Replacement Plane Irons
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17 October 2016 at 3:36 pm #141502
I have a couple Stanley planes (4 and 5) and the irons do not keep an edge very lone. In fact the one iron edge rolls over after very little use. I do have some older wooden jacks and they keep an edge much longer. So I figured it is the iron.
I was thinking about purchasing replacement irons for them. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Yep. I have a Stanley no 7 jointer plane. I replaced the blade with a Veritas PMV11 blade and chip breaker with one made by Veritas also. PMV111 steel sharpens easily and holds an edge forever.
The change was extraordinary. It was a good plane-now it is just amazing. Worth every cent I paid.
Check the auction site… I found a NOS Stanley iron for $20. It works very well. That being said, depending on the wood, A2 steel can work better particularly on knotty wood. Lee Valley does sell various replacement irons and cap irons for older Stanley planes. Their A2 steel is very good and priced reasonably.
Marc17 October 2016 at 4:50 pm #141506I asked Paul about short plane blades a while back.he said they only temper thempartway up and then they get soft so it sounds like it’s time to replace your blades Vertis or Stanley both work .
17 October 2016 at 5:11 pm #141512Before buying a new blade I would grind or file off ~1/8″ of the cutting edge of your existing irons without heating up the steel and re-establish an edge in fresh steel. Your edge may be in an area of de-tempered steel from aggressive factory (or amatuer) grinding/over heating after the blade was tempered. If a new blade is a better option get a new cap iron with the new blade. Lee Valley-Veritas has the best value blades made in a democracy. If you only use the planes casually, O1 tool steel is a good option. The PM-V11 is good if you are using them every day and have diamond sharpening equipment.
Lee Valley Veritas20 October 2016 at 1:47 am #141668Because I just built a Krenov style smoother, I now have 3 of Ron Hocks blades. I am amazed every time I use one of them compared to the other blades I have used(Stanley /Millers falls). They are a JOB to sharpen but once that is done they cut like nothing else I have ever used. They are about the same price as any other premium blades. My 2 cents worth. And yes I use diamond sharpening plates.
21 October 2016 at 10:55 pm #141746Thanks for all the advise. Now I have to choose between Hocks and Verita. Or maybe one of each. Hmmm
Sometimes replacement blades can be so thick that the pin from the yoke will not engage the hole in the cap iron. This happened with one Hock blade I bought. I worked around it, and it is an excellent blade, but you should mount the blade before grinding just to make sure it fits. Others use Hock blades without any problems, so I don’t know why I had this issue. (It was a #8 plane and blade). Anything from Lee Valley is good, but I’d still watch for thickness issues.
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