Exclusive Video: A cheap-skate meets a premium plane
Added 2019-10-23 10:51:57 +0000 UTCFriends:
One of you recently made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He bought a new Veritas low-angle jack and had it shipped it ME. I'm going to review it and send it back, But in the mean-time, I wanted to stop and share my thoughts on the most expensive hand-tool that's ever been in my shop.
It's pretty amazing.
Hope everyone is doing well. It's hump day!
--Rex
Comments
I get where your coming from, my family has been hunting and shooting for years, but most of our stuff is really budget, or in my case I collect antique WW1 and pre WW1 rifles, and the condition can be rough. Although when you find something in good shape the machining is amazing. I have an 1891 Mauser that looks amazing. But when you do get to fire or use a high end rifle that has had countless hours of though and ergonomics that have gone into it, it makes you appreciate the skill, even if the rifle only performed what the average person would say is minimally better. My father used to shoot completion and hand loads, he would shoot for groups that would cut the same hole and a high end tool, be it a hand plane, a saw or a target rifle can be very rewarding to use even if you dont plan on spending the money on it yourself.
Billy Schwake
2020-11-18 22:52:59 +0000 UTCI'll be delivering that shortly!
Rex Krueger
2019-10-28 10:19:32 +0000 UTCThanks for your discussion of the front knob. Perfect timing. A friend just gave me Sargent 710 (autoset) smoother that was missing the knob. I'll try turning that mushroom style you discussed. // Anticipating the next LA comparison, I'll be interested in your take on the side set screws on the Veritas. Thanks!
Anderson Young
2019-10-27 15:53:34 +0000 UTCFrom everything I've heard, Wenge is lovely but gives the worst splinters ever!
Rex Krueger
2019-10-27 00:56:41 +0000 UTCMy first plane was a Sargent. It was totally...fine. I, however was rather an idiot.
Rex Krueger
2019-10-27 00:55:38 +0000 UTCYou're so very welcome! Thanks for your support!
Rex Krueger
2019-10-26 17:25:12 +0000 UTCThanks Rex! I love your approach of wood working for humans. And I also love good tools! I really appreciate learning what makes a tool good - especially from someone with more experience than I have. Again Thanks!
Duncan
2019-10-26 14:14:53 +0000 UTCIt doesn't help that the first plane that most of us buy is a cheap piece of shit. Buy a veritas now and it's good to go as soon as it arrives. It's not perfect, but it'll certainly do the job. A super cheap import tool may well never work properly, even after you essentially rebuild the bloody thing, so you spend ages learning the WRONG THINGS. A poor workman blames his tools. Unless they're totally crap, in which case it's fair game.
A1BASE
2019-10-25 03:33:09 +0000 UTCI think if you do a lot of shooting or end-grain work, then a tool like this might be totally justified. I can't think of a cheap or vintage plane that does the same job half as well.
Rex Krueger
2019-10-24 10:50:58 +0000 UTCAs much as I enjoy the hunt and the restoration of old tools, even I have to admit that sometimes, you want to get a nice tool and just get after it! I've honestly been thinking about getting a LN Dovetail saw just for my own work. Not even for videos.
Rex Krueger
2019-10-24 10:49:06 +0000 UTCIn this same avenue of discussion, hand saws. Disston saws aren't easy to come by in my area, and others are even more rare. And if I'm honest, saw maintenance is far easier than restoration. The first time I used my LN dovetail saw I was smitten. I feel like after a few years using different planes I have restored, I finally know what is me, and what is the plane when things don't go well. Usually it's me 😅. Picking up that saw and cutting a dead plumb line first try took so much self doubt off my shoulders. I'm not terrible at sawing, I'm terrible at jointing, filing, and setting teeth. I feel like sometimes the premium tool can make all the difference in the world. Thanks for making these videos Rex. This community is awesome.
Nic Beurskens
2019-10-24 08:10:56 +0000 UTCawsome!!!!!!
crister eriksson
2019-10-24 07:06:18 +0000 UTCI very much like your strategy. Save money on your tools particularly the ones where a less expensive model will do the job. It makes it much easier to treat yourself when it is time to buy a tool you are going to use all of the time and the extra quality will make a difference.
Doug Hackett
2019-10-24 04:39:09 +0000 UTCI’ve also got a lump of Wenge I want to send you. Just to see what you do with it the first time you use it.
A1BASE
2019-10-24 01:29:23 +0000 UTCThe shapton’s I’m particularly disappointed about. Seriously, who needs a 15,000 grit surface??? I use a double sided diamond stone for pretty much everything now. 300 and 1000 grit, then a strop.
