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The cast bodies of these planes
are produced using Spheroidal Graphite iron (also known as "SG iron", "nodular cast iron" or "ductile iron"). This is the material that has revolutionised the production of components by the casting process. There are good reasons why. Traditional cast iron ("grey iron") is strong in compression but it is brittle: it will crack if subject to impact loads - such a dropping your favourite plane on the workshop floor. This is largely because the carbon in cast iron is in the form of graphite flakes and these flakes act as "stress raisers", concentrating the loads imposed on the object and creating extremely high stresses, which lead to those brittle fractures.
The effect is similar to filing a nick in the side of a steel or iron component and then whacking it with a hammer to get it to break at the nick. However, in SG iron there are no graphite flakes: the graphite
agglomerates into tiny spheres (hence "spheroidal graphite") which do not have any of the stress-raising properties of the flaked variety. Hence when the impact load comes, it is dispersed throughout the
body of the material and failure is very, very much less likely. This form of cast iron is, in fact, ductile - that is, it deflects to absorb the stresses and then springs back to its original form (not that you
could see or otherwise detect the microscopic deflections involved - this is a very strong material). But that is not all: because of the improved grain structure of SG iron, it does not have ordinary grey
iron's tendencies to creep as it relieves the internal tensions caused by the casting process: the removal of internal stresses is even further enhanced by the full stress-relieving process which Veritas castings
undergo. It was these characteristic locked-in stresses which meant that grey iron castings needed to be aged for several years before they could be machined - and why they kept on moving for many, many years
afterwards and certainly every time the component was machined. After the stress-relief process, SG iron is strong, ductile, dimensionally stable, does not need aging and will not warp or creep, even when
machined. So the next time the clever guy in your club or pub tells you that modern planes are no good because the castings aren't aged for years in a muddy field "like in the good old days": you can ask
him if the muffled sound is only because he is talking through his hat - or elsewhere! Back ....
Except in the case of the Apron Plane (where it's an option) and Scraper Plane, the blades supplied as standard are
made from 3 mm (1/8") thick A2 grade tool steel - that's 50% thicker than most commercially available plane blades and goes a long way to explain why these planes are so
delightfully chatter-free in use. The blades are hardened to Rockwell C 60-62 and take an exceptionally keen edge that wears extremely well yet is more resistant to chipping and
damage than conventional tool steels. Back .... Veritas research into planes and planing led them to the conclusion whilst
traditionally-designed planes are capable of excellent results when used strictly in the circumstances for which they were developed, it is possible to produce a plane with equal
performance but with considerably enhanced versatility if the plane is designed to use a bevel-up blade - similar to the configuration of a block plane. To the staunch traditionalist,
such a suggestion may be pure anathema, but anyone with an open mind, a readiness to learn and prepared to give the new idea a chance to prove itself will discover a world of planing
of unmatched performance on a very wide range of timbers.
The range of timbers which one may be called upon to plane brings to the fore a
rarely-considered factor regarding the use of planes. When Bailey first designed the metal-bodied plane and set the blade angle and bevel angle he was designing the plane for
the world in which he lived: 150 years later, we live in a rather different world and our tools have to perform in rather (as in "very") different circumstances. With world-wide markets,
mass production and global brands individuality became a thing of the past and we all ended up with using the plane which represented the "lowest common denominator" - that which
could be sold in the widest range of markets at the best overall profit margin, obtained through applying the lowest permissible production standards.
In earlier times, when tools were created in, and for, the locality in which they were used, they were, by virtue of the maker's familiarity, optimised for the timbers predominantly used in that
location. Planes created in the hardwood regions of Australia were great for planing the difficult grain of their extremely hard timbers with curly - or curse - grain. Those found in the
hands of the guys building using the resinous softwoods of Canada and the Northern US states were excellent in those circumstances. And in the UK and Northern Europe, our
wetter and softer hardwoods were well tamed using equivalent local products. Such "localisation" influenced the blade angle, the bevel angle, the mouth size, weight distribution,
sole proportions and probably much more besides. In practical terms, unless we all start to build our own planes again - and can be assured of a constant supply of our optimal timber -
we can't quite get back to one plane for one region, or even one timber. But with planes designed to offer the opportunity for easy "tuning" we can get very close to that objective.
It is here that the wisdom of the growing line of Veritas planes starts to show its great benefits: it is very quick and easy to apply a micro-bevel t o a bevel-up plane to alter the
effective cutting angle: you can change a plane from a low angle block plane configuration to a scraper plane in a matter of a very few moments - and can just as readily change it back again.
