Lee Valley Slick

[Sailor]

I picked up Lee Valley's slick last night. I haven't assembled it yet. (It's so big it comes with the handle separated from the iron with a little screw to fix it in place, what a beast of a tool.) I would like to know if there are any tuning up things I should do before I test her out? The edge seems pretty sharp but I suspect I could probably hone it a bit more if I wanted to. Is this required or does this tool come ready to use? Most edge tools can use a little tune up before first use but I'd hate to ruin the blade before I do anything with it.
As an aside, I was impressed with the way the tool came from the store. It came well oiled in a sealed plastic wrap, ash handle in a paper wrap and the little screw in a plastic bag all in a box. I look forward to using it soon. Any tips on use, technique etc?

[wizbang 13]

They turn nails into butter!

[Sailor]

I can't remember the specs... Isn't Black Locust 20% harder than steel nails?

[SailRat]

I can't remember the specs... Isn't Black Locust 20% harder than steel nails?

Not sure if the Black Locust is 20% harder than steel nails or not but I have been slabbing out a bunch (9 trees total - each one when measured out was between 65 and 80 ft tall when lying on the ground) that I dropped on my property - the smaller stuff splitting for fire wood and any of the trunk pieces that I thought was salvageable or large enough I've been slowly slabbing into usable wood to sticker and use at some point in the future when it's dry and I can honestly tell you I have to re-sharpen my blades after each section of tree I finish. And any of the smaller stuff I have a bear of a time splitting by hand. But it's funny how easily the bark peels off. Very interesting wood and as much as my wife wishes I would just cut the stuff up for fire wood instead of spending so much time slabbing it and stacking it I just cannot bare to just burn it up. It would seem like a huge waste to me. Maybe at some point in the future I can turn it into something pretty. I still need to do a little research to see what it will be good for other than fence posts like I think it's used for so much.

[Paul Pless]

I still need to do a little research to see what it will be good for other than fence posts like I think it's used for so much.

raised garden bed frames
boat backbone and frame bits
blocks and mooring bits and cleats
steam bent frames
laminated frames
tool handles
mallets
trunnels
last but least - firewood

[SailRat]

raised garden bed frames
boat backbone and frame bits
blocks and mooring bits and cleats
steam bent frames
laminated frames
tool handles
mallets
trunnels
last but least - firewood

Last but least - firewood! I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the list. Most of these I think was already floating around in my head but a few are great suggestions. It is some pretty nice looking wood. So far my widest planks are about 16 inches and I have them at about 12 foot long. And I did a few as 10/4 to use for larger pieces. I really didn't want to do them much thicker or longer because they're just too heavy for me to work with. I do have 2 or 3 trunks still at about 24-26 foot long so maybe I'll do something longer and thinner for planking. But if I did it wouldn't be a light weight boat build. The 12 foot sections I can't even roll easily. Thanks again.

[Paul Pless]

Last but least - firewood!

i burn five cords of black locust a year in the house and another three in the shop furnace
after ash i think it might be the highest calorie specific firewood there is

there's nothing wrong with using it to your heat your home, as far as milling it for lumber goes, its an extremely high defect tree, difficult to find in large diameters that are straight, usually has a rotten pith hosting ants and termites, there are often other boring bugs and beetles in the heartwood. It grows in spirals so finding long lengths of straight grained lumber is a challenge. Its difficult to air dry as it likes to rack and cup and twist

add to the list, it makes great tomato stakes

another thing that makes it great for firewood is that it 'volunteers' and regrows quickly, often from the stumps or roots of trees that you've just cut
it also can make a formidle thorny hedge if you keep it trained

[Don Z.]

after ash i think it might be the highest calorie specific firewood there is

Don't forget to add Osage Orange to that list...

[Hugh MacD]

NI still need to do a little research to see what it will be good for other than fence posts like I think it's used for so much.

A friend of mine uses it for bows. Works pretty well. He got a National Flite Shooting championship a while back. Wonder how it'd be for a framesaw?

[Paul Pless]

A friend of mine uses it for bows. Works pretty well. He got a National Flite Shooting championship a while back. Wonder how it'd be for a framesaw?

yes, it makes excellent bows, if somewhat heavy ones

[jpatrick]

Not aware that Lee Valley offered a slick, I just came back from perusing it on their site. Looks like a nice tool. The description says that it's ready to use. I can't imagine that I'd take it to the stone without at least trying it out on a stick of wood first. If it cuts, use it.

I'm not sure that I like the idea that the handle must be secured with a screw. None of my many socket head chisels have such an arrangement. They all fit with their handles properly. Use keeps them from coming apart.

