|
|
|
|
|
 
|
Blades – Choice of A2 or O1 Tool Steel |
|
| |
Veritas bench, bevel-up, shoulder, apron and block planes come with lapped blades made of either A2 or O1 tool steel. Both steels are excellent choices, but have different characteristics. Choosing between an A2 or O1 blade depends on your preferences – how you like to work, how much planing you do, and your sharpening
methods. |
| |
| Our A2 blades are air-quenched and double-tempered to a hardness of Rc60-62. They hold an edge longer than most high-carbon steel blades, but also take more effort to sharpen. Choose A2 if edge durability is of primary importance to you. |
| |
| Our O1 blades are oil-quenched and double-tempered to Rc58-60. They can be sharpened more quickly than an A2 blade, but they will also dull faster. The chromium content of O1 is less than that of A2 steel (0.5% vs. 5%), so they will also rust more readily. O1 blades are a good choice for rapid honing, but at a higher frequency. |
| |
| Lapping |
| |
| We now lap our Veritas A2 and O1 plane blades* on the face (non-bevel side) to a flatness tolerance of ±0.0002" or better over the working surface, and with an average roughness surface finish of 5 microinches (0.000005") or better. On our regular and bevel-up plane blades, the working surface is the section of the face that extends from about 1/8" below the bottom of the screw slot to the cutting edge; on shoulder and bullnose plane blades, it is the widest section of the face from the shoulder to the cutting edge. Average roughness (Ra) measures the height variations in the surface over a given area and then provides an average roughness value to represent the surface finish – the lower the value, the better the finish. While the blade faces are both smooth and true, they can still benefit from final polishing. You will also still need to hone the intersecting bevel. |
| |
| * except Veritas scrub, scraping, router and flush planes, and all Veritas A2 toothed blades. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
