Well, my Steve Knight coffin smoother arrived today. It is truly a
piece of fine craftmanship, down to the shavings included in the plane.
Whispy-thin certainly describes them. I did take it out to the shop and
verify its adjustment :-) This plane is a pleasure to use, I'm sold.
Unfortunately a business trip is going to prevent my being able to put this
tool to good use for several weeks. I'm really looking forward to making
full use of this fine tool in the future.
"Mark & Juanita" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Well, my Steve Knight coffin smoother arrived today.
<snip happy customer story>
I've been meaning to post this for a while - just been 'way busy! You may
remember
an earlier thread where Steve Knight was looking for a bass guitar for his
daughter...
we got together back channel and horse-traded a bit. I'm now the proud owner
of
a matched set of purpleheart planes with mesquite inlay strips: a coffin
smoother,
a razee jack plane and a razee jointer. To say the babies are schweet would
be an
understatement! Wispy, "dang near read the newspaper through 'em"
shavings...
<BSEG on my face>
Steve was a pleasure to deal with and he does high quality work - it's easy
to see how he got
to that five year anniversary! Thanks, Steve...
If you don't have one of his planes, you need one (you may not know it yet,
but you do).
Scott
Disclaimer: No affiliation other than being a very satisfied horse-tradin'
customer.
If you hone the iron by hand, all that is needed is to alternately bear down
on one corner and then the other. It doesn't take long to relieve them
enough to eliminate the plane tracks. I found it unnecessary to round the
corners. Of course you must have a very light blade exposure. That's why the
really shear shavings are there. :-)
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Alan W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Ed:
> >
> > Did you round off the corners of the blade more than the miter which
> > steve puts on them? I still have a little bit of difficulty with
> > plane tracks. The mouth opening being so small still amazes me, it is
> > a setting I have been unable to duplicate in my stanley's.
>
> The Ipe mouth block that is held in place by the 2 brass screws closes
that
> mouth opening and regulates the size of the opening. The mouth blocks
have
> very pointed and sharp 50 degree bevels before being trimmed and sanded
> smooth with the sole of the plane. Works pretty good, huh? ;~)
>
>
>
>
The iron is so thick, it is easy to hone the iron free hand. Just lay the
iron on the hone and make sure the iron is in full contact. I find that if I
stand to the side of the hone and draw the iron sideways across the hone and
to the end of the hone, it is easy to avoid rotating the iron, causing a
rounded edge.
I would never put a compound bevel on my Knight planes. I do on some other
planes I own, but not the Knights.
I personally have had no luck with honing jigs, either purchased or made.:-)
"Mark & Juanita" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 05:44:40 GMT, "Ed G" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> snip
> Yeah the two things giving me some trepidation are 1) having to set the
> thing when the original setting is no longer correct and more importantly
> 2) being able to sharpen the blade without doing damage to it. I'm going
> to make an angle gauge from a piece of scrap for the latter problem.
>
On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 05:44:40 GMT, "Ed G" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>"Mark & Juanita" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>> Well, my Steve Knight coffin smoother arrived today. It is truly a
>> piece of fine craftmanship, down to the shavings included in the plane.
>> Whispy-thin certainly describes them. I did take it out to the shop and
>> verify its adjustment :-) This plane is a pleasure to use, I'm sold.
>> Unfortunately a business trip is going to prevent my being able to put
>this
>> tool to good use for several weeks. I'm really looking forward to making
>> full use of this fine tool in the future.
>>
>
>Once it gets acclimatized and you get used to setting it, you'll look for
>excuses to use it. I did.
>
>Ed
>
Yeah the two things giving me some trepidation are 1) having to set the
thing when the original setting is no longer correct and more importantly
2) being able to sharpen the blade without doing damage to it. I'm going
to make an angle gauge from a piece of scrap for the latter problem.
"Alan W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ed:
>
> Did you round off the corners of the blade more than the miter which
> steve puts on them? I still have a little bit of difficulty with
> plane tracks. The mouth opening being so small still amazes me, it is
> a setting I have been unable to duplicate in my stanley's.
