u/grymoire

I recently saw another contributor share his results of this Veritas Spokeshave kit, and I knew I had to get one. There is a special feeling when you use a tool you made. And if you get the pre-cut blank, it should be easy, right?

Not so fast. :-) There are a few steps that are needed.

I made two jigs - an 80 degree jig, and a 45 degree jig (both shown). I added a ledge that was the thickness of the brass bar to better control the alignment on the second jig. These jigs allowed me to better control the angle of the file for the next steps.
The blank need a 10 degree bevel on both ends where the brass sole goes.
The brass sole needs a 45 degree taper on the side, and a 80 degree bevel on the ends so it wedges into the blank.
The brass sole needs to have holes drilled and a countersink for the screws.
You have to tap the holes for the adjustment screws. Then the plane has to be assembled for the next step.
The brass sole has to be precisely positioned against the spokeshave blade, and then screwed into the blank.

At this point you can test how well it cuts before you shape the blank.

I had a few snags. The directions tell you to tighten the large screws all the way and use a business card as a gauge between the sole and the blade. This actually sets the gap to be the largest possible value.

I wasn't happy with the first sole I made. Luckily they give you enough brass to make a second sole. This one I aligned using the minimum gap possible, which I found easier to do and looks better at the end.

The instructions have you drill the brass sole and the blank at the same time. I prepped the brass before I drilled the hols in the blank. That's because I used the minimum gap to position the sole.

I shaped some of the curves with different dowels wrapped in sandpaper to get the smooth curves.

There's a few minor blemishes, but after a few uses, it becomes less important. If you wanted to show it off, that's different. I wanted to use it.

Overall - it was challenging and the end product works great. I am able to shave an almost transparent sliver from maple. You need to be careful on each step and make sure you follow the instructions.

We went to a Big Box store to buy an electric range – nothing fancy. We picked out a $900 Maytag because it had a 10-year limited warranty. We did not get any extended warranty.

5 years later, one of the burners started working incorrectly. It was either fully on or fully off. When we set the dial in-between, it went red-hot. The other burners worked fine. So I checked the warranty and it said, for failures during 2nd-10^(th) year the following pats are not included and it listed:

“Glass-Ceramic cooktop (if due to thermal breakage)”

I checked and the signs of thermal damage which is, as far as I know, “Key indicators include cracks, permanent discoloration, or warped components, often caused by heavy pots, overheating, or dragging cookware.” I didn’t see any sign of that, so I called Whirlpool (Maytag). I had to wait 30 minutes, give them the model number and told them the problem. Here was the conversation:

Whirlpool: That’s not covered in the warranty.

Me: Yes it is.

Whirlpool: It says Electric bake/Broil elements and not covered.

Me: It’s the ceramic stovetop, so it’s covered.

Whirlpool: It says ceramic stovetop not covered.

Me: No, it says “Glass-Ceramic cooktop (if due to thermal breakage), and this isn’t cause by thermal breakage.

Whirlpool: Yes, it says “Glass-Ceramic cooktop if due to thermal breakage”

Me: Yes. If it’s cause by thermal damage, it isn’t covered. But this isn’t caused by thermal damage, so it is covered.

Whirlpool: Oh. Okay. Now let’s decide which option is best for you.

And then they gave me three options for the $900 stove:

1. $480 for a year’s service contract to fix it. If it fails, I get a new stove.

2. $399 – for a fix and a 90-day warranty

3. $130 for a visit from repair person. Labor is extra.

I went with option #3. I figure if the repair cost estimate is too high, I only lose $130. Maybe there's thermal damage, and I made a mistake. We shall see. I'm beginning to suspect that there will claim it is caused by thermal damage even though there is no sign of it. I will report back in 2 days after the visit.

Update: I misread the warranty. I'll repair it myself. Update2: I found a replacement part on eBay from APPLIANCE PARTS BIZ (for $30 total). The other spare part stores were selling it for $60-$91+shipping.

Review: Veritas Hardware Kits for Wooden Spokeshaves

Maytag warranty experience