As this was my first “direct from the manufacturer’s website” purchase, I spent a rather nervous week last week contemplating all the “what if’s” that could go wrong with this order; I needn’t have worried. Saturday’s post had a note from the local parcel office to the effect that the package was here, and following payment of the VAT and inspection charge, it would be delivered forthwith.
The packaging was efficient without being over the top; any voids in the box being filled with what appears to be a paper based wadding rather than those annoying polystyrene chippings. Nestled inside the shipping box was the proper box for the plane, along with some teasing / depressing literature (depending on your perspective) of other tools in the range. Going through the range, mentally checking off the models I already own was reminiscing of a kid with football cards, the only problem being finding someone willing to swap my surpluses for models I don’t yet have.
The plane itself was wrapped in Lie Nielsen’s traditional packaging; a sheet of blank newsprint (a.k.a. chip shop wrapping paper) over a sheet of Ferro-Pak rust inhibiting paper. Unwrapped for the first time, my initial impression was “Awww Cute…!” Although it shares the same 10 3/8” length and cherry handles as my 4 ½ smoother, that’s where any common aspects end, the 40 ½ being a slender 1 7/8” wide. The blade measures 36mm in width, 4.8mm thick and 164mm long, and as is customary, is ready for use straight out of the box. Being accustomed to working with their Bedrock pattern bench lanes, I found the mechanical simplicity of the 40 ½ rather surprising; I didn’t exactly know what to expect when it arrived, but finding that it has only three moving parts contributed to the initial visual impression. By this time, I’d a faint questioning voice asking….. “Have I made the right move here…?” Just one way to find out…..
I just happened to have a slab of rough sawn elm already clamped to the bench for flattening; a 5 minute “suck it an see” with my #5 gave the impression that this one was gonna take a while as the board had both cup and bow to remove. While free of any large knots or wild grain, the pattern of the grain resembles a saddle back ridge, grain running towards the centre from wither end.
Setting the blade without the customary Bailey adjuster was childs play as I discovered; slacken the thumbscrew until the blade slips freely beneath the lever cap, sight down the sole for blade depth, and re-tighten the thumbscrew; easy…
Cute….. was blown out the window with the first pass across the board. As I’d set the blade to reveal the entire arc of the blade, that first cut had my poor bench rocking like it was being subjected to 9.6 on the Richter scale. A quick readjustment later saw the second pass being slightly more civilised, although it barely lessened my initial shock. Diminutive this plane may be, but I tell ya….. it doesn’t take any prisoners. Waste flew in all directions as it ploughed it’s way through the cup in the board; the wood never really stood a chance. Three passes along the board working across the width had the 10mm cup all but gone leaving a surface that bore more than a passing resemblance to a freshly ploughed field than a hand planed board, but as I found out, even that was a bonus. Smoothing out the “furrows” with my Stanley#5 didn’t take more than a couple of passes, again working across the board. After hand brushing the waste and shavings off the board, I checked the bow with my builders level; although the bulk of the board was dead flat, the ends revealed there was still some bow to plane out. Winding sticks confirmed that the cup across the board was toast. Checking my watch, I was surprised to see that I’d only been in the shop for 20 minutes. Had I been using my prior technique (using the #5 with a radiused blade as a scrub) I’d still have about 5 hours work ahead of me to reach the same point.
To date, I’ve spent no more than 2 hours working the board so far, I figure that another half hour tomorrow with the #7 should just about finish it.
Although I’ve yet to test the board on anything that’d previously been considered difficult, I’ve little doubt that this wee plane could more than handle it. Compact, yet comfortable to work with, unleashing it on a board has more than a passing resemblance to Taz running amuck; controlled yet devastatingly effective. My previous concerns about whether I’d made the right move buying this have been blown out the window; I reckon this tool could pay for itself in a week given the chance, provided my bench doesn’t shake itself to bits first. As for regrets, I have but one….. I shoulda bought this plane years ago; what a difference it could have made…….
One word of caution to anyone contemplating using a proper scrub plane; I’ve deliberately avoided calling the waste this plane produces “shavings”. I don’t know what the proper name for it would be, but wispy thin curls it isn’t. Sweeping them off the board with the back of your hand WILL result in a long session with the tweezers. Additionally, the absence of a chip breaker deflecting the waste to the front had me a little concerned with regard to eye protection; I reckon safety glasses are a must wear with this tool.