The Ipe mouth block that is held in place by the 2 brass screws closes that
mouth opening and regulates the size of the opening. The mouth blocks have
very pointed and sharp 50 degree bevels before being trimmed and sanded
smooth with the sole of the plane. Works pretty good, huh? ;~)
>>"Mark & Juanita" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> Well, my Steve Knight coffin smoother arrived today. <lot's of
snippage>
I'm sitting here following this thread and drooling. I also ordered a
smoother and it hasn't arrived yet. I've communicated with Steve and it's
waiting on the marking knife I ordered with it. He's working on the knife
now so hopefully I'll be making thin shavings soon!!! Then I can worry about
sharpening and learn from all the adventures posted. :)
Jerry
On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 08:21:37 -0500, "Lowell Holmes" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>The iron is so thick, it is easy to hone the iron free hand. Just lay the
>iron on the hone and make sure the iron is in full contact. I find that if I
>stand to the side of the hone and draw the iron sideways across the hone and
>to the end of the hone, it is easy to avoid rotating the iron, causing a
>rounded edge.
Thanks, I'll (carefully) try and see what happens.
>I would never put a compound bevel on my Knight planes.
I would not do so either (deliberately).
> I do on some other
>planes I own, but not the Knights.
>I personally have had no luck with honing jigs, either purchased or made.:-)
>
I have a Veritas that works OK for wide irons, 3/4 or wider chisels for
example. Narrow irons tend to skew on their own while honing -- a definite
bad thing.
>"Mark & Juanita" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 05:44:40 GMT, "Ed G" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> snip
>> Yeah the two things giving me some trepidation are 1) having to set the
>> thing when the original setting is no longer correct and more importantly
>> 2) being able to sharpen the blade without doing damage to it. I'm going
>> to make an angle gauge from a piece of scrap for the latter problem.
>>
>
"Mark & Juanita" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Well, my Steve Knight coffin smoother arrived today. It is truly a
> piece of fine craftmanship, down to the shavings included in the plane.
> Whispy-thin certainly describes them. I did take it out to the shop and
> verify its adjustment :-) This plane is a pleasure to use, I'm sold.
> Unfortunately a business trip is going to prevent my being able to put
this
> tool to good use for several weeks. I'm really looking forward to making
> full use of this fine tool in the future.
>
Once it gets acclimatized and you get used to setting it, you'll look for
excuses to use it. I did.
Ed
Ed:
Did you round off the corners of the blade more than the miter which
steve puts on them? I still have a little bit of difficulty with
plane tracks. The mouth opening being so small still amazes me, it is
a setting I have been unable to duplicate in my stanley's.
My second Knight-Toolsworks plane is awaiting it's tote from Steve's
supplier before it will join my coffin smoother.
Alan
>
> Yeah the two things giving me some trepidation are 1) having to set the
> thing when the original setting is no longer correct and more importantly
> 2) being able to sharpen the blade without doing damage to it. I'm going
> to make an angle gauge from a piece of scrap for the latter problem.
I was as well, but I decided to bite the bullet, take the iron out and
learn it just as Steve showed me in person (neaner, got to meet him a
couple months ago in his studio).
The process would have been a whole lot faster if I had not been a
dumb ass and spent at least 15 minutes trying to back the iron out by
hitting the front of the plane when attempting to set it more shallow.
Somehome I was confused. I can now set the plane by feel on the
bottom in a minute. It takes me a while to get my boards really,
really flat. This plane can be set so fine, you can remove dust if
you choose.
I too, however, fear sharpening it. I have ordered a second blade
which I will but a 10 degree back bevel on and see if that helps with
my purpleheart.
Alan
"Lowell Holmes" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> If you hone the iron by hand, all that is needed is to alternately bear down
> on one corner and then the other. It doesn't take long to relieve them
> enough to eliminate the plane tracks. I found it unnecessary to round the
> corners. Of course you must have a very light blade exposure. That's why the
> really shear shavings are there. :-)
>
Whilst working a piece of beech this morning, the shavings from the no
5 were .003 - .004
The shavings from my knight smoother were .0015 and under.
I might pull the iron when I get a 8000 or 15000 waterstone instead of
my 2000 scary sharp.
Alan
On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 21:53:46 GMT, "Leon" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>"Alan W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Ed:
>>
>> Did you round off the corners of the blade more than the miter which
>> steve puts on them? I still have a little bit of difficulty with
>> plane tracks. The mouth opening being so small still amazes me, it is
>> a setting I have been unable to duplicate in my stanley's.
>
>The Ipe mouth block that is held in place by the 2 brass screws closes that
>mouth opening and regulates the size of the opening. The mouth blocks have
>very pointed and sharp 50 degree bevels before being trimmed and sanded
>smooth with the sole of the plane. Works pretty good, huh? ;~)
>
>
I know in my case, this is going to rank in customer satisfaction right
up there with my Milwaukee jig saw. :-)