Plywood metal contamination

[Hugh M.]

I was shaping a form out of a piece of 3/4" domestic "cabinet grade maple" plywood from a big-box home center.

My low-angle block plane started acting up so I stopped and looked.
There were several very deep gouges running the length of the foot and big nicks out of the knife. When I took a closer look at the plywood face, I saw a small piece of metal. It broke several times before I finally got it out. It was lying parallel to the laminations. I assume it broke because it was hardened steel. It was a small fragment about 1 cm wide and 2 cm long and very thin – a bit thinner than a hacksaw blade. There were no teeth.

I have the plywood receipt and have called the store manager. I expect to get reimbursed for the ply and have also asked about replacing the plane as it is really beat up.

Anyone ever have this happen before? Is the plane salvageable? If so how? Thanks!

[Ian McColgin]

How wierd. Could it be a blade chip from the rotary cutter?

[Iceboy]

Yep, ruined a sabre saw blade and a big chunk of 3/4 maple ply just this last sunday. 2 small pieces of metal between the laminations. Maybe they had a bad run at the mill.
Jim....

[Tylerdurden]

The cutters used spin with incredible force. One has to assume when they let go its a CATO.
Let us know how it goes with the claim on the plane. I don't think you will have much luck. Still worth raising a stink over.

[Bruce Hooke]

Seems to me the plane should be very salvageable. The bottom can cleaned up with some wet & dry sandpaper on a flat surface. It seems to me you mostly want to make sure there are not any burrs sticking out. You don't need to remove the scratches. After all, some planes, by design, have grooves in the bottom and work just fine for most purposes.

The cutting iron, of course, will need to be ground back, but that shouldn't be hard. Most of us have managed to knick our cutting iron at some point!

[donald branscom]

I was shaping a form out of a piece of 3/4" domestic "cabinet grade maple" plywood from a big-box home center.

My low-angle block plane started acting up so I stopped and looked.
There were several very deep gouges running the length of the foot and big nicks out of the knife. When I took a closer look at the plywood face, I saw a small piece of metal. It broke several times before I finally got it out. It was lying parallel to the laminations. I assume it broke because it was hardened steel. It was a small fragment about 1 cm wide and 2 cm long and very thin – a bit thinner than a hacksaw blade. There were no teeth.

I have the plywood receipt and have called the store manager. I expect to get reimbursed for the ply and have also asked about replacing the plane as it is really beat up.

Anyone ever have this happen before? Is the plane salvageable? If so how? Thanks!

It is lucky you were not using a power saw and hit that metal. That is why it is always good to wear your goggles at all times. I would tell the manager, but do you really think a big box store manager has time to sit down and write a letter to a plywood manufacturer about this?
You know how much they get paid right?
No million dollar retirment package.
You want to be REIMBURSED for THE WHOLE SHEET OF PLYWOOD? WOW!!!! For a 2cm long discontinuity?????

Even if the manager could get the MAGIC phone number of the RIGHT person in management of the right plywood company, do you think there would be a corporate meeting about it?
It was just an anomoly probably.

I think I would get the plane sharpened OR a new blade and tell the Manager about your experience and show your reciept for the repair and then I think you would have a good chance of being reimbersed for the blade or blade repair. But com'n an whole new sheet of plywood?

[Bruce Hooke]

It shouldn't take contacting the plywood manufacturer to get a reimbursement/replacement on the sheet of plywood. I'd actually guess that getting a reimbursement on the plywood is more likely than getting anything on the plane, because I'd guess that the cost of the plywood can be shifted back to the plywood company, especially since this is a big box store we are talking about.

[Chan]

You get what you pay for ! !!

[Bill Lowe]

Whine

[Tylerdurden]

Whine

Then a loud bang, next the sound of the plane hitting it in the sheet

[donald branscom]

Huh????