A Tool Nerds Dream - Lee Valley & Veritas Manufacturing Plant Tour
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In this video we tour the Lee Valley & Veritas Manufacturing Plant. We get to see how Planes, Chisels, Tennon Cutters, and Drill Bits are made. This tour made me appreciate these amazing tools and hand planes even more!
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That first machine is a horizontal mill, not a vertical. The spindle is horizontal this defines its style
You are 100% correct! I was just getting ready to make a comment updating this lol the Rob saw the video and let me know. Imma just pin your comment so other see it too!
Was about to say the same thing 😂
Lol! Why do they have to make it difficult on us! Everything else is horizontal BESIDES the spindle hahahah
Excellent video Jamie! Underrated editing, you showed the manufacturing process well. It was a pleasure to show you around, it's clear you have a genuine passion for quality tools & what we do here, we all appreciated your enthusiasm, it's great to see.
Thank you so much, this is great to hear!! Your company is amazing, what you stand for and what you do is something I fully support and get behind! Keep up the great work, we need you!
P.S. I accept tool trades as payment because I know myself. The money would go right back into Lee Valley/Veritas anyways haha
This was great and nice to see you giving due credit to such an excellent company.
100% agree! I always have great interactions with them, I wish I could qork there tbh lol
Rob is the nicest guy in the world. He's bailed me out of a couple of tight spots before now. Glad you got to meet him and you're spot on about his humour...he's one of the good ones.
I 100% agree with you!!! Amazing guy!
As a machinist AND a woodworker, I really appreciated this video.
YES!! Thank you!!!
Congratulations, you are one lucky guy to be able to take that tour. And a big thank you for sharing.
Thank you! deff was a blessing I never expected! I am glad you liked it! :D
Just fantastic in every respect… Thank You so much for making and sharing this video ❤
Wow! What a great video I came across! Thank you! I work for Lee Valley & Veritas! :)
That is awesome!!! If I lived in Canada I would do everything I could to work there haha
I want to thank you and Lee Valley for this excellent plant tour. It was particularly interesting for me because the large Veritas shooting plane, and their shooting board fence, were my most recent purchases from Lee Valley. Before I retired, more than 20 years ago, I was a business consultant. One of the joys of that job was to be able to visit client factories and see how things are actually made. People tend to take a lot for granted! Unfortunately, many of the US-based factories that I visited are no longer in operation. For economic reasons the companies have gone out of business or transferred manufacturing operations outside of the US. Your tour of the Veritas plant gave us an opportunity to appreciate the amount of work and the pride that it takes to create Veritas tools. When one considers the efforts of caring workers, the fine materials used, and the expensive machinery required, Veritas tools become a real bargain. i was fortunate to have met Leonard Lee, a fellow woodworker and founder of Lee Valley and Veritas, many years ago. The company and factory are a reflection of his vision. Because of his efforts Canadian workers are making a living and raising their families, while adding value to all of our lives.
I LOVE this! Thank you so much for sharing. You are 100% correct a lot of companies are switching overseas, which is unfortunate. So, having one in North America is amazing and needed for many reasons. I am glad they stuck to Leonard's vision because it is what the continent needs and our woodworking community needs.
You are also correct; I appreciate their craftsmanship even more now and am amazed at their prices after seeing how much work goes into them.
You will love the shooting plane and board, definitely one of my favorites!
Nice job ! Got to meet Mr Lee briefly. He’s a regular guy who really loves tools.
That is awesome! I've heard that too, would like to meet him one day!
This is awome! I Live about 20 minitus west of Lee Valley , love that place!
Ur a lucky man!!!
@@BatCaveCreations What's worse is my in-laws live just down the street! Great channel by the way! Im enjoying your work!
Ooh thats good tho they can get you ALL the gifts! Lol
Thank you! Having a blast with it!
Kudos to Lee Valley and veritas for hosting you and understanding how wonderful this is for all of us Lee Valley fans!
Yes!!!! Huge thank you to them! I will always be grateful for this experience!
Wow, they must sell a lot of planes! Now I have a jack plane with adjustable mouth from "The Metallic Plane Co" that dates to the 1860s or 70s. I'd love to tour their factory!
Oh man I would love to see their factory also!!!
Veritas makes a TON of planes they don't get alot of light but they are a popular company!
