Tpt life Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 I might have once suggested this plane as an economical path to decent planes. After months of use, I love using my 4 1/2 but have some negative thoughts. I did not like the thought of so much Chinese (not because it is Chinese, but because it is overseas) inclusion in the process. But what is truly awful is the aggressive pitch of the depth adjustment post and knob. It takes a very practiced touch. I would no longer recommend these planes to any beginner if they are all this way. While it can be a pain to crank a Stanley many turns to retract or advance, I rarely need to fuss to keep from over advancing. Two more potentially useless cents from my corner. Carus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 I thought it was me and my lack of finesse and experience! I'm sure 99% is but at least now I can blame a portion on the machine. Thanks for posting Shaffer, misery loves company! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Thanks for the honest evaluation, Carus. It is helpful to hear there is some tangible reason to avoid these planes, not just that they aren't made in the USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 So the adjustment advance and retract is just too agressive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Kang Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Nothing wrong with the depth adjuster knob. It's dead simple to get lace thin or thick shavings. Absolutely a non issue. Likely user error in this case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 So the adjustment advance and retract is just too agressive?Yes. The knob cannot be adjusted on the fly with a single finger. It takes micro control to advance the blade appropriately for a smoother and tamer of hellish timbers. As a jack I would not have the same critique. Steve: User error? Maybe. Please read my post again. I have tamed the adjustment for me. I cannot see a new user understanding this issue. As I often see guys here suggesting a single "premium" reference plane for the guys new to hand planes, I think the word of caution is warranted. I also have planes from about fifteen makers in my collection now to compare against and this plane is by far the most aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 What is the thread? I would have figued something like 1/4"-20 and going to a 1/4" 28 isn't going to be hugely more fine. So you are left with either a bastard pitch or something like a #10-32 to get it much finer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Would it be possible to swap out the threaded rod the knob sits on with one with a less steep pitch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Would it be possible to swap out the threaded rod the knob sits on with one with a less steep pitch?Possibly, but you would either need a rod with two threadings on it, or to retap the body. The tooling and time involved would make this more expensive than going with a Lee Valley or Lie Neilson. Maybe if you did a bunch you could make do, but bastard pitch size taps and die's are not cheap. For example Mcmaster Carr carries a 1/4"-48 die, but it is $44.09. And the tap is $19.49. So with the materal for new knob and rod you are talking at least say $75 to buy it all. Now if it is more about the lever arms and pivot point than screw pitch it might be even harder to retrofit one. I suspect they are all using standard pitch screws not weird sizes anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Let me get home tonight and mic the leverage arm etc. It does not look different enough to suspect that issue. The rod looks coarse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Nice feedback C, personally I had no issue at all. Being honest it's only when you use something a lot do you find any bugs, the first few days can be "wow I love the new toy" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Ok, help me process this data. The thread count may be a few less. I will need to get to a hardware to certify both threadings. They are not visually different enough to go with my first statement. The knob on the WR sits further from the frog by almost 3/8". It looks more in the pic just due to the angle photographed. The tang that sticks through the frog and chipbreaker to adjust the iron is about 30% longer on the WR. Maybe this is more about the amount of leverage on the working end of the lever. And just to reiterate. The plane is a fine tool. I just would not offer it to the new user. I can see it causing much frustration. I still use the plane and enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted September 17, 2015 Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Thinking on this it makes sense it sticks out farther because modern plane irons and chip breakers are thicker. This means that the same angle of motion would create a larger motion because the reference surface is farther from the pivot point. It also looks like the plane in the back which I take is the wood river has a greater distance from the pivot point to where it references the nob. This would mean that it would take more motion of the nob to get the same effect. A quick way to test if they are different is try to swap the nobs. If the threading works then they are the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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