I'm having some trouble getting my Hock blades and chip breakers to work properly in my old Stanley No. 4 and No. 5 planes. The blades feel really thick—when I try to advance them to make a cut, it completely closes up the mouth. I thought about filing the mouth a bit, but it seems like I'd have to remove a significant amount of material which feels excessive. The Stanley blades have always worked fine, so I'm wondering if I need to adjust the frog to accommodate the Hock blades instead. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!
1 Answer
You might still need to file the mouth even if you adjust the frog. I've been using Lake Erie Toolworks irons, and they fit without much hassle. Just be aware that filing down a lot of metal can be necessary for thicker blades like the Hock.
Thanks a lot for the advice!