The plane body

As mentioned earlier, the plane is made from stress-relieved ductile cast iron, and it shows. Every surface is machined to a remarkably high standard. There is a reassuring sense of precision when you run a finger along the cheeks or across the sole—nothing feels incidental.

On both sides of the body, you’ll find four holes. The two closest to the throat house set screws that lock the blade laterally. The Norris-style adjuster still handles depth and fine positioning, but once those screws are set, the blade will not drift sideways under use. It’s a small detail that adds a great deal of confidence.

The remaining holes are tapped. The upper one is clearly intended for the shooting horn. The lower pair is more intriguing. They will accept the fence from the skew rabbet plane, though I suspect they are primarily meant for the Veritas shooting grip. On this particular plane, that might seem redundant—the horn is already included and works beautifully—but my guess is that Veritas standardizes these mounting points across planes of comparable size. That way, accessories remain interchangeable.

I personally see little need for a fence on this plane, but someone, somewhere, undoubtedly has a workflow that benefits from exactly that configuration.

All of it reinforces the same impression: this tool was not designed in haste. Care, foresight, and a clear system-thinking approach went into its development.

This plane does not have a tote. In stead there are two knobs. And the divots on either side suggest that this plane can be used like a – rather substantial – block plane. Held that way, the rear knob settles comfortably into the palm, giving a secure and surprisingly natural feel despite the plane’s weight.

Here we also find the Norris-style adjuster, fitted with a finely knurled knob for advancing or retracting the blade. The mechanism operates with impressive precision. There is virtually no backlash; adjustments translate directly into movement at the edge, without that vague “dead zone” some adjusters suffer from.

I must say I have been a bit skeptical to the Norris adjuster, but I have found that it works really well. Compared to how Stanley has solved it, I find the Norris approach very useable.

And that is, after all, what really counts.

The throat is adjustable, and there is a big, knurled knob that works as a stop for the throat plate. This is a very good feature, as it prevents accidentally slamming the throat plate into the edge one has worked so diligently to achieve.

And here is the throat plate itself. A very practical solution to an adjustable throat!

In the image above and the one below, you can spot the three threaded holes mentioned earlier.

I placed my Stanley No. 5 ¹/₂ sole to sole with the miter plane, to compare width.

7mm difference in width, with the 5 1/2 as the widest one. And a No. 4 is about 7mm narrower than the Miter Plane.

Comparison with other planes

Here are some images of the miter plane and the skew rabbet plane from Veritas. At the time of writing, these are my only premium, modern planes. My #4’s, the 5, 5 ¹/₂, 6 and 7 are vintage Stanley, Record or Sargent. I see no reason to change that, really. I have no issues with my vintage planes – they work splendidly.

Although I must admit – a Veritas smoother does feel tempting. But for now, my two #4s make that purchase difficult to justify. They perform beautifully, they’re dialed in, and they leave little room for rational argument. There is no real need for a third smoother—only desire.

A gift, on the other hand… that would be an entirely different matter. And it would, of course, be deeply impolite to refuse such generosity. Or what say you, Veritas?

One does have standards.

Time to do some test – and a new page.