1. I thought that 38 degree blades purchased at Lee Valley were 38 degrees, i.e. I thought that the large bevel that we easily can see on the blade was 38 degrees. --wrong
2. I thought that the planes I purchased from Lee Valley could easily be sharpened using the Lee Valley Veritas Registration jig and the Veritas Mk-II Honing Guide. --wrong
I learned that the large bevel --called "the first bevel" is more like 33 degrees, and that only the second bevel (the one you need a magnifying glass to see) is 38 degrees.
I also learned that the Lee Valley sharpening guide does not have a setting for 38 degrees.
The pictures show how to set up the Registration jig to hold the blade at a perfect 90 degrees to the roller. This is done by pressing the blade tightly against the small lip on one side of the Registration jig. The jig also can be used to set the depth of the blade which changes the angle it will touch the sharpening stone.
In the pictures that follow I set it to the first bevel and see what the jig says is the resulting angle. I validate it also with a digital protractor. This angle is about 33 degrees.
The Veritas Registration jig measures the first bevel as slightly under 35 degrees.
Click anywhere on the slideshow and it will take you to large pictures with descriptions and comments.
Here are pictures of my findings:
