Veritas interchangeable blades

[beej]

Well, it ain't as simple as it sounds.
Having taken ALF's advice and bought an LA Jack, complete with extra 38 degree blade for Australian timbers, I was in seventh heaven: it was almost epiphanic.
I figured that I might just have to consider the BU Smoother because I already had two blades and would just need a 50 degree blade to complete the set and have some serious, cost-effective interchangeability, so I wrote to Lee Valley to check out the cost and make sure I could order that combination.
The answer? They won't sell a BU Smoother with just a 50 degree blade: You have to take it with the standard 38 degree blade and then buy another on top of that! As a weekend dilettante I am not about to buy blades I don't need as a price to buy a plane! I suppose I will just buy a 50 degree blade and put it in the Jack and forget the Smoother.
Doesn't look like good business to me and certainly not the helpful or thoughtful service we hear so much about.

 

[Anonymous]

Why not buy the smoother and rehone the bevel to whatever angle you like?

 

[Frank D.]

beej,
I'd say that all that is a minor hassle for you. All you have to do is say OK to the 38 degree blade and, once you get it, start sharpening it at 50 degrees if that's what suits your fancy. I love getting new blades that I sharpen to a steeper angle. It goes really fast and nothing is really affected by it. As soon as you have more than a 1/64" bevel, you are all set, your blade will behave like a 50° blade and each time you sharpen the 50° bevel will get bigger. The real hassle is sharpening to a more acute angle, not the case with the smoother.
In fact I find it so easy to shgarpen a new blade to a superior angle that I'm on the point of throwing my sharpening methods out the window and adopting DC's grinding technique. He grinds his primary bevel to 23° if I'm not mistaken, then uses stones for a 30° small bevel and a 33° micro bevel. The numbers might not be exact but it goes something like that. This is a huge time saver and worthy of consideration. Kind of like what you would have to do when yopu receive your 38° blade.
Frank

 

[Alf]

Beej, wot they said. It's reducing a bevel angle that's a pain in the proverbial; increasing it is a walk in the park. I think L-V providing the different bevels is largely to get us silly customers to see the potential; in reality we could just buy a load of standard angle blades and sharpen them to the angles we wanted ourselves. Talking of which I'm considering sharpening one to 33° and then comparing the BUS and L-N #4.5 apples to apples. Anyone got a spare tuit? :-s

Cheers, Alf

 

[beej]

Well, yes, that's true: I could and will if need be grind a 38 out to something steeper, but I wish I didn't have to.
My point though was more that since LV are making up blades in three different bevels, to fit a range of planes ( a brilliant notion, of which more anon) it seems counter-productive to then be picky about which one comes out of which bin into which plane.
That said, I'm grumbling here in the face of an almost overwhelming desire to own another one. Buying their LA Jack with extra HA blade( which obviously I should have left for later) was something of a revelation. I wasn't sure I needed or could afford one...These are lovely planes. The possibility of being able to own an entire range of planes and bevels with just two bodies seems great value to me. It's just that as a weekender I don't need Tormeks etc and regrinds are a bit of an issue.
Now, if I can only convince the family that sawdust and woodshavings are really very nutritious.........

 

[MikeW]

Hi beej,

Let me start with I sorta agree with you. It does seem like it shouldn't matter. But it seems that for now this is what we have.

When I get a new plane, it is never sharp enough to do more than the immediate play.

But before I can actually use it, I must hone it well. I just begin honing the new bevel. As it doesn't need to extend across the entire existing bevel, I just use it, hone some more at the desired bevel. Soon enough it is across the entire face of the blade.

As was mentioned, it only needs to be a tiny bit before the wood sees it as the "new" angle. This is accomplished during the first real honing session prior to putting the plane to work. By hand (what I usually use) or a honing guide, if you have one.

One doesn't need to grind the whole bevel.

 

[Alf]

My point though was more that since LV are making up blades in three different bevels, to fit a range of planes ( a brilliant notion, of which more anon) it seems counter-productive to then be picky about which one comes out of which bin into which plane.

But, erm, aren't you being picky about it...? :-k :wink: I have a nasty feeling it might add up to a noticeable amount of money if L-V started packaging all the B-U planes in all the blade angle permutations. Otherwise I 'spect they'd be doing it. I think it'll be interesting to see if a large "stable" of bevel angles becomes the norm amongst bevel-up users, or whether one-of-each will be the winner in the end, but I digress. Half the trouble is being in at the start like this, before the whole range is released, so you can't plan ahead to see which blade to buy extra.

Anyway, wot Mike said. Grinding isn't necessary; honing is all you need.

Cheers, Alf

 

[beej]

Perhaps the moral is that their service has been so good in the past that this one rattled me, so I wrote to them expressing my disappointment.

But I was wrong.

Not a day later and I get another email saying that they have reconsidered (as I asked them to) and are able to do it ! That's more like the Veritas I know and love, so I have to be quickly back here to congratulate them; fair's fair.

Please keep those sawdust recipes coming in.....I'm going to need them!
Thanks, too to you all

 

[MikeW]

Hi beej,

Good end to the story!

Mike

 

[Rob Lee]

Perhaps the moral is that their service has been so good in the past that this one rattled me, so I wrote to them expressing my disappointment.

But I was wrong.

Not a day later and I get another email saying that they have reconsidered (as I asked them to) and are able to do it ! That's more like the Veritas I know and love, so I have to be quickly back here to congratulate them; fair's fair.

Please keep those sawdust recipes coming in.....I'm going to need them!
Thanks, too to you all

Hi Beej -

Glad we re-considered....but hope your plane isn't covered in fingerprints when you get it.... :lol:

Really - the combinations are just too many to stock the planes in 13 locations, and all permutations. Next best alternative is to supply without a blade....and pick it separately.

As has been noted already... we default to the lowest angle consistent with the intended use of the plane - as increasing the bevel angle is much easier for you than decreasing it...

Cheers -

Rob (in Calgary - headed for Montana today....)

 

[bugbear]

Next best alternative is to supply without a blade....and pick it separately.

And then, of course, some people would complain that ordering a plane from Lee Valley is just too damn complicated, and can't it be made easier ](*,)

BugBear

 

[Martin Brown]

I suspect it is quite a small number who would want to choose this option so we would be delighted to change the blades too for UK customers.

If you are considering this please start by mailing me direct first as I am away at present.

Martin and everyone at BriMarc

PS Beej did you see my pm?

 

[ydb1md]

And then, of course, some people would complain that ordering a plane from Lee Valley is just too damn complicated, and can't it be made easier ](*,)
BugBear

Hmmm . . . I'm sure that my wife (and our Visa statements) might testify that ordering planes from Lee Valley is all too easy. :roll: :wink: