Philly
Established Member
Veritas Premium Block Plane NX60
Hi Folks
At last – the wait is over and the first of the new premium range of planes is released. Rob Lee was kind/cruel enough to show me this plane at the WIA show in Kentucky last week. I was gob smacked and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one.
So – what is it? A low angle block plane made from nickel-resist ductile iron, a stable material with similar rust-resistant properties to stainless steel. As you can see, it is highly polished and looks stunning. The design is quite breathtaking – I would describe it as “retro-futuristic” , or “Jetsons” for short
It has an adjustable mouth (which is fully enclosed to prevent the mouth setting being moved if the plane were to hit a bench dog when planing), 12 degree bed angle, A2 blade with lapped flat back and the cool new Veritas logo on the screw cap. The Norris style adjuster for the blade, mouth adjusting know and screw cap know are all stainless steel, and feature beautiful knurling. There are set screws to centre the iron (like most Veritas planes) and a grub screw to set the mouth piece minimal setting. The sides of the plane have dimples to grip and feature three scallops – very cool!
On opening the box you are greeted to a bundle of silver tissue paper – unwrap that and you find a black velvet bag (complete with “V” logo). Very Holtey!! Kind of sets the scene for when you open the bag……
There are small areas of “cast” surface visible which contrast very nicely with the polished areas. It is pretty obvious that there is a lot of work gone into making this plane – so I was eager to see how it performed.
The blade came with the back already lapped flat – a minute to hone the bevel and I was ready to go. The lapping is a real time saver when it comes to blade preparation – is there anyone who enjoys flattening new blades? With the iron in place and the screw cap slipped back into place I was ready to set the iron.
The adjuster sets both the depth of projection as well as lateral adjustment. I found it pretty easy to get it where I wanted to go although there is a small amount of backlash in the adjuster. The manual for the plane has plenty of useful advice in setting up the plane so it is worth spending a couple minutes reading though this if you have never used this kind of adjuster.
Now for some shavings. I first took some long grain shavings on some maple – the plane produced some fine shavings with no problem. I was able to easily take super fine finishing cuts that would make an Infill proud. I flipped the board 90 degrees and then proceeded to take some cuts on end grain. Again the plane performed admirably, take long end grain shavings.
The plane at first felt a little low at the front. When comparing it with my usual L-N #60 ½ block plane it was obvious why – the L-N front knob is a fair bit higher. But I soon became used to the feel of the plane and especially enjoyed the sleek feel of the screw cap/rear handle.
So, in conclusion. This is one eye-poppingly pretty plane. There is obviously a lot of work involved to produce such a flawless and polished product – this is reflected in the price. But its performance matches its looks – world class. And the designers of this tool should be very proud of themselves for producing such a wonderful piece.
I look forward to the next “Premium” plane…….
Philly
Hi Folks
At last – the wait is over and the first of the new premium range of planes is released. Rob Lee was kind/cruel enough to show me this plane at the WIA show in Kentucky last week. I was gob smacked and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one.
So – what is it? A low angle block plane made from nickel-resist ductile iron, a stable material with similar rust-resistant properties to stainless steel. As you can see, it is highly polished and looks stunning. The design is quite breathtaking – I would describe it as “retro-futuristic” , or “Jetsons” for short
It has an adjustable mouth (which is fully enclosed to prevent the mouth setting being moved if the plane were to hit a bench dog when planing), 12 degree bed angle, A2 blade with lapped flat back and the cool new Veritas logo on the screw cap. The Norris style adjuster for the blade, mouth adjusting know and screw cap know are all stainless steel, and feature beautiful knurling. There are set screws to centre the iron (like most Veritas planes) and a grub screw to set the mouth piece minimal setting. The sides of the plane have dimples to grip and feature three scallops – very cool!
On opening the box you are greeted to a bundle of silver tissue paper – unwrap that and you find a black velvet bag (complete with “V” logo). Very Holtey!! Kind of sets the scene for when you open the bag……
There are small areas of “cast” surface visible which contrast very nicely with the polished areas. It is pretty obvious that there is a lot of work gone into making this plane – so I was eager to see how it performed.
The blade came with the back already lapped flat – a minute to hone the bevel and I was ready to go. The lapping is a real time saver when it comes to blade preparation – is there anyone who enjoys flattening new blades? With the iron in place and the screw cap slipped back into place I was ready to set the iron.
The adjuster sets both the depth of projection as well as lateral adjustment. I found it pretty easy to get it where I wanted to go although there is a small amount of backlash in the adjuster. The manual for the plane has plenty of useful advice in setting up the plane so it is worth spending a couple minutes reading though this if you have never used this kind of adjuster.
Now for some shavings. I first took some long grain shavings on some maple – the plane produced some fine shavings with no problem. I was able to easily take super fine finishing cuts that would make an Infill proud. I flipped the board 90 degrees and then proceeded to take some cuts on end grain. Again the plane performed admirably, take long end grain shavings.
The plane at first felt a little low at the front. When comparing it with my usual L-N #60 ½ block plane it was obvious why – the L-N front knob is a fair bit higher. But I soon became used to the feel of the plane and especially enjoyed the sleek feel of the screw cap/rear handle.
So, in conclusion. This is one eye-poppingly pretty plane. There is obviously a lot of work involved to produce such a flawless and polished product – this is reflected in the price. But its performance matches its looks – world class. And the designers of this tool should be very proud of themselves for producing such a wonderful piece.
I look forward to the next “Premium” plane…….
Philly
