Anant #7 - "Big Arn" (LONG !)
Ron Smith
>I previously reported here on my great experience with the Anant #5; Excellent out of the box with minimal grinding and adjustment required. i said then i was going to get a #7 and that i was a bit concerned about trueness of the long bed. I was on the verge of ordering when i received an email from a fellow poster here who had had bad luck with the Anant #7 . . Returning two due to bad castings, and spending too many hours flattening the sole on the third one received. Now what! ?!
I considered a LN Low Angle #7 at around $300.00 . . . . And just could not stretch. I called the selling dealer of the Anant #7, and they said the castings and machining were Ok and planes were perfectly serviceable. I took a chance and ordered. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The #7 is just as good as the #5. A little time with a diamond stone smoothing edges of the iron and chip-breaker, Checking the Frog adjustment, and flattening and sharpening the too-thin iron. I had one significant problem; When assembled the cut was poor and there was not enough lateral adjustment possible to set it right. Inspection showed a 1/16 inch wide elevated spot on the iron bedding surface on the left corner of the mouth. This was holding the iron elevated at that corner. A little judicious filing and all was well. I am not sure just how flat the bed is. I put it on a known flat surface and see-sawed a thin strip of cellophane back and forth the full length of the bed carefully feeling for unequal resistance. Then went over it with a Starrett 12 inch Square blade (the only thing I own which is pretty straight). Everything seemed OK. I remembered what Blood & Gore site said, something like; . ."#7s and #8s are NEVER flat but don't let that worry you." I put it to a very slightly out of true 2 inch thick board and snikker-snack . . . a few strokes and it was straight as a string. One-hundred and thirty buck and I have what for me is a perfectly adequate #5 AND #7. Oddly, that is about what i paid for my LN Small Chisel Plane . . Which Small Chisel Plane is so pretty it will NEVER see a piece of rough ol' wood.
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