Tool specs:- http://www.lie-nielsen.com/tool.html?id ... 5963918641
Care & Instructions :- http://www.lie-nielsen.com/instructions ... 5963918641
The packaging was efficient without being over the top; any voids in the box being filled with what appears to be a paper based wadding rather than those annoying polystyrene chippings. Nestled inside the shipping box was the proper box for the plane, along with some teasing / depressing literature (depending on your perspective) of other tools in the range. Going through the range, mentally checking off the models I already own was reminiscing of a kid with football cards, the only problem being finding someone willing to swap my surpluses for models I don’t yet have.
The plane itself was wrapped in Lie Nielsen’s traditional packaging; a sheet of blank newsprint (a.k.a. chip shop wrapping paper) over a sheet of Ferro-Pak rust inhibiting paper. Unwrapped for the first time, my initial impression was “Awww Cute…!” Although it shares the same 10 3/8” length and cherry handles as my 4 ½ smoother, that’s where any common aspects end, the 40 ½ being a slender 1 7/8” wide. The blade measures 36mm in width, 4.8mm thick and 164mm long, and as is customary, is ready for use straight out of the box. Being accustomed to working with their Bedrock pattern bench lanes, I found the mechanical simplicity of the 40 ½ rather surprising; I didn’t exactly know what to expect when it arrived, but finding that it has only three moving parts contributed to the initial visual impression. By this time, I’d a faint questioning voice asking….. “Have I made the right move here…?” Just one way to find out…..
I just happened to have a slab of rough sawn elm already clamped to the bench for flattening; a 5 minute “suck it an see” with my #5 gave the impression that this one was gonna take a while as the board had both cup and bow to remove. While free of any large knots or wild grain, the pattern of the grain resembles a saddle back ridge, grain running towards the centre from wither end.
Setting the blade without the customary Bailey adjuster was childs play as I discovered; slacken the thumbscrew until the blade slips freely beneath the lever cap, sight down the sole for blade depth, and re-tighten the thumbscrew; easy…
Cute….. was blown out the window with the first pass across the board. As I’d set the blade to reveal the entire arc of the blade, that first cut had my poor bench rocking like it was being subjected to 9.6 on the Richter scale. A quick readjustment later saw the second pass being slightly more civilised, although it barely lessened my initial shock. Diminutive this plane may be, but I tell ya….. it doesn’t take any prisoners. Waste flew in all directions as it ploughed it’s way through the cup in the board; the wood never really stood a chance. Three passes along the board working across the width had the 10mm cup all but gone leaving a surface that bore more than a passing resemblance to a freshly ploughed field than a hand planed board, but as I found out, even that was a bonus. Smoothing out the “furrows” with my Stanley#5 didn’t take more than a couple of passes, again working across the board. After hand brushing the waste and shavings off the board, I checked the bow with my builders level; although the bulk of the board was dead flat, the ends revealed there was still some bow to plane out. Winding sticks confirmed that the cup across the board was toast. Checking my watch, I was surprised to see that I’d only been in the shop for 20 minutes. Had I been using my prior technique (using the #5 with a radiused blade as a scrub) I’d still have about 5 hours work ahead of me to reach the same point.
To date, I’ve spent no more than 2 hours working the board so far, I figure that another half hour tomorrow with the #7 should just about finish it.
Although I’ve yet to test the board on anything that’d previously been considered difficult, I’ve little doubt that this wee plane could more than handle it. Compact, yet comfortable to work with, unleashing it on a board has more than a passing resemblance to Taz running amuck; controlled yet devastatingly effective. My previous concerns about whether I’d made the right move buying this have been blown out the window; I reckon this tool could pay for itself in a week given the chance, provided my bench doesn’t shake itself to bits first. As for regrets, I have but one….. I shoulda bought this plane years ago; what a difference it could have made…….
One word of caution to anyone contemplating using a proper scrub plane; I’ve deliberately avoided calling the waste this plane produces “shavings”. I don’t know what the proper name for it would be, but wispy thin curls it isn’t. Sweeping them off the board with the back of your hand WILL result in a long session with the tweezers. Additionally, the absence of a chip breaker deflecting the waste to the front had me a little concerned with regard to eye protection; I reckon safety glasses are a must wear with this tool.
Tool specs:- http://www.lie-nielsen.com/tool.html?id ... 5963918641
Care & Instructions :- http://www.lie-nielsen.com/instructions ... 5963918641
