Plow Plane Irons and Honing Guide

[lowell holmes]

I have had a plow plane for a while (years). It came with one iron. I bought a set of irons from another unmentionable source.
One of the sites I visited stated that there are no honing guides that will handle these irons. I needed to sharpen these irons.

I'm here to tell you that the original Lee Valley honing guide will accommodate the irons as is shown in the attached pictures.

I think the steel in these antique irons is somewhat soft. I wonder if they could be heated and quenched to harden them.

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[Kees Heiden]

Of course they can be rehardened. But I would first use the plane for a while before doing risly(*) things like that. A plow plane is a bit like a jack plane. It scoops out thick shavings. Somehow that work can be done with duller blades. So it doesn't need to be super hard, decently hard is plenty good enough.

(*) Risky because they are probably a water hardening steel that loves to warp and crack on quenching when you make a mistake.

[lowell holmes]

I'm not seriously considering messing with the steel. I want to elicit comments and suggestions.

Thanks for responding.

[Kees Heiden]

Nice plane ;)