Lee valley makes the best woodworking hand tools in the world! I have had the pleasure of using some of them for the last 25 years.
That is awesome!!! And I agree with you!!!
I purchased the large router plane from the store here in London, ON last week and was BLOWN AWAY by the quality! There is something so satisfying and rewarding when buying a Canadian made tool.
100% agree! Their quality is on point! I'm not Canadian but imma count it because it is all North America :D
I love that Rob referenced one of your videos. That's so flipping cool.
He did a few times but the audio sucked or i wasnt recording... newbie! Hahha So did the Senior Designer and a few staff members. It took me aback a sec in a good way. Deff not use to that, lol
@@BatCaveCreations that's so cool! it must feel so surreal to know that they watch your videos
IT DOES! It was funny too, one worker was like "Bat Cave what? I haven't heard of that one" and everyone was like "ITS NEW!" hahahah
I work full time as a machinist and do woodworking at home, so I had to watch this video. I also JUST got into UA-cam myself. Great job on this video. I hope I my own videos get this good.
That is awesome! You probably saw alot more in the video than I did when I was there lol I have 0 machinist experience haha
That is awesome!! I think your gonna like making YT videos, they are fun! I made a video yesterday thats a pretty indepth guide to making videos (mostly editing) if you haven't done that yet.
And thank you! Editing and making this video was a brand new experience for me but I learned alot and had a blast!
Great, informative video. I'm a retired Tool & Die maker so most of these machines are either familiar to me or I at least recognize them. You did a great job of explaining all the processes.
Love Veritas tools, and I have a few of them. Most recent purchase is their Shooting plane. What a game changer! Of course it's left handed, as all tools should be. :-) Seeing all those miniature tools together is a trip.
Thank you!!!! I love hearing back from people that actually know what these machines are cus..... I don't lol I mean i know a little after this tour but.... im a woodworker ahahh
I LOVE the shooting plane, great choice! the left handed part is... debatable hahah I wanted to buy ALL the mini tools on that shelf and they said no.... :(
What a privilege to see how the best hand tool company works behind the scenes. Thank you for taking us with you.
100% agree!!! To all of that!!!!
And I was so happy to hear I was able to show you guys! It meant a lot to me that they trusted me with this!
You produce some of the most interesting woodworking videos on UA-cam. I thoroughly enjoyed this.👍👍👍
Thank you!!! And I'm glad you enjoyed it!
This video calls out for every one of us to Raise The Bar Of Excellence in not only our craftsmanship but more importantly, in our lives. LV is the proverbial “Well oiled machine”….
100% agree!!!!
My understanding too is they pay their workers very well and the ratio of CEO pay to shop floor worker pay is very reasonable. Kudos to LeeValley for being an example of a great Canadian company :)
@@gregsmith3373 that is awesome!!!
Pura vida Jamie great tour I like Veritas hand tools ❤
Thank you!! I do too!
great tour. thanks
Thank you!!
Fantastic tour!
Fantastic “shop”!
I’m very proud that Canadian made tools are as precise and high end as German or US made ones.
Thanks Lee Vallee 🍁
Thank you and 100% agree!!!!
@@BatCaveCreations if I was to tour LV I would be drooling all over the place.
The worst is I’d be breaking the bank loading my car with all their goodies. 🤪
@@rogerboucher1913 haha i was deff drooling thats why i couldnt speak much during the tour!! I was worried about getting stopped at the boarder again so I limited myself lol
@@BatCaveCreations
Definitely will be looking forward to your reviewS of these new tools you brought back. 👍
@@rogerboucher1913 Thank you! got a few in front of them but you know there will be vids lol
I've always enjoyed the "How It's Made" show on the Science Channel(?), even at 62 yrs old. So, needless to say, this tour was awesome. The store tour was also fascinating. Thanks for sharing. A job well done.
Thank you so much!!! It is nieve of me to say I didn't know that was a show :( hahaha
This was very cool to see. I love all my LV stuff. I can't wait to grow the collection. Thanks for sharing!
Same! And I'm glad you liked it!!
Mind blowing. I cant imagine how much all that equipment and facility is worth. I own a few Veritas planes. I think they are resonably priced. Good to see Canadain manufacturing.
Right!!! Like one of those machines is prob worth more than all the planes in my shop haha
That lapping disc....I'm drooling slurry.
Haha same!!!
