I am moving into some bigger panels now and need to setup my longer planes. Up to 15x15inch panels I was happy with my results with a #5 Bailey as a finished surface. I have a couple 40 inch panels in progress now.

I have a #6 Bailey all ready to go, except the factory iron is too heavily pitted to sharpen, a PMV11 blade for that one should be here in a month or so. I also have a #8 Bailey (early type 6) with a new Veritas O1 iron in it.

This weekend I have the #8 running. With the chip breaker about 3/16" back from the edge I can take a shaving (face grain poplar) 0.004". If I advance the chip breaker so it is 1/16" from the edge of the iron I can't get a chip at all. So I know I have to open the mouth "some", what I don't want to do is open the mouth too much.

With the chip breaker up close to the edge of the iron on a #8, what is about the thickest shaving I should be able to take? 0.002" or so? Recall I will be able to move from #5 to #6 before reaching for the #8.

Thanks.