I am having problems getting anything close to good results with a GROZ 5 1/2 jack plane I bought new. I bought a Hock blade and chipbreaker for it, tuned it by lapping the sole, sharpening the blade, making sure the frog had good contact. The frog is not adjustable and that maybe part of the problem. There is a lot of backlash on the blade adjuster and I can’t retract the blade above the sole. My main problem is I can’t get thin shavings, and the height of the blade doesn’t stay at the set point.
Did I waste my money or have I missed something?
Thanks, HGM
Replies
Yes, you wasted your money! I bought 2 Groz planes on sale and neither one is able to be adjusted. They make great door stops though. My new Lie Nielsen is a piece of fine craftsmanship and functions well out of the box. To hold the Lie and teh Groz next to each other is to see what $30 vs 200 dollars gets you.
HGM,
Without seeing your plane it is hard to be sure what is causing your problem, but I'll give you a few suggestions. I can also recall other postings, like the second one responding to your question, that said you get what you pay for when buying an economy plane.
You primary problem is that you can't retract the blade above the sole, if you can't do that, you can't get a thin shaving. Start out by setting the chip breaker so it is just 1/32" or so behind the edge of the blade. If you still can't fully retract the blade when the chip breaker is properly positioned then the Hock chip breaker isn't going to work with your plane, the little notch in the adjuster that engages the pivot lever isn't in the right place for a Groz plane.
When setting the depth of cut always start with the blade fully retracted and only advance it in small stages taking test cuts as you go, never backing off except to retract the blade fully to start over again if you go too far. Adjusted this way the free play in the mechanism is taken out and the depth setting won't slip.
John White
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