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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    NSW southern Highlands
    Posts
    548

    Default

    After much deliberation I have placed an order with Bill Rittner.

    Overall this will make the plane a bit on the expensive side, which is not Bills fault as I think what he offers is good value.

    Bills solution, is to use a single stud for the LA jack was reached after much research, and trial and error by himself and other professional woodworkers. I support this decision, a single stud in combination with the boss on the plane casting, which fits into a mortice on the handle, should provide more than adequate strength. The handle in the centre of the photo is one of Bills in progress, the one on the left is an early Stanley and the Fuggly one is ...

    Bill rittnersveritas tote pic.jpg

    I am confident that when fitted the handle will provide the necessary cosmetic surgery, and return the functionality that i need on my bench.

    Details and costs of the handles are on his website and cost of shipping to Australia is US$25.
    Bill can be contacted on his website http://www.hardwarecitytools.com/products.html

    Regards

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  3. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    NSW southern Highlands
    Posts
    548

    Default Bill done more good work

    I have today received a Handle & knob, in Walnut, for my Veritas LA Jack from Bill Rittner

    The transformation of the plane to a very useable and aesthetically pleasing tool is complete, many thanks to Bill, and my apologies for a rather poor photo which does not do his work justice.

    Regards
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,078

    Default

    Well it certainly looks more like a handle I'd want to use than the pathetic-looking lump of wood in the background!

    I still prefer to keep both studs, though - nuthin' wrong wid belts and braces.......

    Cheers,
    IW

  5. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    NSW southern Highlands
    Posts
    548

    Default

    Ian

    Pathetic and perhaps a bit of "prophetic",

    " I still prefer to keep both studs, though - nuthin' wrong wid belts and braces." I am afraid that the accountants that are too often employed in the design department would not agree with that statement.

    Plus, I must confess to consideration of the forces involved on the handle fixed at the rear by a 1/4' bolt and the reinforcement provided by the foot of the handle extending to the front and decided that it should not present a problem.

    I am convinced after trying Bill's handle that his design should stand up, but I will let you know as soon as I reach the now projected possible lifespan of 116 years of age, if I can indeed confirm this.


    Regards



  6. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,078

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Basilg View Post
    ...I am convinced after trying Bill's handle that his design should stand up, but I will let you know as soon as I reach the now projected possible lifespan of 116 years of age, if I can indeed confirm this.....
    May you enjoy your new handles at least that long......

    Bas, I don't doubt one stud will do the job, there are a few million Baileys out there testifying to that. In any case, using a single stud in the new handle makes economic & practical sense for someone making them for sale to all & sundry. On his website, the maker says it was arrived at "after much research", but I have to say, it didn't take me (or UKAlf) too long to figure out that you cannot get two studs through the grip without changing their angle relative to the sole. It did take a moment or two of head-scratching to figure out a practical solution to that dilemma. I didn't want to start doing any heroic surgery on the existing stud holes, so the idea of bending the studs was born. However, I think a lot of folks baulk at the idea of bending the studs (I certainly did when the idea first popped into my tiny brain ), but in the event, it's actually quite easy to do & seems to involve little risk (I've done it several times now without a hitch).

    I have to admit that one of the things that was driving my thinking at the time was that if the new handles didn't improve the little beast, I would sell it, so being able to easily return them to original condition would be a good plan. To that end, I preserved the original studs, complete with their nuts & stored them with their handles & knobs. I was then free to muck about with some cheap all-thread and mock-ups. As I said, I was too timid with my first couple of handles, & it was only on the 3rd or 4th that I went for the full "Bailey slope", which turned out to be just as feasible, so all of my Veritas planes now sport 'real' handles & those ugly things are stored away with their hardware.

    Now, you & others have no doubt spotted the flaw in my thinking. By the time I might want to 'restore' the original hardware, it could take me quite some time (like forever), to find 'em.....

    Cheers,
    IW

  7. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    NSW southern Highlands
    Posts
    548

    Default

    Ian

    Yes I had realised there might be an issue with storage and recovery, so I tidied and reorganised the Workshop and Machine shop. So Yesterday I knew exactly where the Veritas handle and knob were.