A1BASE
2019-10-24 01:27:27 +0000 UTCI’ve got some pretty much unused Iwazaki files and some Shapton sharpening stones I’d be happy to send through. I’d also offer some Radian router bits, but power tools aren’t really this channels focus. You want anything else? 😉
A1BASE
2019-10-24 01:25:07 +0000 UTCI try to. Glad it's working!
Rex Krueger
2019-10-24 00:12:14 +0000 UTCSounds like you should buy an expensive tool and have it shipped to me. Do your part, man! ;)
Rex Krueger
2019-10-24 00:11:58 +0000 UTCFor a new plane, the Veritas is truly a great option. You do get what you pay for...even if I'm rarely willing to pay!
Rex Krueger
2019-10-24 00:11:12 +0000 UTCI have a Veritas No.4 Bevel Up plane. I wanted a decent hand plane, I bought a "Craftsman" because I could afford it, but then I discovered that there was way more wrong with it than right. Still, I converted it to a scrub plane and it works absolutely fabulous in that role. But, I felt very discouraged. So I decided to save my shackles and buy a new plane. I looked at the new Stanley planes locally, even got to take one apart. I realized very quickly that there were so many things I had to fix before I could even use it. The Stanley Bailey was much better, but nearly 200cdn. I looked at Rob Cosman's plane because he sets them up out of the box. I looked at Lie Neilson, and then I looked at the Veritas. Jesus. To be honest there is no comparison, none. And to top it off, the Veritas is actually made in Canada, not China like all the others. I bought one. It is indeed amazing. BUT, it is hugely expensive. Last weekend I found a Post War Record No.4. It was in rough shape, but 3hrs of work later it is a phenomenal smoothing plane, able to take shavings less than 1/1000 of an inch (that's as small as my micrometer goes), and it adjusts so easily. I guess my lesson learned is that ya, top of the line tools MIGHT be fantastic, but you can be just as sure to get fantastic tools for 1/4 the price, if you can put in a bit of work. If I buy another new plane, it will almost certainly be a veritas. But I hope to find older planes in good enough shape so that I don't have to buy another very expensive new plane.
William Allen
2019-10-23 15:55:39 +0000 UTCGood job Ethan and Rex! Looking forward to the video of how the plane performs in comparison, beyond just the quality of the tool itself. I honestly think this would be a great mini-series - fairly contrasting various budget and high end tools.
A1BASE
2019-10-23 15:31:37 +0000 UTCHey Rex, Thanks for being the human you are, you allways manage to lighten up my day.
Ingolf Maurer
2019-10-23 14:28:09 +0000 UTCI'd love to have a full set of Veritas planes, but the old Stanley, Record, and Millers Falls planes I have work well (after clean-up, sharpening, and proper set-up), and each has cost me less than 1/3 of the equivalent Veritas tool even with eBay pricing and shipping/customs costs.
Nicholas Russon
2019-10-23 13:47:47 +0000 UTCThanks so much for saying that!
Rex Krueger
2019-10-23 13:05:48 +0000 UTCI think a lot of us have been in that EXACT same boat. It took me a full year to get my first plane working well. So much trial and error, especially in sharpening.
Rex Krueger
2019-10-23 13:05:31 +0000 UTCThank you! If it's any consolation, the Veritas almost feels TOO nice. I'm afraid to really use it the way I would a Stanley.
Rex Krueger
2019-10-23 13:04:28 +0000 UTCWow - big thumbs-up to Ethan! Every time I go to the Lee Valley store, I spend more time than i care to admit staring at and coveting a bunch of their Veritas tools. Maybe one day... if I win the lottery. :) In the meantime, I'll keep watching and appreciating your approach to tools for everyday people.
Kris Towson
2019-10-23 12:51:58 +0000 UTCBack when I was younger and possibly more foolish, I started to get interested in woodworking. One of the first "real" tools I bought was a Veritas 5 1/4 junior jack plane. It was a great tool and I still have it in my shop ... but I had not the first clue about how to use it properly. I'd try planing an edge or a board face and just got nowhere. Fast forward several years later, and I finally clue in about using hand planes, how to adjust them, and _most_ importantly how to sharpen the iron. Now, I love it again, but I wasted all those years because I thought the tool was the important thing rather than the skill and knowledge of how to use the tool properly.
Nicholas Russon
2019-10-23 12:26:43 +0000 UTCYou're a breath of fresh air.
Dick Edie
2019-10-23 11:03:06 +0000 UTC
