Hand Plane Jointer Fence

[pelligrini]

I'm overdue for my annual birthday presents for myself and I was considering this Veritas magnetic fence for my hand planes. Does anyone have any experience with this?

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...at=1,230,41182

I've got a small, older, Chinese Rockwell knockoff 6" jointer. If I'm just wanting to square up an edge of a single board I'll grab my #7 or #8 Stanleys than bother moving out and setting up the jointer. I've been watching some of the auctions for some original clamp on fences on ebay, but they usually end for more than I want to spend. The Veritas product looks like it will do what I want and probably have less of a chance of damaging the finishes of my old planes with screw clamps. I've been pleased with every Veritas product I've used so far, I'm just wondering about this one.

[LinuxRandal]

Also wondering about this, although I bought a Chris Schwartz hand plane basics setup, where he talks about just using hand position and practice, to not need one of these. (practice time verses getting things done/shop time argument for me)

[pelligrini]

I found a good review on Lumberjocks
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/789

I can do almost OK doing it just by hand, but I have to check for square often. I'm sure practice would help, but the time isn't always available. I've been considering some long shooting boards and mocked up a few, but they were taking up too much of my very limited shop space. I also need to have an even bigger clear area on my bench, which isn't always available.

How did you like his hand plane basics? I've been meaning to get a copy.

[LarryG]

Chris Schwarz wrote a blog entry that should answer your questions. (I was certain I'd seen pictures of him using the Veritas fence in one or another of his books, so I went and found the write-up.)

Perhaps the most telling paragraph is: "Until I mastered using a cambered iron in my jointer plane, I used to use a straight iron and a jointer plane fence to dress my edges. I still use a jointer plane fence on occasion when I only have one or two chances at getting an edge dead-nuts square."

I'm planning to buy one myself, just haven't gotten there yet.

[herb fellows]

I've never seen this before, but it seems as if it would be pretty easy to duplicate for a few bucks, no?

A piece of 1/4" (aluminum or steel) stock, a few good sized rare earth magnets and have a machine shop put a bend in it with a brake to create the offset for a few bucks.... or is there more to this than meets the eye?

[pelligrini]

It wouldn't be too hard to do, there's a link to a wood version in the comments on that lumberjocks review. The machine shop would have to ensure that either face on each side of the bend is absolutely parallel to each other.

For me; I think that by the time I found the magnets, and other materials, and put them all togeather I probably would have been better off spending the $42 on the veritas fence.

[pelligrini]

I'm not too keen on this part of the instructions:
"Though it may trouble you to find that the fence may not be perfectly square to the sole of your plane, this is not a problem, as the important relationship is between the blade and the fence, and this can be adjusted using the blade lateral adjustment on the plane. "

I believe the fence for their low angle jointer plane has a couple set screws to adjust for square. Too bad this one doesn't

[dbhost]

Thanks, yet another hand tool I just have to have... I gotta stop reading your posts!

Sort of a sideways shooting board...

[softop41]

I made one for my low angle block plane out of baltic buirch plywood and a couple rare earth magnets and they hold just fine.
Jerry