Sorry everyone for not checking the post for several days. I am still in a quandary as to whether to keep this gorgeous plane and try to improve upon the retention mechanism or contact W M. I never wanted anyone to get the impression that I had any qualms about contactics WM or that I did not think they would not take great care of me. Nor, did I dream there would be such controversy over my original post. My apologies to the group and to WM if my comments have been misconstrued as disparaging WM. That was never my intent. I do wish to continue to rationally discuss the design and potential improvements.
The wide Preston retention slot, the square blade stem, and the much larger bearing surface on the retention collar are heads and shoulders above the WM design from an engineering perspective. In addition, the columns are slightly tapered on the WM where as they are completely straight on the preston. The taper adds a bit of its own limitations. I am a bit surprised they changed the design to a less robust mechanism. I'll try to provide a few pictures of the mechanism details in a day or two.
Many Kind Regards
Last edited by allen long; 07-01-2017 at 11:45 PM.
No, the sky is not falling - just chunks of it are.