You'd like a York Pitch (50°)? No problem: out with the stone, zip, zip across the stone to create the 13° micro-bevel: replace the blade - all done (OK here's the maths: 12° bed angle plus
25° bevel angle plus 13° micro-bevel = 50° cutting angle). It really can be that easy once you open your mind - as Veritas have done so effectively - to the power of lateral thinking. I'm
sure that once it is published you'll want to read into the research undertaken by Veritas and really set your mind alight with the possibilities. Of course, all this is before we even get to
thinking of the advantages of the weight being carried low down next to the sole, the ease of access to the blade and the adjusters, the handiness when it come to shooting cross grain: I
could go on ... (don't, please, say it!) Back ....In traditional metal plane designs the frog, even in designs featuring an adjustable frog, sits
on top of the sole. This positioning requires that the blade/iron/cap iron assembly is self supporting through the depth of the sole and the projected length of the blade. Particularly
with the thin blades often found in modern variants of these planes, this is a source of blade chatter. The analytical approach taken by Veritas in their plane design has yielded a superb
solution to this problem with the introduction of the Full Depth Frog which extends right through the sole of the plane to terminate flush with its underside, giving unsurpassed blade
support. The innovative full depth frog is featured on all of the Veritas "traditional pattern" bench planes, Nos 4, 4½, 5¼W and 6. 
A further source of chatter, not
uncommon in modern replicas of the Bailey adjustable frog designs, is poor bedding of the frog assembly within the baseplate of the plane. If the frog is not stably mounted and securely fastened
(whilst remaining easily adjustable), then clearly the blade assembly is going to be subject to movement and poor performance will result. Since creating a smooth, solid bed platform, dead parallel
with the sole is not an easy engineering task, many otherwise decent planes fall down in this regard. Through careful detail design and the application of advanced
manufacturing processes, Veritas have been able to configure a remarkably stable arrangement in which adjustment of the plane mouth remains "a cinch", yet which allows the
blade to be removed for sharpening and replaced without extensive re-alignment and contributes mightily to the exceptional performance of these planes. Back .... It is widely acknowledged that to achieve the finest of shavings and the best surface finish when planing, it is essential that the plane mouth be adjustable. By maintaining the support o f the plane sole right up to the point of cut, tear-out is minimised. When taking heavy cuts,
the mouth is opened to accommodate the heavier shaving, but the sole is still providing support right up to the point of cut. If you consider the geometry of a
conventional plane, lacking an adjustable mouth, you will realise that in the situation when you want to take the lightest cuts, for fine finishing, the blade is furthest back
from the support afforded by the front edge of the plane's mouth and conversely, when taking heavy cuts, the blade is closer to the front of the mouth and at greatest risk of
choking. This perverse arrangement is the result of the compromises imposed by mass market manufacturers and foisted upon users of their
products. Little wonder that skilled and caring woodworkers have clung onto their older planes in order to obtain a performance which befits their work. Now that performance is once
again available to all plane users, at surprisingly economical prices, through the Veritas range of planes. Back ....
Whereas "conventional" metal-bodied planes use an awkward, sloppy knurled wheel beneath the frog, operating through a pivoted horseshoe yoke, t he Veritas planes feature the
elegant simplicity of a direct-acting, easily-operated Bailey pattern adjuster which also controls the blade lateral adjustment. The effectiveness of the lateral adjustment system is further
enhanced by the blade location screws that are set into either side of the plane body and which bear lightly on the lower section of the blade, just behind the mouth. These tiny screws maintain the
blade laterally central in the mouth and prevent the blade shifting side to side when lateral adjustment is made: any lateral adjustment is translated directly into an angular adjustment at the blade edge. Back .... Read almost any self-proclaimed
"guru" on the tuning and performance of hand planes and
you risk coming away with the notion that provided the plane sole is "flat", any plane will perform miracles. Whilst this may be the best that a user can measure using the very limited
- and generally inaccurate - measuring means at the disposal of the average home workshop, it fails to recognise the true needs and benefits of sole flatness and its proper setting amid the
wealth of other controls that are needed to produce superlative results. We have already mentioned, above, the importance of the bedding of the frog assembly and the relationship of
the frog to the rest of the plane body. It is also true that deviations in the plane sole will cause poor performance: what is less well understood is that it is the flatness of the sole in
the area around the mouth and on the periphery of the sole that contribute primarily to the plane's performance. Indeed, it is possible that well-meaning attempts to flatten a plane sole
will result in worsening the plane's performance if those ministrations result in a convexity on any part of the sole, or a concavity anywhere around the sole periphery or in the mouth area.
