I've decided to get more control over my tenon trimming, so was looking for a vintage router plane to add to my toolbox. Nothing came up locally so I bit the bullet and bought Lee Valley's router plane. It's beautiful with those bubinga handles, but….
There's a problem that I'm hoping is a manufacturing issue or even user error…
In the first picture below, you will see the blade holder on the right in all black. The adjustment screw is on the left and controlled by a nice sized knurled brass knob. Underneath the knob is a flange that will "trap" the blade holder , so that the blade is forced to move upwards and downwards as the knob is tightened or loosened. This is good. The bad part is there is a gap between the flange and the blade holder. A bit more than 1/64".
Why is this a problem? There are two actually.
#1: When trimming, I take too deep a cut, so need to back it off. I would like to move back 1/32", so turn the knob counterclockwise once. Still too deep! Why? Because of the 1/64" gap between the flange and the tool, you will need to remember to add on a 1/2 turn to bring the adjustment knob/flange up in contact with the blade holder. If you are wanting to do even finer tuning up and down (1/4 turn), then you have to turn a lot more than necessary.
#2: (This is the worse problem) So, in the example above, I realize that my cut is too aggressive, so back it off 1/32" (1/2 turn to engage the blade holder with the adjustment flange and then one full turn to raise the blade 1/32"). After making my cut, I want to lower the blade by 1/64", so that's 1/2 turn to re-engage the blade/flange and then another 1/2 turn to move. I do this. As I move to make the cut, the blade attempts to take off 1/32" instead!! Why? Because of the 1/64" gap, the blade dropped an additional 1/64"!
Now, if you look on LV's website, this image clearly shows there should be no gap between the flange and the blade holder.
For my latest project, I worked around the problem by remembering to add in another 1/2 turn plus whenever I changed direction with the blade (depth-wise), I would push (or pull) the blade to ensure it is engaged with the flange. Also, I would tighten the locking knob more than is likely good for the plane.
This is a complicated way of saying that this expensive and beautiful router plane has a lot of slop in it! I'd like some feedback. Have others experienced this? Do you have this issue with the vintage planes? If you spot user error, please speak up! BTW, Lee Valley is closed today for a holiday (Canada Day)...
There's a problem that I'm hoping is a manufacturing issue or even user error…
In the first picture below, you will see the blade holder on the right in all black. The adjustment screw is on the left and controlled by a nice sized knurled brass knob. Underneath the knob is a flange that will "trap" the blade holder , so that the blade is forced to move upwards and downwards as the knob is tightened or loosened. This is good. The bad part is there is a gap between the flange and the blade holder. A bit more than 1/64".
Why is this a problem? There are two actually.
#1: When trimming, I take too deep a cut, so need to back it off. I would like to move back 1/32", so turn the knob counterclockwise once. Still too deep! Why? Because of the 1/64" gap between the flange and the tool, you will need to remember to add on a 1/2 turn to bring the adjustment knob/flange up in contact with the blade holder. If you are wanting to do even finer tuning up and down (1/4 turn), then you have to turn a lot more than necessary.
#2: (This is the worse problem) So, in the example above, I realize that my cut is too aggressive, so back it off 1/32" (1/2 turn to engage the blade holder with the adjustment flange and then one full turn to raise the blade 1/32"). After making my cut, I want to lower the blade by 1/64", so that's 1/2 turn to re-engage the blade/flange and then another 1/2 turn to move. I do this. As I move to make the cut, the blade attempts to take off 1/32" instead!! Why? Because of the 1/64" gap, the blade dropped an additional 1/64"!
Now, if you look on LV's website, this image clearly shows there should be no gap between the flange and the blade holder.
For my latest project, I worked around the problem by remembering to add in another 1/2 turn plus whenever I changed direction with the blade (depth-wise), I would push (or pull) the blade to ensure it is engaged with the flange. Also, I would tighten the locking knob more than is likely good for the plane.
This is a complicated way of saying that this expensive and beautiful router plane has a lot of slop in it! I'd like some feedback. Have others experienced this? Do you have this issue with the vintage planes? If you spot user error, please speak up! BTW, Lee Valley is closed today for a holiday (Canada Day)...