I got a LN tongue and groove #48 as a gift a while back and didn’t have much time to play with it then, but something wasn’t quite right. Now I see that the fence is not parallel to the groove in the sole. I’m going to call them Monday, but in the meantime does anyone have one of these and is that the way it’s supposed to look? Just can’t imagine that it left the factory wrong and am thinking the problem must be me. By the way, the fence is fully locked in place when I check it and I have checked it in both fence positions(tongue position and groove position)
Thanks for any help.
Replies
poo poo plane
A couple of years ago I was at the Woodworking in America Conference in Berea KY and Frank Klausz was demonstrating how to use that tool. The thing hadn't even hit the market yet but Frank was having all sorts of trouble getting it to work. Maybe you got a defunct one. If the fence is locked in but not parallel seems like the tool is not set right but I wouldn't know how to adjust it. I've messed around with old Stanley #48's and there was no adjusting of the fence that I know of.
You may want to contact LN. They may send you a new one. I have read on other forums that they more than oblige to help satisfy customers.
Mike
You are right.
There is no way to adjust it. I have seen it demonstrated an a LN tool event, and there it was fast and easy to use. They even showed how you could use it to join edge to sides for case work.
I have no doubt that LN will make it right, I just couldn't wait till monday to find out if it was it or me.
LN tool event
Just remembered it was Deneb Puchalsky who did the demonstration and the shavings looked almost 1/8 of an inch thick. They curled into perfect 6 inch circles and each one ended up hanging around his left wrist. They were probably not much more than ten thou but they looked thick !
join edge to sides for case work
I never thought about using a #48 for that. Did you see it done? How did it turn out? I always thought #48's were mainly used to join boards together to create the back of a case like they did in the old days.
Edge to side.
Yes. At the end of the demo he did a quick one and said something about a fast way to to make a corner joint for case work. At the time I was thinking it would be neat for window boxes or bird houses, not fine furniture. His went together well and took hardly any time to make, he did just one joint. I tried it with the 48 as well as the T&Gs and nothing went right. Double checked the thickness of the board and it was a perfect 3/4. No cut was the correct distance from where it was supposed to be and it was not consistant. I used the correct start method, which is to begin near the far end of the board and make several passes getting closer to the start of the board before making continuous long passes. I was using scrap poplar mostly and I gave up to work on another project. Got to looking at the plane the other day and noticed the out of parallel fence. Layed a flat piece of brass against the fence near the front and it slid down into the groove, at the back of the fence it wouldn't enter the groove and hung up on the edge of the groove. Unless there is some reason for this that I can't figure out, it's a mistake.
Sounds like your fence is the problem.
Your method of planing is different from what I was taught. I always start at the front of the board working my way backwards. That way the blade falls into the groove you'd just cut keeping the groove straight. I guess there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Mike
same way to skin cat
What I was trying to say is just what you did... I was trying to describe working my way backwards and by calling the front of the board "the far end" I confused the issue. I keep extending the new track back 'till I have a track that is full length, ready for one long pass.
All this will get cleared up monday when I phone them in Maine. In 2 weeks I'll be in Maine so perhaps I'll drop by the factory/showroom in person with plane in hand.
Monday I called LN and talked to Deneb and, as I knew they would, they said send it back and we'll make it right. A class operation, but you all knew that.
Yeah I figured that. Now if they would just make a Stanley No 113 type circular plane.
Pix of brass test
Pix of above brass test.
Using tongue and groove to make a long grain corner joint
Mvflaim:
You can use a tongue and groove to make a 90 degree corner joint where the joint runs with the grain. In case work the edge of the side gets the tongue and the back side of the face frame (or front panel) gets the groove (see poorly rendered attached sketch). It gives you alot of long grain gluing surface that holds together very well.
gdblake
Hey thanks gdblake, now I understand.
Curved body
Turns out it was not a fence problem but a curved body problem. They fixed it and the plane is on the way back.
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