Hock Blade and Chipbreaker for Stanley #7

[Tom Davis]

I tried installing a Hock blade and chipbreaker in my Stanley #7 and find that I cannot get the new (thicker) parts to clear the plane mouth. I have moved the frog as far back as possile with no luck.

Will I have to remove material from the mouth to get this to work? If so, have any of you guys had experience doing this? Any suggestions, things not to do, etc. will be appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

[Robert Rozaieski]

Will I have to remove material from the mouth to get this to work? If so, have any of you guys had experience doing this? Any suggestions, things not to do, etc. will be appreciated.


Yep. Just take it slow and check often. Use a mil file and gently file the front of the mouth. It may help to use a square and a fine sharpie and draw a line on the sole to guide your filing. Don't worry about a super tight mouth. It's a jointer, not a smoother. You want to be able to clear a shaving so don't make it so tight that a normal shaving clogs it. You won't be taking tissue thin shavings with it unless your plan is to have a 22" smoother :eek:.

[RickT Harding]

Strange, I just got that this week for my own #7 and didn't have to adjust anything.

[Richard Dooling]

Also check the position of the frog. Too far forward will choke it up, but too far back and the blade might lift off the frog and rest on the plane body and not be fully supported.

[steve swantee]

Hi Tom, I put a 3/16" thicK LN iron in my type 4 Stanley No8. Here is my experience:Plane Iron Experiment - Sawmill Creek (http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=99429) Not terribly detailed, but you'll get the idea. You're not likely to have a problem with your yoke though, so that's one less thing to worry about. Good luck.

Steve

[Tom Davis]

Thanks for the responses.

RickT - I read several psots on this befor buying the Hock stuff and was hoping that I would not have to file anthing, but the mouth is definitely too small.

Richard, I have moved the frog all the way back, which i agree with you will leave the iron unsupported, so I will get the frog angle right first and then start releaving the front of the mouth.

Thanks

Tom

[Martin Cash]

Hi Tom,
Before you widen the mouth on your number 7, which appears to be your only option with this blade, you might like to consider using this Hock blade in a different plane if its mouth will take it.
A number 4 1/2, 5 1/2, or a 6 would fit the blade.
You could use its blade in the number 7 with the Hock chip breaker.
A stronger chip breaker/cap-iron will work wonders with a regular blade, and if the mouth on your number 7 is already a nice small size, I would be reluctant to widen it.
Cheers
MC

[Jim Koepke]

Looks like others have given sound advice. When it was my turn to do this operation, it was helpful to use a square and score a line with a sharp knife or awl just a hair in front of the mouth, and then file to the line. Also, you may like the idea of angling the file to slope the front of the mouth so it gets a little wider towards the top side. This will help some with chip clearance.

If you can, hold the plane in a vise so you can keep the file level. This way you just have to concentrate on how much metal you are removing. Also, it is better to file from the outside in than the other way around. It produces a better edge.

If you can find one, what is called a safety file will help prevent scoring the edges. These are files that have smooth edges so you can get right up next to something without marking it. Sometimes they need to have a stone taken to the edge to relieve them a little.

Finally, if the frog moves back far enough that the blade is held up by the back of the mouth, it may be better to remove some metal from the back of the mouth first. Check the mouth with a square and see if one edge is in need of straightening more than the other.

jim

[Joel Goodman]

I put a much thicker iron from TWW in my #7 and had to open up the mouth a little. I used an auger file which is rather fine but has smooth (non serrated) sides so that the mouth will not get opened on the sides. Whatever file you use get one that has the smooth non cutting sides. Check often and go slow -- you can always file more but it's hard to put the filings back. The mouth on mine is a little tight for a jointer but it's not clogging and I can open it up more in future if needed. I am surprised that the Hock will not fit - they are about .095. The iron I used is .115 - .120 thick and I only opened the mouth a touch. Are you sure the frog is as far back as it can be and still have the iron resting properly on the frog? Also make sure the iron is adjusted laterally (and that the frog is square to the body) as you try to fit it -- if it is canted a lot the iron will not fit in a tight mouth.

[Richard Dooling]

I also had this problem with a #6 (an often overlooked plane due to an unjust dissin’ from Patrick Leach). I did open the mouth some but I also backed off on the chip breaker.

The light bulb finally came on and I realized I’m not trying to take super thin shavings with this plane. It’s not a smoother – I wanted the extra heft of a Hock blade to help me to take heavy cuts.

I'll second Jim's advice to clamp the plane body at an angle so you can use the file level.