I am thinking of buying the Veritas Scraper Plane. Right now I just use cabinet scrapers and a Veritas M80. Advantage of the plane is that you get a larger sole. Scraper=no sole. M80 = small sole. Scraper plane=medium sole. Veritas (or is it Lie Nielsen ?) scraper jig for No. 7 or 8 bench plane = maximum sole. With a small sole you get rid or defects but the scraper rides over the hills and valleys.
Anyone have the last 2 options noted above, and strongly-held opinions?
Thx,
Dan
Replies
I use the Veritas cabinet scraper--is that what you refer to as the "M80?"
I, too, have been thinking about getting a scraper plane, not for the longer sole (I'm not sure that that's necessarily a Good Thing when scraping), but rather because I think I might have better control with a plane-stype grip. Holding a cabinet scraper has never felt quite right to me.
-Steve
Steve,
Attached is a picture of the M80 scraper. Originally made by Stanley. I have both the Stanley version as well as the Veritas version. Both use the same size blade, but the Veritas sole is longer, and the heft is better in my opinion.
As to the longer sole of a scraper plane being better or worse, depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are trying to flatten a highly figured surface, there should be no question that a longer sole is better, agreed? If all you are trying to do is eliminate, on a very localized basis, defects in the surfce, then a cabinet scraper (no sole) is probably better. If such a defect were in a "hollow" you would never get to it with the scraper jig fitted into a No. 8 plane body.
Regards,
Dan
Okay, that is the one I have (the Veritas version).
I agree that if you're using the scraper for "primary" flattening, then yes, you do want the longer sole. But my inclination in that case would be to use a conventional plane with a back-bevel on the blade (to increase the cutting angle to 55° or so) rather than a scraper. My reasoning is that you're likely to get more work done between sharpenings/burnishings.
-Steve
saschafer,
Read the thread "Help with LN 112" in this same section...
Steve,
You're right that a plane with the high cutting angle is best for smoothing difficult-grain surfaces. I confess to having indulged in a Veritas scraper plane but I rarely use it since becoming proficient with a bevel-up plane loaded with a 45 degree bevel on a 15 degree bed (60 degree cutting angle).
It also helps that the plane used is a very heavy one; this provides momentum, as the steep angle blade has to be pushed hard (it needs a lot more push than a 45 degree cutting angle). A very light cut also helps; but needs more swooshes to get to flatness. A final cut approaching 1 thou will plane smooth even the horrible stuff.
The worst that is left after the high angle planing, in even the nastiest timbers, is a very slight nap where the grain roils, wriggles badly or goes from very hard to soft. This nap disappears rapidly with a minimal hand-sand using a final grit paper (eg 180 for open grain stuff; up to 320 grit for the very hard/smooth timbers). The scraper plane is now more or less redundant, therefore.
I do use an ordinary scraper now and then to get into those awkward, small or curved places, or when it's otherwise not possible to plane. In truth, I still find it easier to sand such places if the roughness is minor. This partly because I still struggle to get a good burr on the scraper. David Charles just did an article in the British magazine Furniture & Cabinetmaking that provides a lot of insight into getting a good scraper edge so I will be trying his techniques......
Despite a willingness and even a desire to adopt scraping, amongst other new-found hand-tool skill, it rarely seems to be necessary (during the flattening process) if a high cutting angle plane is used.
Lataxe, who avoids getting into scrapes.
Next month I will buy a scraper plane.. I love my card scrapers BUT I'm old and my hands get a .. well whatever don't work so I thought a scraper plane would help! Gee, am I wrong again?
I am a little surprised you guys never mention using a toothing plane, finely set, to get flat results. It can go every which way, is little effort, and the slight surface marks left are easily dressed.
toothing plane? I thought I had one or did I tip the plane side to side?
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled