A clarification about my Hock block plane kit

[Jim Matthews]

I may have inadvertently insulted someone I admire, in describing my first plane kit.

I built the basic block plane kit from Hock tools, with the single iron.
I attribute my problems (mainly with fine adjustment) to newbie errors in assembly.

I made the rear of the plane body too "high" to allow access to the narrow iron
with my favorite hammer which has a domed face.

I tried the Glen-Drake but adjusted my thumb more than the iron.

I made the wedge too long, and too highly polished (Bubinga!)
to reliably strike only the iron or the wedge.

The wedge is so smooth that a spirited session with the plane
pushes the blade back up the throat until it stops cutting.

I may have tried to make the wedge too pretty to work properly.

My paltry first attempt pales in comparison to my favorites,
built by Terry Gordon and our very own Steve Voigt
who have a distinct advantage over a hack like me;
they knew what they were doing when they built my planes.

In retrospect, I should have started with a larger kit as the clearances are easier to maintain.

I sincerely apologize if I've offended anyone that's making a go of it in this business
and have satisfied so many clients for so many years.

Jim
Westport, MA

[Andrew Pitonyak]

If I wore a hat, I would tip it in you general direction!

I considered one the Hock kits, I certainly like the blades; just never got around to it. I will admit that I was even more tempted to try one of those drawer bottom planes that Mr. Weaver threw together.

[Mike Holbrook]

I don't have the patience of Thomas Edison but I believe he responded when asked about the thousands of "failures" he endure in his quest to make a light bulb, "I did not fail, I simply eliminated a few thousand incorrect possibilities". I probably do not have the quote correct and I am too lazy to look it up. I think the point is clear though. Sometimes I think we overlook the value of "failure". I personally am something of a connoisseur. If we liked everything, we might have a hard time finding a place to store it all. If it was easy to make a Gordon plane, well... most of us still wouldn't have all that memorable Australian wood to work or even go to the trouble...

[Mike Allen1010]

Jim,

Although, I have rightly been described as having the attention span of a gnat, I certainly inferred no insult in your original post. Typically classy of you to clarify your intent.

Cheers, Mike

[Mike Brady]

Don't feel the need to apologize if criticism is warranted. Coincidentally, I build a wood plane kit from another maker that performed very poorly. I certainly would not want my forum friends to invest time and money into one. I expressed that in one forum, and I don't regret it. Actually, I was hoping the maker would want to see what I was struggling with, but alas, nothing but a short email came back after I notified them about an error in the instructions. I'm sure they saw my forum posting as well.