Thank you! I've turned to Veritas when i needed a woodworking tool that will be perfect from the box. I it's a relatively easy way to eliminate variables as i learn technique.
That is very true! I wish I did that more when I first started lol would have saved numerous headaches hahahah
Where is the casting done? I'd like to see that part of the process. Love Veritas tools.
I don't remember :( I know it was a different facility not sure if it is in Canada or not. I would have loved to see that too!
That's Awesome!!!!! How Cool That Would Be ?? Great job, man. Really Enjoyed. They have Great Tools and customer service. You're right about the one bad tool out of the 100s that gets posted. To me, personally. I have no issues if I buy a tool and it has a small imperfection. It's a tool , not a trophy. Ima work the hell out of it lol I understand that some tools are pricey. You're paying the price because you know that it's gonna be a dependable tool and last and do what it's supposed to do. Great Video!!!
100% agree!!!!! With all of that!!!
I will probably ding the tool myself so if a small imperfection is there it is no issue to me!
Also, YES! Spend the money and it will last your lifetime AND you can pass it down to your kids, then their kids, and so on!
Thank you!!!
I've been a LVT customer for 40 years but I never knew that they manufactured any of their own tools. One thing that I find to be a bit ironic is their use of CNC ( yes, there is often no other way ), but yet they have no CNC related products in their showrooms. I have done CNC metal and woodworking for 20 years and it really opens up projects that I could not / would not do otherwise.
That is awesome!
This gets super confusing lol so Lee Valley is the main distributor for Veritas tools. Veritas is the manufacturing arm of Lee Valley. Both have the same president, Robin Lee, but they are technically seperate lol Tho Lee Valley does make some of their own items, in the same plant. And that's where I get confused hahah
They do have some wood cnc products like the clamp rack, router plane box, combination plane box, Things like that. I am learning tho that not everything is available depending on where you are.
Almost every day, I learn about something new that LV/Veritas offers! 😅🤣
@@BatCaveCreations Keeping different operations like this in separate corporations is quite normal and is very good business and legal planning. It certainly makes the accounting easier but it also isolates legal problems should they arise.
Very true! Deff the safe/smart move!!
Great job on the tour, and congratulations on your channel!
Thank you!!!!
just wanted to point out that the machines that jamie kept calling cnn are actually called cmm and that stands for coordinate measuring machine and they are awesome. when i worked in automotive engineering we used to check entire car assemblies down to less than a thousand of an inch. (or .025 of a millimeter). that's the accuracy that Lee Valley is working too.
Ya I realized after I had it as CNN tried to put the words on the screen to correct it lol
Thank you for sharing this too! That is awesome! It was tough to do this cus idk much about machining lol
Those machines are measuring to tenths, if not hundredths.
Precise Lee is a fantastic name for a Lee Valley robot hand
Lol I like that one too!
Ive done lapping by hand, wish I had that machine!
SAME hahaha
Well done my friend. Thank you for sharing this with all of us.
Thank you!!
Awesome tour and narration Jamie
Thank you!!
This is a lot more manual than I expected. Wow ok. I wonder how Stainley did them back in the day?
Right! I wish i could tour their shop and show the advancements from then to now!
Seriously cook, man. Hoping to make it up there some day.
Thank you! Deff worth it, lemmie know when you make the trip, I wanna go back already haha
Très bonne vidéo des ateliers Lee Valley à Ottawa. J'ai plusieurs outils LV et chaque fois je n'ai que de la satisfaction et du bonheur. Bravo LV pour cette qualité d'outils impeccables en tous points. Bravo pour la vidéo.😊
Thank you!!!
What a rollercoaster road you’re on so jealous thanks for sharing love this.
Ok this is cool, thanks!
Thank you! Glad you like it!!
Neat video, I have the brad point bits and they are great bits.
Thank you!
I haven't had a chance to try their bits yet but they are deff going in my next purchase! Lol
This tour is so intense that I have to take a break halfway through…. It hurts my head in a good way….pheeeuuuwww!!! Will definitely resume after my brain cools down…..
Hahaha cracking me up!
This should have come with an R rating so I could switch to incognito mode.
Jokes aside, fantastic video. I learnt so much. The quality control and attention to detail was excellent.
Hahaha I was gonna insert products tags but at that point, 100% would have had to change it to an R rating hahah
Thank you! And yes I'm amazed how much they still do by hand. Really makes me appreciate these tools more!
