Thread: Lie Neilsen Blades Won't Fit

Will you be at Zenwoods tomorrow Trevor? I have a Veritas blade that goes neatly into a Stanley Bailey 4 1/2. The frog on mine has stripped the thread so bring your plane and I'll bring the blade and you can see if it fits. We can go from there if you like. This blade doesn't fit the LV LA Jack that I use now so if you want it I am sure we can do a trade or something.

Studley

I understand that this is a common problem. Something to do with the managers at the Stanley Works being able to see the future — "...in 2005 people will want to buy after market blades for vintage Stanley planes, let's make it as difficult as possible by varying the width of the blade slot between each batch of planes..."

Seriously, this issue has been discussed on Woodcentral and I understand that in the US LN will customise the blade slot as requuired to fit Stanley's inconsistencies. Not sure that the same applies for Record planes. However, it's worth asking.

ian

You in a lot trouble there ... I'm afraid surgury's your only way out.......

no, I don't think its a big deal. About 1/2mm too tight right ? ...thats nothing, IMO. Nothing to worry about.

You can attack both the blade slot or that sideways adjuster(that little circle disk right.?..just checking)...Its not really overly important to get a good fit. Even when its loose the plane will still function the same. You'll still be able to adjust the blade laterially even with a little slop in that lever.

That round circle can be tricky to reduce. Ideally, you'll have to remove it from its lever, reduce it, then put it back on. I've done this, but its too fiddly compared to just filing the slot in your blade a little larger.

I'd just rip into that slot with a file with blade in a vice, and be done with the problem. There really isn't any fear of filing too much away. Just pencil in a line before you start so you can watch your progress,
trying to keep the slot as parallel as it was origionally (even thats just for looks) .....1/2mm !!!! no problem jeeeeeeez.

.....and when your done filing just back off both sides of the blade on a stone to knock off that burr that will result from the filing, so it won't foul movement on fog.

Good luck with it.

Hi Trevor

When you purchased the LN blades, did you get the "Stanley Replacement" versions or the standard LN blades? Only the former will fit correctly.

Either way, as long as you have not done any damage to the blades, pack them up and contact LN. I am sure that they will accept them back and supply new blades for you to your specifications for no extra charge. They are great this way. Really.

One time I contacted LN about a block plane I had bought on eBay. Tom Lie-Nielson emailed me, not once but twice, to check that all was well.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thanks for the advice everyone. I should point out for anyone inclined to measure the slot in their blade that my measurements were about 3mm oversize because of a failing battery in the vernier calipers. Thanks to Tankstand, who has a "toolmaker's eye", the error was spotted instantly on Sunday when we SA woodies had a get together.

Derek, I think I will follow your advice in the first instance because I purchased the blades from the Lie Nielsen stand at the Adelaide Woodwork Show and did request blades as replacement for Stanley's. Lie Nielsen are here just out of Adelaide so I will give them a phone call.

Apricotripper, your advice was very practical and I am sure would work, but I just can't bear the thought of putting a flat bastard to those lovely shiny blades.

Regards from Adelaide
Trevor

Originally Posted by TrevorOwen

Apricotripper, your advice was very practical and I am sure would work, but I just can't bear the thought of putting a flat bastard to those lovely shiny blades.

ohhh, thats just tipical isn't it !!!! :mad: Give you all that great advice and you just snub your nose at it and call me a bastard :mad:

......and then you go and rub salt into the wound by taking up THAT smartypants advice instead. That WA bloke.

No, kidding, I understand completely.......I don't like bluntening my bastard files either.

Apricotripper,
I agree with you and your advice except you might not get too far with a file. A lot of older manufacturer's blades are pretty soft once you get to the bottom of the slot, but any of the after-market blades I've come across are hardened all the way through. I like to round off the tops of blades to make contact with knuckles etc. a little less traumatic, but you have a hard time trying to do that with a steel file on new blades.
Anyway - I recently had this same problem with the slots on a couple of LV blades. The instructions that came with the blades said to file the round washer on the adjustment lever to get a fit, but like you say, this seemed like a lot of unnecessary fiddling to achieve the desired effect. I tried a file, out of curiosity, but it was like trying to file glass. A medium diamond file cut it ok, of course, but as I had about .5mm to take off each side, and life is too short, out came the angle-grinder and a thin disc - a couple of light passes each side, and Bob's your aunty. Took all of 5 minutes to do both, (including digging the damn angle grinder out from the bottom of the cupboard where it lives undisturbed for a year or more at a time!) I did then use the diamond file to make sure the edges were clean, as you suggest.
The lateral adjuster certainly doesn't need to be a water-tight fit - so the blade slot width is hardly a critical dimension. If you remove an extra fraction or two, of a mm, the world will definitely not end......
I take care of, and pride in, my tools, probably more than average, but like Apricotripper implied, they are just tools, fellas - aids to getting the job done as well and efficiently as possible. After all, you're going to use these blades up, in time, aren't you? So let's not get too precious about them!
Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Apricotripper,
I agree with you and your advice except you might not get too far with a file. A lot of older manufacturer's blades are pretty soft once you get to the bottom of the slot, but any of the after-market blades I've come across are hardened all the way through. I like to round off the tops of blades to make contact with knuckles etc. a little less traumatic, but you have a hard time trying to do that with a steel file on new blades.
Anyway - I recently had this same problem with the slots on a couple of LV blades. The instructions that came with the blades said to file the round washer on the adjustment lever to get a fit, but like you say, this seemed like a lot of unnecessary fiddling to achieve the desired effect. I tried a file, out of curiosity, but it was like trying to file glass. A medium diamond file cut it ok, of course, but as I had about .5mm to take off each side, and life is too short, out came the angle-grinder and a thin disc - a couple of light passes each side, and Bob's your aunty. Took all of 5 minutes to do both, (including digging the damn angle grinder out from the bottom of the cupboard where it lives undisturbed for a year or more at a time!) I did then use the diamond file to make sure the edges were clean, as you suggest.
The lateral adjuster certainly doesn't need to be a water-tight fit - so the blade slot width is hardly a critical dimension. If you remove an extra fraction or two, of a mm, the world will definitely not end......
I take care of, and pride in, my tools, probably more than average, but like Apricotripper implied, they are just tools, fellas - aids to getting the job done as well and efficiently as possible. After all, you're going to use these blades up, in time, aren't you? So let's not get too precious about them!
Cheers,

I didn't consider how hard these new blades are.....your right Ian. Grinder will fix it.

And each to there own

If the replacement blade is for the stanley, make sure it is to the 'right' standard. Therfore I think the best option is to just hack it out with a cold chisel. Then it will suit the stanley quite well

Ian

You are right about the hardness of modern blades and that this extends all the way through. I recently tried - very unsuccessfully - to trim of a few rough edges (that were catching on the adjuster) with a file on a #778 blade from LN. I had to turn to a grinder in the end.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thank you to everyone who offered advice. Lie Nielsen's advise was to file the slot using a diamond file. The closest I could come to that was a diamond eze lap honing stone which I used with considerable patience until I achieved a result. The blades are now fitted and work very well, or at least as well as my restraints will allow. I am now looking forward to obtaining waterstones and a Veretis Mk11 sharpening jig to further improve my planing quality.

Regards from Adelaide
Trevor