Jeff

[StevenBauer]

$129. Seems like a fair price. Less than I was expecting.


Steven

[Jay Greer]

That is a fair price! I use a home made wooden jig to keep the bevel flat when I sharpen my slicks. The mass makes it awkward to hold. If you are careful not to put rocker on the bevel, the tool can be clamped on a flat surface and the stone held in the hand.
Jay

[Paul Pless]

Sailor, instead of growing from seeds (which need to be inoculated with nitrogen fixing bacteria) you may have better luck cultivating bl from cuttings which if treated with rooting hormone grow surprisingly quickly with a high survival rate. That's how I plated a few hedges of it. We our fortunate enough to a hillside with ~ 12 acres of mature locust. It had never been managed and on the ground are decades of black locust logs - talk about hard on a chainsaw and you should hear my log splitter groan.

[Sailor]

Thanks Jay. $129 was in US dollars I think. Mine cost a little more in CDN, $149 plus tax. I think it's a fair price. The handle should remain in with use. I suspect it won't come out once I've really shoved on the handle to push through some of the dense Black Locust I'm using. The stuff is incredibly hard. It takes a polish it's so hard.

[woodpile]

And one of these for the man who has everything.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...7785_200357785

[StevenBauer]

And one of these for the man who has everything.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...7785_200357785

I have never had anyone explain why a Titanium hammer is any different than a regular hammer without it sounding like a bunch of BS. Anyone got a reasonable explanation?

[Stiletto]

I have never had anyone explain why a Titanium hammer is any different than a regular hammer without it sounding like a bunch of BS. Anyone got a reasonable explanation?

Great minds think alike! I was about to ask the same question.

[woodpile]

I have never had anyone explain why a Titanium hammer is any different than a regular hammer without it sounding like a bunch of BS. Anyone got a reasonable explanation?

Yep, exotic, high tech BS

[goodbasil]

Woodcraft in the states had one at one time which was made in England. I bought one but returned it since the steel was of poor quality.
The LV one is a clone made in China. Same size, 3.375" blade. Don't know about quality.
Anyway, flatten the back, sharpen it then attack something. If it feels good, keep it.

[Paul Pless]

my slick came with a handstitched cover made of a piece of firehose

[Bob Cleek]

It's all about the metal. I've seen old hand-forged slicks that took an edge and held it like a samurai sword. (Not that I know much about samurai swords at all!) The old ones cost about what the new ones cost, at least where they're available. I've never seen edged tools that are properly sharp "right out of the box." I think the manufacturers allow for the user's taste and it's a lot better for customer satisfaction to say it needs sharpening than to say it's "ready to use" when it's been through handling and the shipping department and may not be by the time it gets into the customer' s hands. Then, too, not sharpening an edge for use is one less step in the manufacturing process which can increase profits if avoided. I can't imagine any tool from China not needing fettling and sharpening, but that's my own personal bias.

I've never seen a screw holding a handle in a chisel socket. I've seen screws in boat hooks, which will be pulled in use. A chisel is pushed, so the screw seems superfluous. The screw presents a stress point where the properly matched handle should fit in the socket easily. (A sharp downward rap on the butt of the handle on the workbench will set the handle in the socket quite firmly.) The screw also prevents the easy removal of the handle if one wishes to store the iron and handle separately, as in a tool box. Some slicks can be quite long. And, a slick should have a leather sheath to protect the edge (and careless flesh!) when not in use.

[Jim Mahan]

Is it possibly the case that the little screw is to keep the heavy blade from falling off the handle inadvertantly should the socket become loose, like maybe from being a honking big of piece of steel jostling around in a tool box, maybe? If you happen to pick it up and handle it around the edge of the workbench and it comes out suddenly while both your hands are full, and it bounces on your foot, or hits the concrete, or the puppy... Some people would just ignore the screw, the sick bastrds.

[John Meachen]

Is it possibly the case that the little screw is to keep the heavy blade from falling off the handle inadvertantly should the socket become loose, like maybe from being a honking big of piece of steel jostling around in a tool box, maybe? If you happen to pick it up and handle it around the edge of the workbench and it comes out suddenly while both your hands are full, and it bounces on your foot, or hits the concrete, or the puppy... Some people would just ignore the screw, the sick bastrds.

I can't remember where I read it,but there was a piece of advice about being careful with a slick because there is a tendency when using one to let it hang by the user's leg after a cut while inspecting the job.The risk was that the head might be a touch loose and gravity would see it heading for the user's toes-not a good situation for a sharp and heavy tool.

