Hey folks,

This is my first post. I'm very glad to be a member of the community. Thank you all for having me. I'm very grateful to have such ease of access to the wealth of knowledge this community shares.

So, let's get down to business. I inherited a Stanley no. 29 Jointer plane from my future father-in-law. The plane iron showed some considerable pitting, and while the plane body is in good condition, I decided to purchase a Veritas O1 replacement iron. However, as some of you may know, the Veritas plane irons are thicker than the original Stanley blades. As a result, the blade is too close to the front of the mouth for shavings to clear efficiently when the blade is advanced. I'm getting some clogging as well. As some of you may also know, these transitional planes have some shortcomings with the plane iron seating flush due to the frog's design in relation to the throat of the plane. It's my understanding that Stanley even recommended inserting a shim to prevent the plane iron from flexing when the frog was positioned closer to the tote.

I've come to the conclusion that in order for the thicker plane iron to do what it's designed to do, I'll need to open up the mouth.

My first question is, assuming I've reached the right conclusion: what's the best method for removing material in order to open up the mouth. Keep in mind, I'd be removing wood, not iron, at the back of the mouth and along the entire throat right up to the frog while maintaining that angle. I have a bastard mill file. I also have a set of Ashley Iles English pattern chisels. Do i pare? Do I file? Both?

My second question has to do with the size of the opening itself. I have a no. 4 smoother and a no. 5 jack. So this plane will be dedicated to jointing and jointing alone. What's the "ideal" amount of clearance I should have in front of the blade.

Many Thanks,

Willy Watson