Replacement Plane Blades

[derekcohen]

Derek - I know you favour those girly honing-guide thingies, and the implication is that you cut the whole bevel by hand when you resharpen - is that correct?

Ian, I microbevel everything (except my Japanese chisels).

All bevel down planes and chisels (exceptioning mortice chisels) are hollow ground on a high speed grinder, then run over waterstones (Shaptons) by my girlie hand. I like to maintain the blades as I work by the occasional swipe over a leather strop. This only works if you can do it freehand.

All bevel up plane blades (except those with a bevel of 25 degrees, which are hollow ground) are otherwise ground at 50 degrees (for a inclusive angle of 62 degrees) with a microbevel on a flat face. This is created via a belt sander and then the LV Honing Guide Mk 2. I would love to hollow grind and freehand these blades as well, but it is too difficult to do (too much metal to remove).

Eddie needs to also state that he only uses one handplane, a Stanley #6, which he uses for everything. He is not a hobbiest. Others, like myself, prefer to have a number of planes on hand, and use these for different tasks ... which extends the life of a cutting edge.

The single HSS blade I have (and I like it for its edge holding) is in a Mujingfang jack. I do use one Stanley bench plane, a #5 1/2 (actually I use two - the other is set up as a scrub), and as a result I do not have much call for Academy blades. I work some pretty hard timber with difficult grain, and high cutting angles are necessary. Only the bevel up and HNT Gordon planes can provide this. I find the A2 Veritas blade really excellent, and I will have a couple honed up ready to go. Nevertheless, it is rare that I need more than one per day of working. I might revise my opinion if I were working differently (see my earlier comments for whom I think the Academy blades are best suited).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[IanW]

Ian, I microbevel everything (except my Japanese chisels).

Hi Derek - always seem to get a quick response when I needle you a bit!

For some reason I got the idea you establish both your primary bevel and the microbevel on the honing guide, and stones. Somewhere I got the (incorrect) notion you were allergic to high-speed metal removal. My apologies - it's VERY unusual for me to get things confused.

Now if your thick BU blades were all HSS, you could grind them easily, too - little to no risk of tempering HSS!

WRT Eddie's planing habits, yairs, I rather suspect my own attitude to planes & sharpening was tempered by my 'profesional' experience. I was a bit more profligate than Eddie - I used a #6 (to clean up edges after the power jointer) and my trusty #5 (for almost everything) and a well tuned #4 as a smoother. I sharpened the 5 & 4 each evening as a 'cool-down' for the day, and since the 6 was used so sporadically, maybe once a week for it. Occasionally, the 5 needed a touch-up or two during the day, depending on how heavily it was being used. I should add I was working with woods that were pretty easy on edges, most of the time, too.

Avagooday,

[eddie the eagle]

A-yup,

Derek's right, I use one plane fairly exclusively - No6 or 5 1/2 is the trade standard plane.

The plane I'm using at the moment's a 3" monster and blunting fairly quickly - O1 blade in a 40" long flattening plane.

You're welcome to stick your head in the door if you make it over this way, Derek.

Cheers,

eddie

[Studley 2436]

Talking about HSS there is a super grade of HSS that can be hardened to RWC 70!!

There is something that might interest you. Sandvik make a Nitrite tool insert that is for material from RWC 62 to 68 and cuts at 200 m/min. So if you have a milling machine you could just put your plane blade in and mill it sharp with one of those!!!!

Stunner hey. I know what I would be buying if I was a plane blade manufacturer!

Studley

[Mark Woodward]

Thanks all,

I think I might try one of the Academy blades and see how it goes.


cheers,

--
Mark

[Clinton1]

Mark,
have you thought about picking up a few more 'stanley and competitor' standard blades and having sharp replacement blades on hand?

If interested, I'll pass a few your way when I'm home in December... I have a few extras.

[Mark Woodward]

Mark,
have you thought about picking up a few more 'stanley and competitor' standard blades and having sharp replacement blades on hand?