Terrified/torrified?
Great editing and commentary. I have a little conventional and CNC experience/exposure from college and a sales job. If this was a 'secret job interview' you passed! Companies are always looking for talent even when they're not. Good for you to make nice with such a great company that early in your career. God is good, give thanks!
Amen! And thank you so much!!! That trip was a huge blessing that won't be forgotten. I also learned ALOT so it was educational as well!!!
And you got the joke too :D
I think these types of companies are the most incredible all the knowledge experience and effort that goes into the creating of each and every tool is amazing. This isn't your Chinese assembly factory. I have several veritas planes and I keep them all in corrosion resistant bags until they are ready for use because I want them to be treated by me as special as they were by the veritas workers.
I agree 100%!!! I do the same! All of mine get a wax coat and go in a plane sock. Living in Western PA, we constantly battle rust, but I have other planes that don't get the same treatment lol
This was amazing. What a cool experience.
100% one i will never forget!
Personally I'm a Lie-Neilsen guy, but I love all my Lee Valley tools. If it weren't for Lie-Neilsen's bronze, I'd have a lot more Vertias tools.
I get that! I'm the odd person that doesn't like the bronze tho. I had all LN planes before Veritas (some bronze) but found myself reaching for the iron ones more, idk why lol
Soooo sickk!!
very interesting video. nice to know where my veritas comes from. also fun to see the similarities with the company i work for. very recognizable to me 🙂
Oh that would be cool!! What do you do?
Is there no hardening step for the chisels!?
There is for sure, same with the irons but thats not something we got to see :)
Lee Valley, deserves it reputation, excellent tools. I’m still envious of you though 👴🏻 🇦🇺
Awesome stuff!!
Thank you!!!
excellent video
OK, that was fantastic. Thanks for producing this video. I have a shop full of Veritas tools so it's great to see the manufacturing steps involved. Did you happen to get how many employees Veritas has at that facility?
No, that would have been a great question to ask. I was honestly in shock of it all and thought of a ton of questions after the fact, of course haha
Impressive manufacturing setup, must be a joy to see first hand. I got here via the algorithm, not familiar with your channel. While you are clearly passionate about handtools, I think your machine tool knowledge has room for a wee bit of improvement, but I made it through the vid. Check out, say NYC CNC, that guy is next level.
Ya I know nothing about machieneing lol I'm a woodworker not a metal worker. 😅 I also doubt I'll get into any kind of machieneing, tho I want to get into welding here soon (hopefully lol). I wanna weld metal accents or legs for my woodworking.
Every time I see a block plane it’s the iconic three dot design. They switched a few years ago to one egg oval shaped dish finger hold. Both the low and normal angle block planes did this. No idea why they changed it when it was established and stood out. Manufacturing efficiency isn’t enough to change it after 25 years. Especially silly when the miniature block plane has the three dots.
The 3 dots is iconic. I've had block planes with both, I tend to prefer the oval. But I 100% understand what ur saying. The 3 dots was unique and iconic
Que empresa abençoada
This is so awesome!!! ❤❤
This is very special!!
Thank you!! I watched my own video a few times and it still hasn't sunk in yet lol
Thanks for the seconds sale tip.
Ha ha! Even today, in a modern factory, you can still find old made in England Record vices! Nice to see them on their benches.
Ah I missed that!!! Lol thank you!!!
that's great, thanks and gratz!
Thank you!!
Parabéns
I have appreciated the quality of my Lee Valley tools while considering them perhaps unnecessarily expensive. Now I think of them as reasonably priced to bargains.
I agree! The amount of time and how much is done by hand blew me away.
What I really like is they are cheeper than the Lie Nielsen brand but perform the same if not better for their specialty and jointery planes.
I want a mini plane too❤
Careful! Once you start its hard to stop! Haha
Here's my mini collection so far: ua-cam.com/video/NFN7IPhEZy4/v-deo.htmlsi=7PFiAKOqAxsIVdOb
Do you have a link for the seconds email list?
It's not a dedicated one for seconds it's their normal email list. But thats where they announce when seconds will be :)
Here is the link: www.leevalley.com/en-us/promo/emailsignup
@@BatCaveCreations Thanks. Your reviews are great.
Thank you! I appreciate that!!
I was just there today with my school
That is awesome! Did you all have fun!?
