Help with Veritas 4 1/2

Re: Help with Veritas 4 1/2

David Miller from Iowa

>Not quite following you with the "arms" reference, but if you can see light under a straight edge you likely do need some sole work. If you want to start an animated thread, just post the question "What is the best sole flattening technique?" We all seem to have a lot of opinions on that one.

Good luck, David

Re: Help with Veritas 4 1/2

Tom_in_Syracuse

>Hi David,

I was talking about the straight portions of the letter "U". The round is on the toe and the straights are on the sides of the plane. The center after about the first inch from the toe seems to be concave.

Re: Help with Veritas 4 1/2

Wiley Horne--Glendora CA

>Hi Tom,

Yes, you need to get the front of the mouth sitting down hard on the work. Then it will plane properly. Otherwise, you'll have to over extend the blade to get contact, then when the blade does get a bite, it will pull itself down into the wood deeply, and you'll either get a thick woody shaving, or tearout. But with the mouth sitting down flat on the work, it'll work beautifully. If there are hollow areas in the interior after you get the mouth on the work, don't worry about them--they're your guarantee that the sole has not been convexed.

Wiley

Re: Help with Veritas 4 1/2

Gene C.

>Tom,

Your problem sounds familiar. Take the frog out of the plane bed. Reinstall the iron and cap iron on the frog as it sits in the plane. Now look for light between the iron and the frog. I know LV says the blade only needs to touch the last 1/4" or so. But I found my iron to be arched bad enough so that the iron was acting like a spring and I could slip a business card between the iron and frog most of the length. All this is within the design concept of the plane according to the LV design engineer I questioned about it. But to me the proof is in the pudding, and I had the identical problem with mine. Sad to say because the plane is so well made, but the LN 4 1/2 performs dramatically better IMHO. I would suspect the sole on yours is as flat as can be, the machining is top quality.

Gene

Re: Help with Veritas 4 1/2

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>I suggest you send it back to LV and get another one that is flat. Most likely this one sliped past the q.c. guys and I'm sure Rob Lee would want you to have the plane up to the manufacturing standard. JR

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

deanp

>Do you think your LV 4.5 is still as good as the LN 4.5? Funny...I never hear about qc problems from LN.

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

William Duffield on the Cohansey

>I have heard of a couple of QC problems from L-N. EVERYONE has QC problems. You cannot catch every single error. Sometimes, a booboo slips through. What is important is that EVERY QC problem I have heard of from either L-N or LV has been quickly and graciously corrected. All you have to do is point out your problem, and they will make it right, and usually a lot more than just right. Just don't rant and rail at them. IMHO, both companies are doing everything humanly possible to consistently build and deliver products that you will be more than pleased to use for as long as you work wood.

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>This is my experience also. That is why I suggested the return to LV. At the least you will get your money back! JR

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

Frank D. in Montreal

>That was my first thought when I read the post; Rob Lee took care of a minor problem I had with a plane over a year after I bought it. I had a QC problem with my LN #8 too, a minor flaw in the casting at the mouth, and they sent me another one before I even had time to send my first one back. I'd talk to Rob Lee about it and see what he says. I'm sure if there's a flaw he'll fix it graciously.

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

Tim of San Leandro

>"I never hear about qc problems from LN"

I'm guessing someone is eating crow right about now ;- )

Tim

Re: Help with Veritas 4 1/2

paul womack

>I would suspect the sole on yours is as flat as can be

He says he checked with a straight edge and detected a gap (i.e. concavity)

BugBear

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

Rob Lee

>Well Dean - once again I'll have to defer to your expertise.

Rob

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

deanp

>Hey....you're the expert. You're the one that has developed a product of the same quality as your competitor and can sell it for almost half the price without farming your production to Mexico. Every elite business owner is going to come knocking on your door.

BTW...why do some of your LV employees at the woodshows buy their tools at the LN booth?

Wow...

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>Nothing to do with anything.

As my daughter would say...

Rob Lee

>...whatever.

Cheers -

Rob

Re: Help with Veritas 4 1/2

Gene C.

>I have a Starret 24" hardened and ground straight edge that came with a Starret hardened and ground forged steel combination square that is not straight when checked on a granite test plate. Remember, they are straight to a specification which may be only .001 per inch, not perfect! If they were perfect, they would be a standard tracable to NIST and cost a lot more than $60.

Gene

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

Tony Z.

>My two cents worth: both are very fine companies! I own tools from both, and find the quality superb. I have had very minor issues with both and find customer service superb! Both utilize a business model of examining why unanticipated problems happened, and correcting their process accordingly.

Other manufacturers should aspire to the level that L-V and L-N are at.

Quite frankly, why denigrate tool manufacturers and suppliers that strive to be at the top of their game each and every time? I only wish my woodworking expertise could match the level of expertise their tools could conceivably permit me to do.

Uh Guys....missing the point...

Robert Tarr

>Pardon the simpleton view....I am the son of a mechanic that always purchased quality tools...first they (Snap-On, Mac, Matco) came to the shop to make the purchase easy (huge point) and secondarily a tool never broke while the "tool guy" was on-site. One call and the tool guy would swing by on his rounds and help out. We will call this good customer service that falls inside of a good business plan, paid for by the upcharge on the tool.

What does this have to do with woodworking? Tools break and QC issues exist, but dealing with a quality company, I seem to find this happens much less often and if it does, it is handled quickly and professionally.

You get what you pay for (or at least should...)

Robert

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

deanj

>I own both LN and LV tools. The quality of both are top notch, and as Rob has said there is little overlap in the tools. The customer service of both companies is above and beyond anything I have ever experienced, both strive to supply us with the best. And even Rob is awaiting his LN chisels! :-) No reason you shouldn't have both comapnies tools in your shop, and that goes for LV employees, why are they forbid to own non LV tools? I'll bet LN folk have a few LV tools tool as each company make some offerings the other does not.

Dean Jansa -- not to be confused with the other Dean, please!

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

Cameron

>I agree with Rob - Whatever!

Woah

Tom_in_Syracuse

>I became hooked on WoodCentral about a year ago because of people like Bob Smalser, Elis, and others who care enough about their craft to share their knowledge. The way this thread has degenerated combined with other recent cheap shots is just plain annoying. As my mother always says if your going to say something bad then don't say it.

By the way I when bonus time comes around I will be making another large Lee Valley purchase.

A note about "rules"

Dan Donaldson

>There are very few rules here at WC, the main one being that people are civil to each other, which means that there is very little for any moderators to do.;-)

If there are specific problems with a product or supplier, posters are welcome to post about them as long as it is factual and not a flame. Nebulous flames or personal attacks are not in anyone's interest and are one of the things that are not permitted here. Please note that. If there is a specific issue, then state it as an issue, but please do not take cheap shots at either other posters or suppliers. Fair warning that any further posts along this line will be deleted. Thanks

You da man, Tom

Ellis Walentine

>We've had some serious back room discussions about this thread today. It would be nice if deanp would use an e-mail address so I could contact him directly with my concerns.

Sometimes people don't realize how inflammatory their comments may seem to others. Around here, we give people the benefit of the doubt. Dan has put a fine point on the official position in his ADMIN post above.

Thanks to everyone for keeping the lid on this. Somehow we've managed to keep a decent discussion of this Veritas/L-N issue going despite the distractions.

Ellis Walentine, Host

Re: Hey Rob Lee...

Todd Stock

>I am SHOCKED...tool junkies buying tools - whoda thunk?

FWIW, the 2003 LN tool porn calender featured a LV shave. Wonder if Tom donned fake beard to raid the LV display at one of the shows or had it sent to his inlaw's house?