If interested, I'll pass a few your way when I'm home in December... I have a few extras.

Thanks Clinton,

I'm interested in trying a 'better' blade just to see if they are 'better'.

In a slightly different direction I'm now tossing up whether to get a $108 blade for an old (but good) number 5 or spend $150 on an old style Gordon Jack plane. Any opinions? Would the HNT Jack be considered the 'number 5' of Terrys planes? I loooove the smoother and 1" shoulder plane I own.


cheers,

--
Mark

[IanW]

In a slightly different direction I'm now tossing up whether to get a $108 blade for an old (but good) number 5 or spend $150 on an old style Gordon Jack plane. Any opinions? Would the HNT Jack be considered the 'number 5' of Terrys planes? I loooove the smoother and 1" shoulder plane I own.

Mark - you could hardly go wrong with the HNT, if the opinions of certain respected forum members are any guide. If you already have a couple, you are obviously familiar with their quality, and not put off by the lack of screw adjustors. You pretty-well know what you are going to get, and that it's going to work well, right out of the shipping carton.

But if you just want to satisfy your curiosity about this whole HSS/HCS business, there is a compromise, and that would be to get a LV HSS replacement. A #5 happens to be my all-time favourite workhorse, & I have been through a very satisfying relationship of 40 plus years with mine. Granted, it has received lots of attention as I learnt more about what makes planes tick, but I was lucky that it worked tolerably well from new. After several fettling sessions through the years, I think it works about as well as a plane of that type can. If I were forced to have only 1 plane to live with the rest of my woodworking life I would choose it over anything I currently have, including the LV BU, even my Norris A5!

I put a Stanley replacement HSS blade in it (they were made here in Aus. as I recall) more than 20 years ago. It is no thicker than the standard blade, but had a markedly better edge-holding ability than the blade that came with the tool (early 60's local hardware store purchase). A few years ago, I replaced that Stanley replacement with a LV HSS blade. These are thicker than the original manufacturer's blades, but not as thick as some. They do feel noticeably 'solider' in use, and the good news is, they aren't so thick that the cam on the adjustor has to be fiddled with to reach through & engage the slot in the cap-iron. You may need to widen the slot to accept the lateral adjustor spigot (washer), depending on the age of your #5. The instructions that come with the blade suggest filing off the adjustor spigot to make it fit, but I preferred to open the slot a tad. All it took was a light pass either side with a thin disc on the angle grinder and cleanup with a diamond file (it doesn't need to be accurate to a fraction of a thousandth of a mm!). Putting a couple of small flats on the washer would be just as effective, but it would mean you have to line it up each time you pop the cutter assembly back in - hardly a major impostion, I suppose.

The LV HSS irons are, IMO the best bang for buck around (& I have a few other after-market brands, including one Academy), particularly with the Aussie $ going gangbusters!

Cheers,

Not a share-holder in LV, etc etc, just a happy customer.

[thumbsucker]

Would the HNT Jack be considered the 'number 5' of Terrys planes? I loooove the smoother and 1" shoulder plane I own.

The old style HNT Jack for $150 is much shorter then the Stanley No5, and while it is a jack of all trades with a slightly bigger mouth and all I do not consider the older style HNT Jack a direct replacement for the Stanley No5. Terry is no longer manufacturing the old Jack and will only be stocking the new tote and knob Jack which I think is much more like a Stanley No5.

However like you are saying you have come this far why not take the extra few dollars and just get a whole new plane?

Well if you love the HNT like me why not I say. He has some ebony ones going for $150. However These planes are just tool steel and not the M2 HSS .

Therefore I would go with IanW suggestion and get a Veritas Blade it will serve you fine.

Sounds like I have turned coat.

[Pusser]

Mark,
have you thought about picking up a few more 'stanley and competitor' standard blades and having sharp replacement blades on hand?

If interested, I'll pass a few your way when I'm home in December... I have a few extras.

