A few days ago, I was sharpening a scraper on my fantastic Ohishi waterstone, and I decided I needed to flatten it. My method of flattening a stone is to use a diamond plate, but even though I use running water from the sink to lubricate the two stones, the super fine 10,000 grit side of my combo stone always sticks to the diamond plate. To unstick the stone, I usually twist the stone sideways to reduce the surface area of the stone, thus reducing the friction. This time, though, I lifted up the stone accidentally. To my dismay, I realized that half of the stone had broken off, and the other half was still clinging to the diamond plate. I am definitely not trying to make a point about these waterstones being cheaply made or of poor quality, and they are definitely not either of those. In fact, they are the best sharpening media I have ever used. I just happen to be the one idiot who managed to break a $120 sharpening stone.
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Here's what a $120 rock looks like
I immediately emailed Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, whom I had bought the stone from in July. I know that if I have a problem with tool I have bought from them (though problems rarely arise), they will not hesitate to replace or fix a damaged tool. I wasn't sure how they would handle a situation like this, because they do not make the Ohishi waterstones. To my amazement, they sent me a brand new 10,000/3,000 grit waterstone, completely free of charge. I didn't even have to pay for shipping!
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| The new waterstone |
This brief post is my way of thanking the amazing people over at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren, Maine. Just one email or phone call with their customer service can show you how much this company values its customers. I am so glad that there are still companies like this in the world, as they are beginning to disappear. I hope this story makes some of you out there who are on the fence about buying one of their tools because of the higher price reassured that the cost is well worth it, because I know that the Lie-Nielsen difference not only lays in the tools themselves, but also with the people responsible for producing them.
Speaking of purchases, I just had one of my own delivered just last Friday. I first heard of Lie-Nielsen on the DIY Network show Cool Tools, where they showed the LN No. 62 Low Angle Jack Plane being used by the expert hands of Deneb Puchalski, whom I would eventually meet in person. I had not yet experienced the joy of handplaning, but this was the tool that made me want to try it. Five or six years later and I was finally able to own the tool that opened me up to the world of hand tool woodworking, and it is even better than I expected.
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| I will use the 62 mainly as a dedicated shooting board plane, and I made a new shooting board for just that job. Perfectly square every time, and effortless to use! |
I also needed a shoulder plane, and the LN Large Shoulder Plane really had an appeal that set it apart from other shoulder planes like Veritas and Clifton. It works just as you would expect a Lie-Nielsen tools to perform, and is a great addition to my tool chest.
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| The 62 and Large Shoulder Plane |
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