The production processes used by Veritas are directed specifically at obviating this as a source of plane performance failures. Where a plane features a moveable toe-piece, as
several do, the toe piece and the sole are machined as a single composite piece and are thereafter kept together throughout the plane's life: in the rare case you might feel that you
need one, you can't buy a spare toe piece for a Veritas plane: you need its matching main body too! When plane soles are ground they are ground until they fully 'spark out' and the
grinding machine is re-zeroed after every machining cycle. Ensuring that the finished product meets the stringent specifications laid down by the plane's designers is not left to the chance
of a straight edge and feeler gauges or engineer's blue and faceplates, but is rigorously ensured using the latest CMM (Co-ordinate Measuring Machine) technology which is capable
of resolving the position of a point in space with respect to any other point with an accuracy of hundredths of a "thou." (or tenths of a micron) and of ensuring holes are "round" and that
surfaces are "flat". (I do not apologise for placing "flat" and "round" in quotation marks: there
is no absolute flat or round - or anything else absolute - in real-world engineering. The question that the QA process and the whole critical science of metrology seeks to ask and
the answer to which it controls is 'HOW flat' and 'HOW round'.) Back .... Handling a plane can tell you
a lot about its potential performance, even before you start to examine it in detail. But sometimes, such impromptu assessments can lead to significant
errors of judgment. Such is arguably the case with the range of Veritas planes and even more so with the revolutionary low-angle, bevel up designs. What the designers have done is to
bring the centre of gravity (the point through which all of the planes weight is felt to act) as low as possible, bringing it close to the sole line. That in turn translates to planes where the
balance of the plane on the work is excellent and where the plane's weight is not something that you have to struggle to push along, but which contributes directly to the power of the
planing stroke, reducing fatigue and giving a smoother, steadier cut.
The proportions of the plane sole have been "handed down" over generations of plane
manufacturing with little or no attention or analysis. As you'd expect from a bunch of enthusiasts that are having a love affair with their product, the guys at Veritas have given this a lot
of thought too. The outcome is that the #5¼W has been designed with a toe section ahead of the blade a full inch longer than the traditional versions of this plane, making it easier to handle,
much better balanced at the start of the cut and allowing the plane to serve as a handy jointer plane for most general cabinet jobs. The 5¼W also features a wider blade than its forebears, at
2", contributing to its versatile performance. The low large angle planes, being a Veritas innovation, feature optimised sole proportions as part of their original design.
The plane handles have been positioned to ensure that the user's effort is directly as directly as possible into the cutting edge and along the line of cut. It is this that gives rise to the neat
triangulated rear handle mounting seen in the bench planes: ensuring that the maximum amount of energy put into the plane is transferred into the cut. (And who has energy to spare
these days? Certainly not me!) Back .... They're an imaginative lot over at Veritas and have gone a long way to ensure that no
stones are left unturned in their analysis of plane design and performance. This has led to neat features such as the tall front knob and the "Ball Tail" which can be added to the low
angle block plane, converting it from a simple block plane into a versatile miniature smoothing plane of great versatility. Consider the shoulder planes with their ergonomically placed body hole which
makes their handling such a dream: look at the way in which their lever cap knobs swivel to either side for optimum handling and how the front knob on the large shoulder planes has alternate mountings.
Every interface between the user's hand and the planes has been analysed, modelled and re-invented to ensure comfortable, fatigue-free operation.
On the larger low angle planes, note that the rear handles are secured not by one, but two, full-depth fixing screws to better resist the forces generated by enthusiastic planing. The
triangulated rear handle mounting on the bench planes has already been mentioned. These handles are - of course - wood (bubinga), not simply because we are all sick of those tatty,
sweaty, blister-inducing plastic affairs with which most planes are delivered but because wood is a perfect material for a part of the plane with which we are going to be in intimate contact: it
is warm to the touch, smooth, moulds to the hand shape of the user, wears well, is robust and also visually enhances the plane.
The attention to detail lavished on a product as small as the spokeshaves speaks volumes for the commitment of the Veritas designers. The handle position brings the cutting edge
perfectly into alignment with the line of applied force through the handles, regardless of whether the spokeshave is pushed or pulled. In addition to the familiar flat and rounded
(convex soled) spokeshaves, there is also a concave spokeshave which makes spindle shaping so much easier than the conventional designs. A shim system allows the mouth of
even the spokeshaves to be adjusted and a thick blade and precision machined cap iron ensure that their use is chatter-free. And if you don't find the spokeshave handle shapes
perfect - you can buy a set of handle mounting hardware so that you can make and fit your own handles: how about that for attention to detail? Back .... Veritas planes are not hand made: they are manufactured by an enthusiastic, caring and knowledgeable company using the best technology appropriate to the task, with hand
assembly and packing to complete the process. Along the way a continuous QA monitoring system endeavours to ensure that every product leaving the factory merits the Veritas logo.
The use of advanced metrology systems and multi-dimensional Co-ordinate Measuring Machines means that it is possible to perform a much more complete QA routine on all
products rather than relying on intermittent batch testing for assurance, as so many manufacturers do. Whilst well-applied human thought - and a good deal of 'lateral thinking' has
led to the creation of these masterpieces, the application of technology in the design, development, production and QA processes has ensured that first-class products can be
delivered to the marketplace at an affordable price. Quite an achievement. Back .... |
