Les Mahon
Established Member
Guys and Gals I need some advice...
Havving done most of my woodworking with machines, I had this thought about a year ago that I would like to use hand tools more, so off I set on my merry way and purchased large numbers of superb tools and waterstones and honing jigs and... you get the idea. Now one year on after a new child, a new house complete with new workshop and a mountain of paying work later it was time this weekend to take the plunge and try to use the magic tools in which I had invested so much of my hard earned cash and they work great (after I had worked out how to sharpen them properly but that is another story)
So I decided that this holly grail of a planed surface which could not be improved upon by sanding was for me and I set off on a panel of american oak with my Veritas LA Jack - the result was silky smooth in all but two loacations, where I got tear out. No problem I thought, the good people of the ukw world have covered this, hone the blade, narrow the mouth, plane from different directions, take smaller cuts - nothing worked.
So here is my question - Being an impulsive kind of person I was about to commit the credit card to a Veritas Low Angle smoother to complement the jack and jointer - after all it's called a smoother it must work, but should I be buying a smoother, or should I be buying a higher angle blade for the LA Jack?
If the answer is the Higher angle blade, could someone enlighten this normite as to which angle balde came with the plane, and which is truly the high angle blade? I am looking at the Dieter Schmitt site and the options are 25Deg, 38 Deg and 50 Deg. Is one of these likely to help me out?
Of course you can just tell me that my technique is at fault and that no amount of retail theraphy will actually get the board smooth!
Thanks
Les
Havving done most of my woodworking with machines, I had this thought about a year ago that I would like to use hand tools more, so off I set on my merry way and purchased large numbers of superb tools and waterstones and honing jigs and... you get the idea. Now one year on after a new child, a new house complete with new workshop and a mountain of paying work later it was time this weekend to take the plunge and try to use the magic tools in which I had invested so much of my hard earned cash and they work great (after I had worked out how to sharpen them properly but that is another story)
So I decided that this holly grail of a planed surface which could not be improved upon by sanding was for me and I set off on a panel of american oak with my Veritas LA Jack - the result was silky smooth in all but two loacations, where I got tear out. No problem I thought, the good people of the ukw world have covered this, hone the blade, narrow the mouth, plane from different directions, take smaller cuts - nothing worked.
So here is my question - Being an impulsive kind of person I was about to commit the credit card to a Veritas Low Angle smoother to complement the jack and jointer - after all it's called a smoother it must work, but should I be buying a smoother, or should I be buying a higher angle blade for the LA Jack?
If the answer is the Higher angle blade, could someone enlighten this normite as to which angle balde came with the plane, and which is truly the high angle blade? I am looking at the Dieter Schmitt site and the options are 25Deg, 38 Deg and 50 Deg. Is one of these likely to help me out?
Of course you can just tell me that my technique is at fault and that no amount of retail theraphy will actually get the board smooth!
Thanks
Les