[nedL]

All I can say about your question is, ...can you shave the back of your wrist with it?

[Canoeyawl]

A boatbuilders slick will always have to hole in it for a screw.

Two reasons, one is so you can knock it down to fit in your "kit" at the end of the day, and the other is that a boatbuilder will often be working above other men, and that handle can and will come loose.
A slick is a heavy precision tool for fine work, sharpened every bit as sharp as any other paring chisel. It can be dangerous, that "chisel" is heavy enough to cut your toes off dropped from the height of a workbench. If it won't, it is not sharp enough...
(The screw is a good thing and is the difference between a professional and a dilettante)

[Bob Cleek]

A boatbuilders slick will always have to hole in it for a screw.

Two reasons, one is so you can knock it down to fit in your "kit" at the end of the day, and the other is that a boatbuilder will often be working above other men, and that handle can and will come loose.
A slick is a heavy precision tool for fine work, sharpened every bit as sharp as any other paring chisel. It can be dangerous, that "chisel" is heavy enough to cut your toes off dropped from the height of a workbench. If it won't, it is not sharp enough...
(The screw is a good thing and is the difference between a professional and a dilettante)

I've never heard that before, but it sure makes perfect sense!

[StevenBauer]

Bob, have you ever bought an edge tool from Lee Valley or Lie Nielson?


Steven

[Canoez]

Bob, have you ever bought an edge tool from Lee Valley or Lie Nielson?


Steven

Second that notion. I've had planes from both vendors - they arrived sharp enough to shave with.

[Bob Cleek]

Bob, have you ever bought an edge tool from Lee Valley or Lie Nielson?


Steven

Truth be told, no. I've got first-hand familiarity with Lie Nielson planes "right out of the box" in stores, though. The first thing I noted was that they were well-sharpened "in the box." I'd say Veritas, Lee Valley, Lie Nielson, and other "aspirational" tool lines touting themselves as the "very best," probably do put a fine edge on their blades before shipping these days. That really wasn't the way it used to be done across the board. I guess, too, it depends upon how you define "sharp." I've seen a lot of Stanley and Record blades "out of the box" and I'd say they all were useable. I'd expect anybody who knew the difference, though, would end up touching up a new edge before using it.

[Canoez]

Truth be told, no. I've got first-hand familiarity with Lie Nielson planes "right out of the box" in stores, though. The first thing I noted was that they were well-sharpened "in the box." I'd say Veritas, Lee Valley, Lie Nielson, and other "aspirational" tool lines touting themselves as the "very best," probably do put a fine edge on their blades before shipping these days. That really wasn't the way it used to be done across the board. I guess, too, it depends upon how you define "sharp." I've seen a lot of Stanley and Record blades "out of the box" and I'd say they all were useable. I'd expect anybody who knew the difference, though, would end up touching up a new edge before using it.

I received one of Lie Neilsen's bronze block planes as a gift from a grateful student. The blade on that plane was literally sharp enough to shave with out of the box. I was also gifted a "Little Victor" from Lee Valley. That, too, was sharp enough that I cut myself on the blade checking out the flatness of the lapping job on the blade - apparently they have a precision lapping machine to sharpen blades at the factory.

However, if you don't know how to sharpen tools, you're still SOL once you've used the tool for a bit. Sharp out of the box doesn't matter much if you don't know how to put a good edge on a tool.

[Hugh Conway]

The lie-nielsen's I own were flat & true on the sole and flat & sharp of blade out of the box. Great performing tools. People always comment about their price, having bought lots of used hand tools, if you sum the price of a decent vintage Stanley block plane, a new good blade, and your labor to get it into shape, the price isn't much different.

The lee valley tools have generally been very good - the plane blades sharp, the plane flat, but some of their chisels have had funky back topography.

[kelso]

The lie-nielsen's I own were flat & true on the sole and flat & sharp of blade out of the box. Great performing tools. People always comment about their price, having bought lots of used hand tools, if you sum the price of a decent vintage Stanley block plane, a new good blade, and your labor to get it into shape, the price isn't much different.

The lee valley tools have generally been very good - the plane blades sharp, the plane flat, but some of their chisels have had funky back topography.

Been waiting to hear this - though I think I thought it already!

[SMARTINSEN]

This line of tools for working with big wood seems to be quite good:

https://barrtools.com/

[paulf]

I've got one, they are well made, from China, and yes you can shave with it...a bit heavy tho!

Very good deal.

I use it for log work and rustic log furniture..also boat work.