Reply To: Stanley 4 1/2 doesnt stay set
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You didn’t mention if the plane has this issue with the stock cutter or if this only appeared with the thicker Hock blade.
First, make sure the hole in the cap iron is sized correctly for your adjuster fork. Since the blade is thicker, the fork prong sometimes doesn’t fully engage it. Sometimes it binds in a slot that is too small, preventing the blade from seating on the frog properly.
Sometimes the fork is too short for the thicker blade. If that’s the case, the only solution is a new(er) frog FORK, probably purchased on the used tool market ( Ebay).
Second, hen you make the conversion, you need to move the frog position to ensure an adequate mouth opening and to ensure the blade is not resting on the rear of the mouth of the plane body. Sometimes people move the frog too far back. In very rare cases, the mouth needs to be made larger, but don’t try that until all other issues are resolved. It’s not reversible.
Also, thicker Hock blade needs a frog that is flatter to seat properly, since it is much stiffer than the original Stanley iron. You might have to hone the upper face of the frog flat, the same as you would the back of an iron. While you are at it, make sure the frog seats well with the plane body with no rocking.
I hope that helps. It at least gets you looking at possible issues.
- This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by Larry Geib.