# Nice Ash Smoother



## wormil

"Nice" review!


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## alba

Good review Don,sounds as though they are well worth the money
and they seem keen to get them up and running.
Jamie


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## rhett

Thank you Don for this review. Anyone who has seen Dons infills, will understand why his review and suggestions stand to be acknowledged. It isn't our intention for people to have to "fix" anything, in order to use our planes. A bit of fettling is to be expected though, but not that much.

After talking with Don the the phone, I discovered he was experiencing blade creep. It was the perfect storm for suck. The bed was too smooth, the wedge was too thin and in an effort to make the plane look nice for review, it got too much wax in the mouth. Please do not think I am trying to make excuses, as when these problems were addresses, it all but took care of the issue.

Here are the changes which have been made to our Nice Ash Planes, since speaking with Don.
- The wedge is no longer cherry and is made from ash
- The wedge no longer gets any sanding past 80 grit either side
- The wedge is no longer finished
- The bed is now left rough, stopping at the medium Iwasaki file, to give it more tooth.
- Our machinery has been reset to tighten the mouth, since this has been mentioned multiple times. I have no more wide mouths in stock, so anyone ordering from this date forward will get the narrower hand plane.

As a side note, the dimensions chosen for the mouth and wedge geometry were not pulled from the sky, so to speak. They are the dims given by a well respected book on wooden planes.

We stand behind our product 100% and want to provide the best possible plane we can. We also listen to our patrons, since they are woodworkers too. If you got a plane with a cherry wedge and would like a free replacement, even if you don't think you need it, PM me and I will get one sent to you.

Thanks again Don, these are exactly the types of things we NEED to hear, even if we don't WANT to. All the better coming from an experienced plane maker.

93% of all business fails in the first year. That is probably a low number, for a woodworking business. Especially one selling American based, hand crafted products. We are confident in what we offer and are determined to beat the odds. Taking care of our end user, is the biggest part of that.


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## woodklutz

Rhett, you are to be applauded for your honesty and desire to make your company great. If only other companies followed your example they would not look like fools to their stock holders. e.g. JC Penny, to cite an example.
I don't use a plane a lot, but if I did it would be from you.
May you live long and prosper!


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## 33706

Nice work, Don! You're an inspiration to us all.


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## wormil

Thanks for the response Rhett, if only all businesses were so responsive, open and honest. I don't have any immediate plans to buy a wood plane but if or when I do, these will be on the list.


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## AaronK

thanks very much for the review and rhett for helpful comments. On something as finicky as wood I wouldn't even consider bed friction to be an issue - i'd just do as Don did and roughen it up a bit.


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## AnthonyReed

Thanks Don.


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## donwilwol

Its residing in good company.


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## ShaneA

Good info Don. Sounds like things are well on there way to improving. Kudos to Rhett for being open to feedback and striving to make top notch products.


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## mochoa

Don was your plane darker than mine or are your mitts that grubby from all that metal working?

Rhett, have you guys given any thought to increasing the bedding angle on your smoothers?


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## donwilwol

My mitts were dirty from the metal work. The first time I used it was fitting infills. I thought about giving it a coat of blo first, but I was into the moment. I like the patina.


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## rhett

Mauricio, yes, that is the future plan. As it stands now, all the beds are at a 45, once again for simplicity of production. The jigs we are using are quite indepth to make, with the only adjustment being the width between sides.

We want to see how things progress before offering too many options


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## mafe

Thank you for a fine review and some good answers from rhett.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## donwilwol

some time ago Rhett sent me a new wedge. It had a bolt but it wasn't quit long enough, probably due to the fussing around I had done earlier. But no fear, we have the technology. Stronger, better and a touch of brass.


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## AnthonyReed

Undaunted in perpetuity.


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