LV LA Jack Problem

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

mikew

>Hi Sean,

You may wish to simply contact them anyway. In the ones I had I did not experience that. It's possible that the screw is simply the wrong length, or that the tapped hole was misshaped in their machining, or something else wrong all together.

I no longer have one here. Someone who does have one can let you know concerning screw length.

Mike

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Frank D. in Montreal

>The threaded portion is just shy of 7/8". The screw on mine only advances about 3/16" into the tapped hole. You should be able to adjust the blade quite easily without loosening the screw, and the blade should not move when you plane. I have no idea what might be wrong but if you have to loosen the screw to advance the blade or adjust it laterally it's too tight.

Is the blade well-seated on the bed?

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

John Todd

>I have an older LV LA Jack, one with the old style handle probably like yours. If I remember correctly, Lee Valley sent me a new longer screw sometime after I got my plane. The service was one of those wonderful little extras when dealing with LV. Perhaps someone can also confirm my poor memory.

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Sean Evoy in Ottawa

>Well actually, I received one too, but it was the same length as the original and longer than the one in the LA smoother, so I just assumed they were being thorough.

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Sean Evoy in Ottawa

>Frank,

That sounds like the setup I have too. I don't think that the blade is moving when I plane, although it might be. The problem is that the blade assembly rocks forward when I advance the blade and backwards when I retract. The frog doesn't appear to be damaged. I polished the back of the blade as part of my normal tuning so it should be flat enough. Perhaps the threaded hole has become slightly distorted. Thanks,

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Greg Sloop, Portland Oregon

>I'm not exactly sure what you're having trouble with - even after reading all the posts in the thread...

(Perhaps I'm just slow...)

I don't find the "lever cap" rocking at all, and I don't have to loosen it to adjust blade projection.

I'm sure you're doing this, but here's how I do it.

I tighten the lever cap just enough to hold it steady, but still allow the projection and lateral adjust to be adjusted easily. I never have problems with the iron moving when it's adjusted properly - not too lose, not too tight. If you can't find this sweet spot, then something's clearly wrong and you ought to talk to LV about it.

The set-screw that the lever cap "holds" on to *IS* not down all the way though. (By design I believe...) and shouldn't be turned clear down. Simply turn it down to where you can still get the lever cap off easily and no farther. (Do this by turning it way down after taking the lever cap off, and then backing it back up till you can get the lever cap back on and leaving it there.) BTW, the LN 62 also works very similarly in terms of the set-screw - though the LV lever cap holds its' position much better than the LN.

As far as getting the iron just back to where it was after a honing, that isn't something I've ever even attempted, so I can't comment on how it would work. Often I'm switching irons etc, and just take an additional 15 seconds to re-set the projection. I suppose it would work fine, though after honing, one would expect the blade to be shorter - perhaps only a tiny bit - and you'd have to adjust again anyway.

I've had my hands on a couple of the Jacks and they all worked fine this way. Same with the heavy smoother.

Cheers,

Greg

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

John Todd

>I just checked... I still happened to still have the "old" screw and the new LV replacement screw. Not counting the "countersink" style head on the heavy brass screw, the old one's threaded shank is about 11/16 while the new one is about 13/16. It's 2 complete threads longer.

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Rob Lee

>Hi Sean -

I haven't heard of a similar issue before...

You have one of the very early ones (actually, one of the first hundred) and, as one of the other posters has pointed out, we did supply the wrong length of screw with some (a dozen or so screws from another product were put back in the wrong bin).

We'd certainly be glad to go over your plane to see what's up - and even replace it if you prefer. Be glad to give you a loaner too, while we check it out. If you contact me by email - I can have one waiting for you at the Ottawa express pick-up counter....

Cheers -

Rob

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Sean Evoy in Ottawa

>Greg,

Imagine the blade and lever cap as a single unit. Now, imagine advancing the iron just a bit to take a slightly deeper bite or remove backlash. As you are doing this, the blade and lever cap rock forward as a unit. It's as though the screw is loose in the threaded housing and can rock a bit front to back. Hope that helps you visualize the problem.

In terms of tightening the lever cap down, I stop the moment I feel resistance and that seems to be more than tight enough without even going another quarter turn. I can advance the blade and do lateral adjustments, so I figure that it's OK.

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Sean Evoy in Ottawa

>Cool. I have a first edition :-) I did get a replacement screw in the mail, but it was the same as the one in my plane, so I'm pretty sure that isn't the root of the problem. I'd be thrilled if you guys would take a look at the plane. Thanks for the offer!