    Now if only I could locate all the other stuff


    However I do gain a lot of pleasure out of the fact that my workshop has a facility of producing things that were never there before , but i do wish they wouldn't disappear again so soon.

    Regards

  8. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    925

    Default Do I need a jack plane?

    I flatten wide panels with a No 7 jointer and then tidy up the mess with a BU smoother. What would I gain by getting a jack plane? The Wood Show is coming up and I hate to go home empty handed.
    My age is still less than my number of posts

  9. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,078

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by chook View Post
    I flatten wide panels with a No 7 jointer and then tidy up the mess with a BU smoother. What would I gain by getting a jack plane? The Wood Show is coming up and I hate to go home empty handed.
    Chook, I think this question might have equally been asked in your thread on tools vs skills. You've almost answered it yourself, but another way to answer your question would be to say, "if you are happy with what you've got, and they are getting the jobs done efficiently, why add another tool to the list to be sharpened & maintained?" My aim is to have an adequate set of tools to achieve what I want, comfortably & efficiently, and avoid the 'gotta have at least one of everything' attitude. I adopted this philosophy about 15 years ago when I started accumulating tools I didn't need. I wish I could say I've solidly stuck to that policy, but I have let the number sneak up a bit these last 5 years or so. (I have a few more than in the Krenov tool cabinet BobL posted..! ). That's mostly because I have caught a bit of a bug for making tools, and there are a few more on the drawing board. I reckon it will be time for another cull, soon! I find if I have a smaller number of tools, I tend to look after them & keep them all in top condition, sharp, & ready to roll. When I have more tools than I really need, I don't maintain them as well, and end up with a cupboard full of dull tools and a heavy sharpening session ahead, which can be a bit off-putting.

    Planes are like saws, we all have our own preferences for weight & size, and what suits me for a particular job may not suit you. I would hate to be without a 'jack' plane, myself, but that's possibly because for a long time, a #5 was the only decent bench plane I owned. That plane was my scrub, jointer, smoother & general dogsbody. It helped make a lot of rough timber into furniture components! A few years ago, I inherited my father's old pre-WW2 5 1/2. I never thought it could happen, but the 5 1/2 has slowly become the general dogsbody, and the one I reach for first, most often. The 5 has been relegated to something of an overgrown smoother. I should get rid of it, but it is a slightly better plane than the 5 1/2, which was abused early in its career, and never quite got over it. I'm also rather attached to the #5 after a partnership of 40-something years, so it stays.

    All that said, acquiring new tools is rarely a coldly logical process. We never know what we can't live without 'til we try living with it....

    Cheers,
    IW

  10. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    925

    Default

    Then I don't need one. The jointer is big and flat and heavy. I am getting nice flat boards with it so I will save the money and space for something else.
    My age is still less than my number of posts

  11. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    3,095

    Default

    I have an early Sargent plane that has one bolt through the rear handle, a front 'stub' bolt and the handle is (was) tenon-ed into a mortice in the casting. Its an odd plane that I can't really date, pre-40's Sargent 722 type '?? something'.

    I don't know long this lasted functionally, as when I bought it the 'tenon' on the handle had broken flush with the casting. The break looked recent and it hadn't been 're-glued'... so I think it was broken by the seller as they tried to disassemble it for postage.

    I raise this as an alternative way of fixing a handle - belt, braces + elastic waistband ??

    My benchtop is very high as I have lower back issues and can't bend without pain.

    The bench top to 1/2 way between wrist and elbow when standing with arm straight down.

    None of my mixed lot of planes give me issues when using them (from a Sargent 407 to 1066 to Falcon-Pope's to Staney to LV) - probably as I don't use enough of one type to get used to it, rather getting used to each one as they come along. So, not just muscle memory from using one plane handle type, but muscle memory from each plane ?? .
    Cheers,
    Clinton

    "Use your third eye" - Watson

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/clinton_findlay/

  12. #26
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    3,095

    Default

    When I have more tools than I really need, I don't maintain them as well, and end up with a cupboard full of dull tools and a heavy sharpening session ahead, which can be a bit off-putting.
    TRUE, true, true.
    Cheers,
    Clinton

    "Use your third eye" - Watson

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/clinton_findlay/

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