Useful plane addition?

[Biagio]

@Cherryville Chuck

In the old forum, someone (perhaps Stick?) mentioned that old issues of Shopnotes were available for download. I did so, but hardly ever look at them.

A completely unrelated search for a doc on my iPad opened up one issue. Glancing through it, I came across a short note on a scraper plane insert made/sold by Lee Valley. Replaces the blade and cap iron, holds a scraper blade at the right angle.

I cannot justify a dedicated scraper plane, but this insert looked interesting. However, I don’t remember ever seeing it on the LV catalogue, cannot find it now, although the blades for the insert are still listed.

Any experience with it or any idea if still available?

[Herb Stoops]

Do you have a link to the page of that item.
HErb

[DaninVan]

Is this it?
https://www.leevalley.com/en-gb/shop/to ... em=05P2901
More...
https://www.finewoodworking.com/project ... aper-plane


Even more...

[Biagio]

Hi Herb,
Pages 30 and 31 of Vol 6 Issue 36 November 1997.

Also shows an interesting plan for a mitre trimming jig using a block plane - poor man’s version of the Lion Mitre Trimmer that various members have spoken so highly of, DesertRat Tom in particular.

[Biagio]

Hi Dan, neither of those, although the block plane conversion is intriguing.
You just beat me to the post.

[Herb Stoops]

Dan beat me to the link, and I like the wooden link too.
I have the Leevalley version. I don't use it much,only when smoothing wild swirly grain that tends to chip out with a conventional plane. I made a bunch of scraper holders for the WW club for Xmas presents a few years ago. They work good too.
They keep your thumbs from getting hot during use.
But I might just build the wooden one to challenge my abilities.
Herb

[Biagio]

Herb, do you have the LV scraper plane or the insert I referred to?

[Biagio]

I have the LV scraper holder that looks a lot like the ones you made. Previously tried a wooden Chinese version like yours, but it was a bust. The LV one works fine, but I have less success with the LV burnishing tool. Am thinking of reverting to a straightforward hardened steel bar.

[Herb Stoops]

ttps://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand ... insert?p=1

I have the LV Scraper Plane shown and the sharpener. I do not have the conversion to a block plane. I also have the lee valley similar to the one I built,(all metal). I used for the idea of the ones I built.
I bought the card scrapers separate. When I was in Wood Shop, we were taught to use a nail set to sharpen the card scrapers. Since that time there are burnishing tools with a nice hardened steel shank to sharpen them with, that works well too.
https://www.ptreeusa.com/finish_scrapers.html#1261

https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... hing+tools

[Biagio]

Not sure how clear these will be, but they show the insert separatel and in a normal smoothing plane.
$26 in 1997. Not sure when we will see those prices again.

IMG_0444.png

IMG_0443.png

[Herb Stoops]

I did several difference searches online and can't find any for sale.
It has a lot of information on people who have it in the regular plane reviews but as many positive as negative. The most recent was 2016 and seems to indicate that Lee Valley it off tool listings for regular sized planes and block planes.
Herb

[Biagio]

Thanks Herb. Probably one of those things too good to be true. L V continues to sell replacement blades for the item.

[Cherryville Chuck]

@Cherryville Chuck

In the old forum, someone (perhaps Stick?) mentioned that old issues of Shopnotes were available for download. I did so, but hardly ever look at them.

A completely unrelated search for a doc on my iPad opened up one issue. Glancing through it, I came across a short note on a scraper plane insert made/sold by Lee Valley. Replaces the blade and cap iron, holds a scraper blade at the right angle.

I cannot justify a dedicated scraper plane, but this insert looked interesting. However, I don’t remember ever seeing it on the LV catalogue, cannot find it now, although the blades for the insert are still listed.

Any experience with it or any idea if still available?

I don't recall posting those Biagio. I also don't recall seeing the insert in LV's catalogs. I have the LV card scraper holder and it works but is very tiring on my hands after a few minutes. I also have a Stanley 112 scraper plane ($100 but I can always sell it for that much or more) and I recently picked up a Stanley 80 scraper shave which I find easier to use than the card scraper holder. It also has a much thicker iron than a card scraper is thick and is sharpened differently. My LV burnishers (2) work well. I'm not sure why yours doesn't. Card scrapers do need jointing eventually. The metal gets hardened after so many burnishings and won't turn a proper curl.

The curl is why the blades need a tilt adjuster. There really is no practical way to account for how the curl will turn out so you need to adjust to it. The thicker the iron you are using the better I think. Brian Boggs mentioned chatter in the one article and thicker means less chatter. Going by that theory maybe one of the best solutions for a blade if you were to make one would be one of those thick, tapered irons out of an old coffin plane. Those can be picked up cheap here. I don't think I've ever paid more than $10 for one.