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

paul womack

>The entire lever cap assembly moves slightly as I advance or retract the blade.

Why is this a problem, if the movement is small? As long as the BLADE is under control, you're good to go.

BugBear

Try this ...

Derek Cohen (in Perth Australia)

>Sean wrote: "The entire lever cap assembly moves slightly as I advance or retract the blade. It seems as though the brass screw that holds the lever cap to the plane body isn't advanced enough into the threaded hole. ...While tightening it does lessen the "rocking" a bit"

Sean, check the top of the lever cap screw hole to see whether the thread actually holds all the way to the surface. From your description it sounds as if the top few threads have stripped. Consequently, the screw needs to go further into the hole than otherwise, and in fact a few threads further than desired so as to retain stability, and this forces you to tighten down the lever cap a tad too much for easy adjustment. And if you do not tighten it (so as to get the lever cap on), it is set too loose.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Sean Evoy in Ottawa

>That's a good point. I suppose the fact that the lever cap moves doesn't effect the actual projection of the blade. That's governed solely by the advancement mechanism. I'll have to go take another look at what's moving on my break this morning.

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Bob Fawcett

>I have not measured my screw, so I don't know what length I have. When my plane first arrived the lever cap would not come off unless I loosened the brass screw 1/2 turn, so I have kept it that way. I don't notice anything like you describe.

Whenever I need to remove the blade, I loosen the lever cap screw, loosen the brass screw in the center of teh lever cap 1/2 turn and remove the lever and blade. When I replace the parts, I turn the screw in the center of the lever cap 1/2 turn first and then tighten the lever cap screw until just tight.

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Greg Sloop, Portland Oregon

>Bob, you should be able to remove the "cap iron" *without* adjusting the screw and all should be fine.

IMHO, set the height of the screw just high enough to allow the cap iron to come on and off easily and leave it there.

I'd go nuts if I had to adjust the screw every time I wanted to change or remove irons. [I guess if you don't mind, don't let me give you a complex about it. :)]

Cheers,

Greg

LV LA Jack Problem or "Why I Love Lee Valley"

Sean Evoy in Ottawa

>So, about four weeks ago, I tried to explain to a couple of my best friends why working with wood was so satisfying. Above and beyond the beauty of the medium, one of my reasons was the community and another, the decency of the people who make a living at this.

Today, I'm wearing a shirt that comes in five sizes, none of which fit me quite right. Big box stores make shopping a cookie-cutter experience, with hard-to-find staff and no expertise to draw on. By comparison, Steve Knight or Dave Jeske will not only build a tool just for you, they will customize it based on how you like to work. Rob Lee not only responds to people on this forum, he will put you in touch with staff in his organization that will help you out right away.

I spoke with an engineer at Lee Valley today, and he did some tests with other LA jack planes. It turns out that what I am seeing is not a problem and does not fall out of the design spec for the plane. So, it appears that BugBear was right; the blade projection won't be effected by the lever cap movement. I was blaming the tool instead of my technique. Rather than accepting my apology for wasting his time though, the engineer offered to inspect my plane for any other problems. For free! Fantastic!

So, my thanks to everyone who took the time to understand what I was asking and offering their advice. And many thanks to Rob for running such a fantastic company.

Re: LV LA Jack Problem

Sean Evoy in Ottawa

>What was happening in my case was that as I advanced the blade, the "sticktion" between the blade and the lever cap was carrying the whole assembly forward. At some point, the mechanical advantage of brass screw would overcome this movement, the blade would advance but the cap would stay put. Since the carrier of the adjuster governs blade projection, it doesn't matter how much the lever cap moves forward. Further, the cap is not like a traditional chip breaker, so as long as it is holding the blade solidly, it doesn't matter whether it moves a bit. I suppose the only concern with the movement would be if it damages the tapped hole or the screw, but I would imagine the forces invovled are so small that this would be unlikely.

In retrospect, I should have figure this out myself. I was blinded by my own hypothesis, I guess.

I don't

Hoa Dinh in Union City

>They keep getting my money.

At this rate, I may need to set up some sort of direct deposit!

-- Hoa, trying to resist the temptation of a BU jointer!

Re: I don't

Greg Sloop, Portland Oregon

>Resistance is futile. (Just think, you could get a loan on the title to your car so you could get the new jointer today! *grin* Hey, a new idea for LV - loan sharking!)

Cheers,

Greg