New Toy - Lv La Smoother

[Termite]

I finally got to play with my new Lee Valley LA Smoother on Friday last, so here's the usual mugs report.
On unpacking the plane I noticed a chip missing from the top of the rear handle and appears to not have been done in transit, so it must haved slipped through quality control. Otherwise all was well.
Checked out everything, sole flat, sides square etc etc.
Flattened and polished the back of both blades (low angle and high angle). Low angle blade was flat and just needed polishing, HA blade had a very slight hollow in the back which made it easy to flatten and polish.
Sharpened both blades, and as they are A2 tool steel I was very thankful for waterstones. Sharpening the LA blade is straightfoward but the HA blade has to be done as per the directions and is an easy but interesting exercise.
OK put 'er together and give 'er a go. The LA blade was tried on my shooting board on both hard and soft wood, magic, all you could ask for.
I then put the HA blade in and tried her out on some cranky grain Walnut and some Bluegum which is notorious for tearout. Surface was as smooth as a babys bum.
When Arose came round on Sat to see the new toy I gave him a demo, he wanted to check the thickness of the shavings I was producing and he measured them at just under .01 mm which is under 4/10 of 1 thousanth of an inch.
Just to prove a point I dragged out my newly sharpened Stanley 51/2 set very fine, and managed to produce a nice tearout in the same material.
So you could say I'm pretty pleased that this plane has well and truly lived up to it's reputation.

Andrew (Arose) confided in me that he had recently performed maximus grovelus by buying SWMBO a new ring and he figured that he had built up enough brownie points for a bit of a splurge, so he borrowed my Lee Valley Cattledogs. He walked out my side gate slobbering over the pages so I think the long awaited shipment may be gaining some weight.

[arose62]

I'll bring my digital camera over when returning your cattledogs if you like, and you can post some drool-worthy images of the new toy here.

Cheers,
Andrew

P.S. have the shavings wafted all the way down to the floor yet? Or are they still suspended mid-air on their own wispy thinness?

[Wood Borer]

You two are sick and cruel.

Fancy writing words like that for us at work to read - what do you call the activity when someone is simulating planing without a plane in site. Whatever it is called I am doing it now - it's not as good as the real thing though!

[Soren]

You two are sick and cruel.

..- what do you call the activity when someone is simulating planing without a plane in site. Whatever it is called I am doing it now - it's not as good as the real thing though!

I suppose the closest thing would be "air-planing"

Do you make the sound as well ?

[TassieKiwi]

I think the long awaited shipment may be gaining some weight.

I'm 40 soon, which happily corresponds with the clamp madness. I told SWMBO confidently that I was going to spent about a grand :eek: to take advantage of the cheap shipping....no reaction!. LVLA smoother just might get on the list!

[Termite]

You two are sick and cruel.

Fancy writing words like that for us at work to read - what do you call the activity when someone is simulating planing without a plane in site. Whatever it is called I am doing it now - it's not as good as the real thing though!

Would it be called planking.