Dented Smoothing Plane

[JezP]

Hi Everyone,

I have just joined this forum, though i have looked at it many times. I especially liked the review of veritas planes and have bought two, a no4 smoothing plane and low angle block. They are my first planes and i love them.

I have been sharpening the blades etc and while i was setting the blade on the no4 it slipped out of my hand and fell edge on, onto a screw driver. I now have a dent (about 3mm across) diagonally set into the side/bottom edge about half way down the plane.

Its not too deep but the dent has been pushed out into the bottom from the side due to the way it fell. This now means the bottom is no longer smooth!!

Needless to say i am quite annoyed with myself and feeling low about it. Please could someone let me know if this is correctable by me or if it would need to be machined on the bottom (and frog as it extends to the bottom though its not damaged at all) and side. Also if the other side needs to be machined to keep it balanced?

Hope someone can advise me?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Jez

Welcome and sorry to hear of you misfortune

It is not a real problem on a smoother if it is not close to the mouth, front or rear of the plane, so it hopefully should still work fine, but not look as pretty.

 

[Alf]

Welcome to the forum, Jez. Just file it smooth again; no worries.

Cheers, Alf

 

[JezP]

Cheers guys,

its good to know that its fixable.

i will smooth it out on some wet and dry and hope it doesn't take too long!!

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Jez,

Welcome to the forum - hope you get it fixed OK.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Waka]

Jez

Welcome to the forum. The advise given is the best.

 

[Escudo]

Hello Jez,

I suffered a mishap with my Veritas LAJ. It was largely cosmetic but it really upset me, and every time I looked at it I was reminded of the mishap. (which I wanted to forget).

I made touch with veritas and they suggested I return it for a warranty repair. I paid the postage to Canada and the plane was repaired and returned in new condition without charge.

I had to pay duty when it came back but only based on the second hand value. £30 I seem to remember. There is also a way to reclaim this.

Lee Valley are an excellent firm and were very understanding. I am a loyal customer now based on their attention and excellent after sales care.

Thought this might be of interest.

Regards, Esc.

 

[Paul Sellers]

Sorry to hear of the mishap. I remember when I bought my first planes over forty years ago. I got £3.10s a week and bought my tools every week out my wages when I could afford them. I still have them and use them every day. Most have them have at least fifty dings in them despite my care and concern for them. But you know, I love them warts and all. It's only when tools have served you that they become really prized. If they've served you, they will have the scars to show, just like my hands do. As someone said, file it level with a single-cut mill file (takes two strokes) and then polish it just a little with some fine wet and dry if you want to, then get back to planing.
Enjoy,
Paul Sellers

 

[David C]

I would suggest a fine slipstone rather than a file.

Black felt tip helps to detect when flatness has been reached, i.e. to prevent digging a hole.

David

 

[JezP]

All is back to normal, well nearly anyway, thank you all for your help and i look forward to using this forum again, maybe for a nicer topic next time.

I only had a file so used that to carefully take it back, then used some fine wet dry and its a smooth as a baby.

I have to say that i love this plane so much. I am a first year student at high Wycombe university and other students have stanley/clifton/lie neilson planes and by far mine is the most looked at.

Its good to see a company making excellent, thought out and functional upgrades to a woodworking tool thats been around a long time.

Now all i want is some good saws.....................adria maybe????