Popular Woodworking 2004-11 № 144, страница 32
Tool Test Veritas Low-angle Jack is Built for Serious Service Though Lee Valley Tools describes this tool as a "plane" in its catalog, it actually has a lot more in common with another piece of military hardware: a tank. This low-angle jack plane tips the scales at almost 6 pounds - more than a pound-and-a-half heavier than my old Stanley jack plane. It's also an inch longer and 3/s" wider than my jack. The cast sole of the Lee Valley plane and the iron are both a whopping 3/l6" thick. All this iron and steel creates a tool that has a lot more in common with a British-style panel plane than an American jack. Panel planes traditionally were used to take the final passes on large-scale work (think big tables) before finishing. So I've been using this plane mostly as an oversized smoothing plane, but I've also found it excels at other tasks, too. The mouth of the tool is positioned further back than on traditional tools. This allows the tool to perform well at truing long edges. The side s of the tool are ground perfectly square to the sole, so it works well on a shooting board. And the easily adjusted mouth, which works much like the mouth on a block plane, permits you to switch quickly between coarse and fine shavings. Additionally, an ingenious small brass knob behind the mouth allows you to make the switch between a tight and open mouth without worrying about ramming the toe piece into your iron. The model we tested was just about flawless. The sole was flat within .0015" in every direction and the iron required little work before use. Though the tool is heavy, it is well-balanced. And the Norris-style adjuster works smoothly and has little mechanical slop. This combination of traits allows the plane to plow through difficult woods and different tasks. Once you start planing, the inertia of the tool takes over and does the driving. Lee Valley also sells a second high-angle iron with a 38° primary bevel as a $29.95 accessory. Get it. With these two irons you can tackle everything from end grain to figured woods without a problem. — Christopher Schwarz For more information, circle #179 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS Veritas Low-angle Jack Plane Street price: $179 Body: Unbreakable cast ductile iron Iron: A2 steel, 3/i6" thick, 2V4" wide Handles: Rosewood Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$$ Lee Valley Tools: 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com Kreg Precision Miter Gauge The Kreg miter gauge system is well designed and nicely made, but a few elements in its construction keep me from being enthusiastic about it. It was extremely accurate out of the box - I made perfect 90° cuts, as well as parts for an octagon, using the settings as they came from the factory. A loose brass pin drops in holes for preset stops at commonly used angles, and there is a vernier scale for accurately setting angles to V1o°. It's possible to tweak the adjustments to 1/l00° - well beyond what a typical woodworker needs to do. Setup and assembly was minimal as the Kreg gauge comes from the factory with the head attached to the bar and precisely calibrated. The only adjustment I needed to make was to install five nylon screws to fine tune the way the bar slid in the miter gauge slot. All of the parts were nicely machined, and the scales were clear and easy to read. The flip stop on the extruded aluminum fence works well both to set the length of cuts, and to secure short pieces. While I was impressed with the overall design and construction of the gauge, I question some of the materials that are used. The aluminum bar that rides in the table slot is flexible, and can twist from the weight of the head, particularly when the head is pulled back beyond the edge of the saw table. Plus, if I didn't keep downward pressure on the head while cutting, the bar would sometimes be above the surface of the saw table. This isn't the end of the world, but it can get in the way when sliding a piece past it, and could raise the end of a short piece enough to throw the cut slightly out of square. This was a disappointment in an item designed for precision work in this price range. As supplied, the fence is only 24" long, not quite enough in my opinion - you can't cut legs for a 30"-high table with it. A 48"-long fence extrusion is available at additional cost. — Robert W. Lang For more information, circle #180 on Free Information Card. SPECIFICATIONS Kreg Precision Miter Gauge Street price: $160 Description: Factory-calibrated miter gauge with 24" bar and positive stops at 0°i10°i221/2°, 30°, and 45° Performance: •••OO Price range: $$$ Kreg Tool Co.: 800-447-8638 or kregtool.com 30 Popular Woodworking November 2004 |
