Popular Woodworking 2005-06 № 148, страница 12
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Area Washington Seattle West Virginia Parkersburg Wisconsin Appleton/Fox Cities Area Madison Milwaukee Area Woodworker's Club: Connecticut Norwalk Maryland Rockville © Woodcraft Supply Corp. 2005 WGDDCRAFT' For your local Woodcraft store, visit www.woodcraft.com, or for a free catalog, call 800 542-9115 Dept. 05PW06B CIRCLE NO. 155 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD. Next Purchase: Power Jointer or Jack Plane? Can a Jack Plane Do the Work of a Powered Jointer or Jointer Plane? After reading the November 2004 issue, I have a question regarding hand planes. Christopher Schwarz wrote a very favorable review of the Veritas Low-angle Jack Plane (Tool Test, issue #144). Also in the issue was the "Insidious Mistakes" article, which indicated one of the mistakes that inexperienced woodworkers make is buying too many planes. I always try to do research before making any purchases, and just about all of the publications I have read say the same thing: Start a plane collection with a block plane, smoother, j ointer and shoulder plane. The Low-angle Jack was highly rated and appears to be reasonably priced. Can it function as a jointer? I have a Lie-Nielsen adjustable-mouth block plane, and have been looking at their smoother and jointer, however the expense associated with the jointer especially is significant. In fact, it exceeds the price of the Grizzly 6" power jointer. So, what's a beginner to do? Can the Low-angle Jack function as a jointer? Is it better to invest in a high-quality hand plane jointer, such as the Lie-Nielsen, or would it be better to go with something like the Grizzly? Marc Wsol Grafton, Massachusetts The Veritas Low-angle Jack plane is a versatile tool for any shop, but I don't think it's a good substitute for either a power jointer or a jointer plane, unless your work is primarily small in scale — jewelry boxes and the like. The virtue of a power jointer is that it quickly trues both the faces and edges of rough stock. This operation can be done with hand planes, but it is labor-intensive. The jointer plane does have great merit: Its virtue is the length of its sole, which allows it to knock down the high spots instead of following the hills and valleys of a board. I have found it ideal for flattening glued-up tabletops and pan els, and squaring edges that are difficult for my powered jointer. Shorter planes, such as the jack plane, can true a shorter board reliably, but they have great difficulty with cabinet-size components (22" and longer). If anything, the Veritas Low-angle Jack is a substitute for a smoothing plane in a shop that blends hand and power tools. Most stock we work with is pretty flat out of the planer, so the jack plane has a pretty easy time smoothing it, especially when set up with a curved blade. Plus, the ability to use a high-angle blade allows you to smooth tricky grain. Bottom line: You probably will want both — someday. I'd start with the power jointer to take care of the grunt work and some day add the low-angle jack to your arsenal. — Christopher Schwarz, executive editor Do the Math With the WoodRat -It's Not as Expensive as You Think In response to the statement that the Wood-Rat is expensive at $800 ("The WoodRat," issue #146), I would point out that to purchase two Leigh jigs (the FMT and D4) required to make some (but not all) of the joints I can make on my WoodRat would be about $1,400. The WoodRat is the most versatile accessory to a plunge router I've ever seen. I was in the process of designing a two-axis manual control system using 80/20 extrusions continued on page 12 WRITE TO US Popular Woodworking welcomes letters from readers with comments about the magazine or woodworking in general. We try to respond to all correspondence. Published letters may be edited for length or style. All letters become the property of Popular Woodworking. How to send your letter: • E-mail: popwood@fwpubs.com • Fax: 513-891-7196 • Mail carrier: Letters • Popular Woodworking 4700 E. Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 10 Popular Woodworking June 2005 |
