blade stiffeners - Record Stay Set vs MF two-part lever cap

[ac445ab]

I suppose the lesson is to go with what works for you...

I agree. However this story of chipbreaker as definitive solution to all planing problems is interesting.
If so, we no more need high cutting angles, adjustable mouths, bevel up planes, back bevels and so on....?
All I need is a good made plane with a good quality iron, an enough wide mouth and a properly set cap iron?

Ciao
Giuliano

 

[D_W]

I suppose the lesson is to go with what works for you...

I agree. However this story of chipbreaker as definitive solution to all planing problems is interesting.
If so, we no more need high cutting angles, adjustable mouths, bevel up planes, back bevels and so on....?
All I need is a good made plane with a good quality iron, an enough wide mouth and a properly set cap iron?

Ciao
Giuliano

You can use all of those other things instead of a cap iron, or you can just use the cap iron instead.

You notice that there aren't many of those things (adjustable mouths on bench planes, high cutting angles, back bevels and bevel up planes) 125 or 175 years ago? Even when the metal bevel up plane came to market, it didn't sell much and it was marketed as a plane to smooth plane cutting boards with end grain oriented to the top.

If you use the cap iron correctly, your plane only needs to be functionally sharp and nick free to leave a good surface, not straight razor sharp.

 

[D_W]

Thanks for the history lesson Cheshirechappie, very interesting. It sounds like we don't know any more now than they knew then. I got the Axminster newsletter in my inbox yesterday and on page one was a nice looking plane with a heavy looking plane iron, very topical!

That's what sells to hobbyists and new woodworkers these days. Most people come into the hobby hoping to use equipment to get a head start. I did, the same as everyone else, but I've dispensed of most of the stuff that I bought early on.

 

[ac445ab]

I suppose the lesson is to go with what works for you...

I agree. However this story of chipbreaker as definitive solution to all planing problems is interesting.
If so, we no more need high cutting angles, adjustable mouths, bevel up planes, back bevels and so on....?
All I need is a good made plane with a good quality iron, an enough wide mouth and a properly set cap iron?

Ciao
Giuliano

You can use all of those other things instead of a cap iron, or you can just use the cap iron instead.

I would choose the second option, of course. :mrgreen: