Sunday, July 13, 2014

LN and O1 Iron

I finally broke down and ordered a LN smoother the other day. I was surprised when I requested it be shipped with an O1 iron instead of the normal A2. The CSR helping me said they had sold the last of the O1 irons last week and would not be carrying O1 in the future. When I asked why she said they had received too many complaints about their O1 blades. Strange, I have several LN planes all with O1 steel and no problems other than sometimes the back isn't as flat as I like when you receive them. That's a pretty minor problem, I wonder what caused LN to stop O1 production.


BTW, the effect is to up the price of the LN planes because I will send some love to LV and replace the A2 LN iron with a LV PM-V11 or O1 iron. Any one like to buy a new nice and thick A2 iron for a #4.  

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:26 PM

    That is ridiculous. I have a 60 1/2 with the A2, but would much prefer something else. I want a sharp edge, even if I have to touch it up more often, not a mediocre edge that last a long time. Maybe LN should offer their tools without any iron at all?

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  2. I agree about 0-1. It's my preference, too.

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  3. Hock O-1 irons are good too.

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  4. Ralph,

    Almost all my Stanley rescues have Hock O1 irons.

    I'm slowly sticking my toe in the PM-V11 water. I've some PM-V11 chisels and a couple of plane irons, so far I like the way it works. Is it better than O1, maybe, on the chisels it may hold a working edge a touch longer and I can't feel any real difference when sharpening. I haven't worked the plane irons enough to comment other than it sharpens about the same.

    ken

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  5. Tico,

    O1 is better for the way I work but as I replied to Ralph, the LV PM-v11 may be just as good. I'm not in a hurry to change and what I'm seeing does not warrant replacement of the O1 but I can see, maybe, we will know it time, and so on, that Pm-V11 may be the new iron of choice.

    ken

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  6. Anonymous6:57 AM

    The debate about O1 and A2 never dies. For general furniture projects, one is not better than the other as far as the end results go. The trend is not about whether LN has stopped selling O1 because it couldn't produce high quality O1 blade, it is about demand. Hock may one day be the only place you can get O1 because all the new woodworkers taking up handplanes will only know about a practical choice between A2 and PMV11.

    Frankly, everyone ordering a new plane or a new blade goes for an A2 blade, or PMV11 (if they can afford it). The people who believe in a sharper edge from an O1 blade are going to disappear as they disappear from the woodworking scene. At the school I am associated with, the sharpening classes don't even use an O1 blade for demo or practice. Teachers or students all are supplied with A2 blades only and they are all sharpened using a power sharpening system.

    Ray

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  7. Ray,

    Notice I didn't say anything about difference in sharpness, although I do feel A2 suffers some at final bevel angles of less than 30 degrees...With plane irons that is a non issue. What is an issue is I sharpen freehand and often. My work area is set up with a sharpening bench about a meter from the working end of my main bench. What I look for in an iron is one that sharpens easily and quickly freehand, I find O1 and even PM-V11 met that requirement better than A2. If I used machines with the time it takes to set up then longevity of the working edge might trump ease of sharpening and I could find A2 to be the preferred iron. YMMV.

    You could be correct because us stuck in our ways old farts will soon pass on and old ways will go with us but at the present time LV along with Hock and Clifton still make high quality O1 iron.

    ken

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  8. I'm on the fence with the PM-V11 irons. Knowing that it's from LV says a lot. I'll wait till I read more about them in the blogs.

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  9. Ralph,

    It's, PM-V11, not the second coming but I've had the chisels and a couple of plane irons in the shop for how ever long it has been available. Time passes so quickly it is hard to keep track.

    The chisels will hold an edge almost as well as my Koyamaichi chisels and sharpen about the same as the Ashley Iles'. The only problem I've had is with the Maple handle, I've split one which LV replaced promptly. The plane irons haven't had the workout of the chisels but they seem to be about the same as O1, which in my book is pretty good.

    ken

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