I'm experiencing some frustrating issues with my Veritas #4 bevel down hand plane. Despite my experience with hand planes and good sharpening skills, this one is just not working at all. It feels like the blade is fully retracted, but it's not - there's no resistance and I'm not even getting any shavings. The blade is super sharp, sharper than my chisels, and the back is flat with no gap to the chip breaker. I've tried adjusting the chip breaker from almost flush to over a sixteenth back, and I've also moved the frog but nothing changes. The sole is perfectly flat in all dimensions, and everything is tightly in place. I've used multiple #4 bevel down planes and have never encountered this issue before. I'm scratching my head, what could be going wrong?
4 Answers
I'm thinking of reaching out to Lee Valley directly, maybe they can help pinpoint what's wrong. If there's something defective, they might even replace the plane. Anyone else had luck with that?
It sounds like your sharpening angle might be off. If the back of the bevel is touching the wood rather than the edge, that could be why you're not getting any engagement. Try re-establishing the bevel at around 25 degrees. It might just solve the problem!
Would it help if you uploaded some pictures? It might be easier for others to see more of what’s happening with your setup!
Have you double-checked that it’s definitely a bevel down plane? Sometimes just flipping the blade can help if it’s misconfigured. Check that out!
I've never seen a bevel up plane with a chip breaker either, so it sounds like it's a long shot but worth checking!
Yeah, sharpen that blade at 25 degrees, and maybe add a tiny secondary bevel of a degree or two more. It could make a big difference!