What tool is this? Some kind of marking gauge with multiple cutters @22:20
Kinda, it's the inlay cutter. Is this what you saw? www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/inlay-and-veneering-tools/69874-veritas-string-inlay-tool-system
@@BatCaveCreations yep that was it! I'm not interested in string inlay… But I sure wish somebody would make a marking gauge with that wide of a base.
For round surfaces? Or what would you like a larger face for?
16:04 i wannt one❤❤❤❤❤❤
You have your horizontal and vertical mills reversed. The first one you show is a horizontal spindle mill.
correct! Rob watched and let me know i had it backwards lol I pinned a comment so hopefully people would see :)
Why the Shooting plane is soooo expensive? I got the small one ( 97 Chf / 108 Dollar ) but the big one cost 495 Chf / 528 Dollar!
Ya it is a pretty pricey plane but it has to be super solid for the force applied to it so more material and machining goes into it vs a standard bench plane. I do highly recommend it tho. Keep an eye out for a used one! That's how I got mine
Fave name Roxanne because she doesn’t have to put the red light on 😅
Hahaha yes!!!!
Cool. Subbed 👍💪🇺🇸
Thank you!!
Not one comment about the button configuration on Hal & Dave??? 😅
Uh oh... I may have missed it too haha fill me in!
@@BatCaveCreations looks like an eight year olds doodle of cock and balls.
(I guess I just regressed 57 years! 😂)
A tool vending machine would be dangerous for consumers haha, I’d be broke always!
lol i would love the idea of, insert x amount of $$ and out pops a surprise tool hahahah
'terrified' -> torrified
that was the joke :D
Must be that Canadian accent.😁
12:47
??
@@BatCaveCreations my wife works in a foundry as a final inspector, she has told me about the tools and machines. The time stamp is just before the C.M.M. that I want to ask her if theirs is the same. GREAT VIDEO by the way. And also, NICE CATCH to see that and ask. 😎
@C. Blake Rockhart oh ok hahaha I was very confused! That's awesome, and thank you! It was a lot of fun!
@@BatCaveCreations Well it gets even better because she just got home and I showed it to her and theirs IS just like the automatic one. Thanks for the laugh and the video.
@@c.blakerockhart1128 that is awesome!!!! And thank you! I am glad you enjoyed it!!
must not know what to do i got birdfeeder garden tools Mayan hammock wood finish compass lets see what else too many to list
Same! Not just woodworking stuff, kitchen garden, etc! They have ALOT lol
BillyBot
terrified, torrefied wood.
YES!!! you got it :D
Nerd
100%!
Fascinating, the huge market for hobby tool's. I only ever bought one show boat hobby tool, a lie Neilsen skew block plane. It's handy, I use it but veritas doesn't appeal to me at all. To expensive, to gimmicky, over designed.
They are retired accountant tool's to give amateur's and dilettantes a false sense of craftsman status. Which is funny because I don't know a single craftsman that trusts accountants further than they can be kicked.
Hahahaha oh my....... what?
Check out some of the comparisons I've done. They are cheaper than LN and include a lot more features that make the tool easier to use
@@BatCaveCreations
Lie Neilsen is overpriced too. That was my point. They are show pony tool's. I bought that lie Neilsen thirty years ago when I was a journeyman church organ builder in Seattle. Back then the poseurs were in to bridge city tool's, another overpriced gimmick maker. I prefer Starret squares to their version.
@Joschmoyo I deff agree about Bridge city tool, but with LN and Veritas I have to disagree. Yes they are pricey but imo they are easier to use than vintage planes. Granted both can take the same shavings but it's more in how easy they are set up etc.
We are all allowed our own opinions so I appreciate you sharing yours.
I thought you were saying veritas was more $ than LN lol ignore me :)
@@BatCaveCreations
Lie Neilsen tools are mostly bronze copies of vintage tools.
Clifton does a far better job and cast iron is far more appropriate.
A lot of veritas stuff is just glitzed up copying of vintage type's.
Their blade adjustment system is just a rip off of the old Norris type.
Gimmick tools are nothing new. Stanley made quite a few. The 55 was a classic waste of money.
😂 torrification?
You got it!!!! True veritas fan! :D
Hopefully I can take Lee Valley 0 ie. Canada - off my boycott list. That will happen when the crazy government gets off its ultra liberal bent.