Replies

1. 
   DCarr10760 | Feb 23, 2006 06:59am | #1

   I have an old ECE block plane with a wooden wedge, not the Primus type adjuster.  I've had it for nearly 25 years and it's been a real work horse.

   While I agree with you that the sole being wood (Lignon Vitae or Hornbeam) it is easily damaged, by the same token a couple of swipes on some 220 paper on a jointer table or plate glass and it is quickly flattened and ready to go.

   I've been very happy with mine and about the only negative I can mention is that the throat is a bit too large for really fine work.  I don't know if this is true of their smoother.

   I bought a similar type smoothing plane from another European manufacturer (Groz, I think) and the mouth/throat was so wide it was useless as a smoother so I reground the iron and use it now as a smoother and it performs admirably.

   I always use mine on the push stroke.

   David C.

2. 
   ricky | Feb 23, 2006 02:51pm | #2

   I have several of the E.C.Emmerich planes, including the Primus Reform smoother. The blades are not only bevel down, but they're bed at a steeper angle than iron body planes, about 50?. This brings it in line with the York pitch that is available as an option for some Lie-Nielsen bench planes. The steeper pitch is more appropriate for certain difficult grain woods, but it requires more effort to push through it. This, however, is offset by the decreased weight of the wooden body, which is the main difference I had to get accustomed to. Often I have to push down on the plane to get shavings, especially when it is set for a light cut, whereas the weight of an iron-body plane does a lot of that for me already.

   Blade depth adjustment is very positive with almost no backlash but the lateral adjuster is ineffective and the chrome vanadium blade is so-so. The blade and chipbreaker assembly doesn't seem very substantial, but I get practically no chatter because it is held very securely to the wooden body. The entire rear portion of the plane is in effect the frog. The downside is that blade removal is quite difficult and in my view the biggest liability of the Primus bench planes.