Matched Chip Breaker and Blade Set, 2"W for Stanley Handplanes #4 and #5

Comments about Matched Chip Breaker and Blade Set, 2"W for Stanley Handplanes #4 and #5 :

This plane blade and chip breaker set delivered just as advertised. My old Stanley #4 works like it never had before. I must say though, that this didn't happen just by putting the blade in the plane. I had to put a micro bevel on the blade itself, move back the frog and file open the mouth of the plane to allow for the thicker blade. Fortunately, Rob Cossman's DVD explained how to do these things. Without it, the novice woodworker might struggle to make it fit. Once done though, heaven. Would have given this a 4 star rating if it hadn't come with the DVD. Make sure that it is included in the package when you purchase this set, or you could be sorry....

Comments about Matched Chip Breaker and Blade Set, 2"W for Stanley Handplanes #4 and #5 :

It works just as advertised!

Comments about Matched Chip Breaker and Blade Set, 2"W for Stanley Handplanes #4 and #5 :

I've been tuning my hand planes for a while. Getting them flat enough to able to produce good fine shavings and a flat surface but there has always been a downfall. The blade. I use alot of A2 in my shoulder planes and block planes and wanted one so I can hold a decent edge for longer in my bench planes with the intention of using my belt sander less. I did a little research online looking through numerous brands and came across this set. I was caught by the fact that the blades come from the guys that make Veritas blades and I own and love their stuff. I gave it a go and wow. You get 1 massive plane iron. So thick that when you pick it up it puts a grin on your face. 1 massive chipbreaker that fits like it grew there. I was pretty excited to give it go but it was late and time for bed. The problem was that Woodcraft threw in Rob's DVD. So I just sneak a preview and I ended up watching the whole thing. His shop videos are great and as always I learnt some great tricks. The main one was his tertiary micro bevel. I normally just hone a secondary till it's sharp. Then it came to getting it working. I had the advantage of watching Rob do it all the day before and my plane was already tuned so all I had to do was move the frog back and make some adjustments to the mouth and I was ready to fit the blade. Out comes the sharpening station. 30 degree secondary and a 31 micro tertiary, a pretty tiny camber, the old ruler trick on my 8000 waterstone and I'm there. We are talking about a minutes prep on the blade. The chipbreaker is good to go. To give it the best possible chance I checked the edge with a magnifine glass just to be sure. It was immaculate. Okay now let's see how it goes. I set the mouth to just under a 32nd and get some wood up on the bench. Easy straight grained pine - Perfect. No tear out. I take fat shavings, thin shavings, all effortless. It's so much fun I've got a length of 2 x 1 that's now more like 1 x 1. So that was too easy. Some straight grained European oak - Still way to easy. There is now more shavings than wood. I'm thinking, shouldn't I be sharpening by now? Nevermind this piece of oak is way too big for my liking anyway so I cut it down to size. I'm checking for tear out but there just isn't any. Okay time to test it. I pull up this piece of Iroko. My HSS blades nemesis. HSS and Iroko means blunt iron and an unhappy face. So I attack it. I'm cutting a fairly thick shaving and it still cutting easily but I have got some tear out in the reversing grain. I hate you Iroko I think. I keep taking shaving anyway just to see if the edge will dull or fail. I decide to be fair to the iron and have a quick sharpen and take a fair size shaving. I'm on the stone for a minute. A quick go on the 1000 to get a burr, micro bevel on the 8000, a little camber, ruler trick the back and to be honest I had another quick look up close at it. From the way it polished this second time I knew it was even sharper than last time but I had to take a look. So back in the plane in a flash (I'm going to completely omit the fact that I lost my 6 inch rule in the pile of shavings on my bench which took me 4 mins to find!) Anyway back to that piece of Iroko. I dialed in the plane to the finest shaving and started to have a go at that tear out. Well it was going. I planned it all off easily, leaving behind just in the worst places that kind of micro tear out. I mean I was looking at the wood close up in 6 x magnification and I could just get the hint of tear out. I wiped the edge over with a bit of 400 grit to see if I could get some dust in it to make the tear out more prononced but it was flawless. I was, well, gobsmacked. I squared it up, touched it with some 400 (literally a wipe) and put a light coat of my favourite varnish on it and set it to one side. Then I spotted a little practice dovetail I cut the other day. Made out of inch and quarter oak, 2 inch wide, with one huge tail. The plane was still set super fine so i started cleaning up the tail face. I was being careful, alot of scew to give it a chance on the end grain of the pin board. These cuts were and still are amazing to me. Absolutely perfect. I normally clean this kind of work up with my low angle plane cause it's the only thing I've got with A2 steel that can take it and I'm always frustrated by chatter, blade edge failure lack of control and weight. No more. It cut to a glass like finish easily even with barely any scew it kept on cutting. No edge failure which normally makes little lines in the end grain. Now I'm really smiling. Okay let's see what you think about the top of the tail that's over an inch thick. It cut like a laser and my smile is getting uncomfortable. I have never used A2 steel this good. The edge just wouldn't break, chip, dull or burr. I'm now planing with a tiny 10 degree scew and the shavings just keep coming. Glass finish. Soon this dovetail will only be half inch. Then I realise one thing. I am a really satisfied customer and that's saying something these days! Thanks Rob. Thanks IBC. Thanks Woodcraft. Oh and back to the varnished Iroko. Absolutely amazing. Flawless glass finish.