag of planes you have...I daresay I'll have to wait though!

Cheers, Ed

 

[Paul Chapman]

All sounds very yummy \/

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[bugbear]

we've done the same with planes. Literally, dozens of designs....

And some lucky dog(s) got to play with them all!

BugBear

 

[Lord Nibbo]

Hi Ed -

The first premium planes are in production right now, though we have not yet set a release date. I will be re-evaluating our production status when I return (next week) to see where we are. We have to have built enough inventory that we won't run out, before we can release it...we're in no rush here.

Time will tell, of course.... but it won't be too much longer now 8) .

Cheers -

Rob

Well I just know I'm going to be in the dog house.
I think I'll stock up with TV dinners now to last for at least three months, plus I best buy hard hat too. So my problem is finding a hiding place for the said dinners so she don't go off on one prematurely.
:lol:

 

[Mr Ed]

Well I just know I'm going to be in the dog house.

I know, but just think of the shiny things...

Cheers, Ed

 

[DaveL]

Well I just know I'm going to be in the dog house.

Well as long as the dogs don't jion you there will be plenty of room. :lol: :roll:

 

[ydb1md]

Then too, we are using a new material and that's taken a bit of learning too.

Hmmmm . . . . new material means it can't be cast iron or stainless steel. Maybe they're using glass filled polymer, acrylic, carbon fiber or maybe that cool ZA-12 material their hold-down is made of.

But my money is on yellow or white bronze.

 

[Rob Lee]

Then too, we are using a new material and that's taken a bit of learning too.

Hmmmm . . . . new material means it can't be cast iron or stainless steel. Maybe they're using glass filled polymer, acrylic, carbon fiber or maybe that cool ZA-12 material their hold-down is made of.

But my money is on yellow or white bronze.

Hi Dave -

No plastics, polymers, bronzes, aluminum or zinc alloys, or titanium.... :shock:

Cheers -

Rob
(facing a 9 hour drive back home this morning....)

 

[Lord Nibbo]

No plastics, polymers, bronzes, aluminum or zinc alloys, or titanium.... :shock:

Cheers -

Rob
(facing a 9 hour drive back home this morning....)

Stainless Steel or iron (steel) then

 

[Mr Ed]

No plastics, polymers, bronzes, aluminum or zinc alloys, or titanium.... :shock:

Now you're just playing with us Rob! :lol:

Cheers, Ed

 

[Karl]

Perhaps it's a woody!

Watch out Philly, LV are coming! :lol: :lol:

Cheers

Karl

 

[Philly]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo......... :shock:
Philly :wink:

 

[ydb1md]

No plastics, polymers, bronzes, aluminum or zinc alloys, or titanium.... :shock:

Cheers -

Rob
(facing a 9 hour drive back home this morning....)

Stainless Steel or iron (steel) then

Please see above . . . .

Hmmmm . . . . new material means it can't be cast iron or stainless steel. Maybe they're using glass filled polymer, acrylic, carbon fiber or maybe that cool ZA-12 material their hold-down is made of.

 

[Nev Hallam]

Ok Ok call me stupid! I've only been a joiner for a measly 11 years and I only build anything worth building in my garage as i'm a site chippy, but can you enlightened people enlighten me in the subject of planes. I have only a stanley bailey no 4, no 5 and my trustee block plane, but as of late I have been admiring the beauty of lie nielsen and veritas and other very expensive planes and pondering with the idea of purchasing one of them, but do tell... would I be buying such an expensive handtool in the same way i'd buy a breitling watch or a patek phillipe? ie just because of the beauty high quality build along with the heritage of their name? Or is there an actual benefit to be had in owning such a sexy ass piece of metal if so what is it?