Despite being warned by the more plane proficient members, I bought the $26.95/free shipping Groz #4 from Amazon.
Well, it came in a bath of cosmoline. Enough to shame even HF. A pint of mineral spirits and a stack of rags later, I was able to see what was under there.
There were very few flat surfaces on this plane. I started with the sole on my 1/2" sheet of glass and sandpaper. My arms and shoulders are pumped up like a weight lifter. As suggested by Lee's sharpening book, I quit when the two ends and the front of the mouth were flat. I'd still be out there otherwise.
A question for you plane guys--Can you use a bench top belt sander to flatten a sole??
The frog had no planar surfaces--back to the sandpaper. One of the most alarming things was the screws that hold the frog were all chewed up like someone tried to use the wrong sized screw driver to do the assembly. With all the grease, I find it hard to believe that it was used or a return.
The iron had been ground to 25 degrees with the equivilent of 60 to 80 grit. There was also a small nick on it, right out of the box. The chip breaker had the same finish as the bevel, but, it did fit correctly. Flattening the back of the iron and getting rid of the nick and polishing it up took another hour. Who needs a gym.
The real star here was my MarkII sharpeneing guide from Veritas. It is so much better than my old one. I went through the grits to 1000 and honed on a leather strop with Tripoli rouge. I was able to get a mirror like surface on the bevel.
Now the surprise. The plane worked great. See through shavings on Walnut and Maple.
How long the iron will hold an edge is still an open question. But I am surprised.
Steve
Well, it came in a bath of cosmoline. Enough to shame even HF. A pint of mineral spirits and a stack of rags later, I was able to see what was under there.
There were very few flat surfaces on this plane. I started with the sole on my 1/2" sheet of glass and sandpaper. My arms and shoulders are pumped up like a weight lifter. As suggested by Lee's sharpening book, I quit when the two ends and the front of the mouth were flat. I'd still be out there otherwise.
A question for you plane guys--Can you use a bench top belt sander to flatten a sole??
The frog had no planar surfaces--back to the sandpaper. One of the most alarming things was the screws that hold the frog were all chewed up like someone tried to use the wrong sized screw driver to do the assembly. With all the grease, I find it hard to believe that it was used or a return.
The iron had been ground to 25 degrees with the equivilent of 60 to 80 grit. There was also a small nick on it, right out of the box. The chip breaker had the same finish as the bevel, but, it did fit correctly. Flattening the back of the iron and getting rid of the nick and polishing it up took another hour. Who needs a gym.
The real star here was my MarkII sharpeneing guide from Veritas. It is so much better than my old one. I went through the grits to 1000 and honed on a leather strop with Tripoli rouge. I was able to get a mirror like surface on the bevel.
Now the surprise. The plane worked great. See through shavings on Walnut and Maple.
How long the iron will hold an edge is still an open question. But I am surprised.
Steve
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