Hello Ladies and Gents! Welcome to my workshop!
Today I will unbox and review this Lazarus Smoother
let's unpack the parcel
there is another wooden box inside
here is a pocket for the second blade
the plane is sitting very tight inside the box
what you notice from the very start is the QUALITY
even the box is made to be a perfect fit for the plane
it is a low-angle smoother obviously
The plane is 7 5/8" ( 193mm) long
the width of the plane is 2 1/2'' (63mm) and the cutter is 1 15/16'' (about 49mm)
please, note the uniqueness of the blade's adjustment mechanism
this novel blade adjustment mechanism was invented by Mateo Panzica
All parts in it do more than one job, like this knob!
this knob is the blade's lateral adjustment mechanism
and the blade's depth adjuster knob
all steel parts on this plane are made of stainless steel (A2 steel blade)
the mouth is pretty tight and fixed
The plane has a 20 degrees bed and is delivered with 30 degrees blades to produce a 50 degree cut
the cutting angle can be changed if desired, of course
there is a raiser cylinder for the front knob as an option (I ended up using it)
and a longer rod for it
the front knob with the raiser cylinder
let's look at this unique adjustment mechanism closer
this knob holds the blade's adjustment mechanism down and in its place when inserted into this opening
so, it prevents the mechanism from sliding up and down with the blade
also, it acts as a pivoting point for the lateral adjustments
the back surface of the mechanism acts as a lever cap while the "puck" on the threaded rod is engaged into the blade's notch
and the whole contraptions is held by and pivots around the "lever cap" screw
Let's put the mechanism back into the plane
we have to put the front hole right under the "lever cap" screw while engaging the "puck" into the blade's notch
the blade's lateral adjustment mechanism is completely novel
here how the lateral adjuster works (capable of ultra fine lateral adjustments)
Neither Mateo nor I ever saw it before
Please note the key difference: Lazarus's Blade Adjustment Mechanism is positioned above the blade!!
Unlike other systems borrowed from T. Norris's design (LN, Stanley SW and Veritas)
Blade adjustments can be dialed in "on the fly" with no need to loosen blade or make test cuts
The wood is Chechen, also known as Caribbean Rosewood
Body is Stainless Steel and Brass--2kg (4.5lbs)
let's test it on pine first
as you can see--no effort whatsoever
it makes shavings like a dream...
FYI: the blade is the way it came from Mateo, I didn't retouch it
I didn't try to produce the super fine shavings here just wanted to see how well it works
it took me 30 sec to adjust the plane literally b/c of its "on the fly" adjustment capability...
the board is as smooth as a mirror now
now, let's test it on american walnut
it is a denser wood
no problems at all
trying to make an ideal shaving:)
and the last test we will do on the "iron wood"
it is so dense it sinks in water
I can feel I have to push the plane harder
but I don't feel like it is hard for the plane to do its job
I can easily plane faster
it makes shavings like a dream
I can feel the shavings are hot when they just come out
as you can see the mouth never clogged!
This plane is a real performer indeed!
Like I said before, I was only testing the plane and was not trying to make super thin shaving
but let's just measure them for the heck of it
folded this shaving 8 times
it would be about .025mm (25-30 microns)
and the walnut shaving
I can't measure just the single layer, so will try 4 layers at once
so, it will be .025mm (25 microns)
you will see the sole is made of stainless steel indeed
FYI: Mateo said once: If he ever gets back into woodworking this low-angle smoother will be the one...
Thank you for your time
Happy Woodworking! Good-bye!