You might try the Clifton blades with the clifton chipbreaker. They are thicker and more rigid especially with the flat chipbreaker which makes sharpening easier ( the chip breaker is a two piece affair that the bottom just lifts off for sharpening). I replaced stanley blades in a #4, #5 and # 6 and they were like new planes. I bought them some years ago in the Woodworks shop which used to be in the Gowings shop (long gone). Not as trendy as the other blades mentioned but very good.

Pusser

[rat52]

I bought two of these stanley HSS blades when I was an apprentice carpenter back in 72 and for the 4yrs of my apprenticeship worked them hard as the boss didn't have a power planer.

I kept the old blades as spares but the edge didn't last anywhere as long as the HSS.

As others have stated they are easier to hone after hollow grinding but I love them as I don't get the zen experience from sharpening that others do.

As you can see from the pic there is plenty of life left after 35+ years of use and abuse

[Mark Woodward]

The LV HSS irons are, IMO the best bang for buck around (& I have a few other after-market brands, including one Academy), particularly with the Aussie $ going gangbusters!

Cheers,

Not a share-holder in LV, etc etc, just a happy customer.

Hi Ian/all,

I thought I'd 'shop' a bit at Lee Valley and here's what I ended up with.
A2 blades for both the 5 and block planes
The green honing compound
Both the flat and rounded wooden handled spokeshaves.
Total: $253.00 US
If the exchange rates hovering around 88c then I reckon that's about $275-280. Not bad when you consider just the 2 spokeshaves here are about $330!

The question is does anyone have an idea of shipping costs?

cheers,

--
Mark

[IanW]

The question is does anyone have an idea of shipping costs?
Mark

Mark - they'll contact you within a short time with a confirmation of your order, and give you several options on shipping. The cheapest is always surface, for which they say allow 8 weeks, and in my experience (I'm a cheapskate, so always go surface!) it takes at least 6 weeks, sometimes the full 8. But if you're impatient to get your hands on the loot, it can get pricey.

Looks like you got carried away in that LV catalogue? It can do that to you!

I think you'll be pleased with all of that lot - I have the flat spokeshave and it's a much better tool than the old cast-iron Stanleys and Records & nicer to hold .
Cheers,

[Mark Woodward]

Mark - they'll contact you within a short time with a confirmation of your order, and give you several options on shipping. The cheapest is always surface, for which they say allow 8 weeks, and in my experience (I'm a cheapskate, so always go surface!) it takes at least 6 weeks, sometimes the full 8. But if you're impatient to get your hands on the loot, it can get pricey.

OK, thanks. I haven't actually clicked the 'continue' button yet . I seem to be going through an unusual period of 'should I/ shouldn't I'. Usually I just do!

Looks like you got carried away in that LV catalogue? It can do that to you!

When I jump, I jump. Just at the moment, not sure which direction I'm jumping! If I did order from LV I'd order as much as I could afford to try and spread shipping costs.

I think you'll be pleased with all of that lot - I have the flat spokeshave and it's a much better tool than the old cast-iron Stanleys and Records & nicer to hold .
Cheers,

This is one of the reasons I haven't jumped. The heart is saying 'buy the Gordon spokeshaves', but the Veritas are probably every bit as good and cost less!

Not sure I could hold out for 8 weeks though .


cheers,


--
Mark

[derekcohen]

Mark

I would say that the Veritas spokeshave (which I have not used but read plenty about) will do a great job, and that they are optimised for soft and medium hard timber. The HNT Gordon (my review is at the link below) are superb on all, but especially hard and gnarly timbers.

With shipping, I tend to use airmail rather than surface. I should add that this is an easier decision with US Post and I cannot say whether there are similarities with the Canadian postal service. With USPS the differences are small between air and surface (in the smallish items I get, this including the type of purchase you are considering). For example, the difference could be $35 verses $45. I'd rather pay the extra $10 and get it within 2 weeks. But that is me. You must check this out for yourself. If you ask Lee Valley for all the options, they will oblige. They are fantastic about such matters.

Regards from Perth

Derek