Ray Iles D2 in a Bedrock?

rick fulton

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a short distance from my body
I've read several places that when it comes to plane blade thickness, thicker is better. So far, my limited experience on this subject indicates there is some truth to this.

I bought a Hock High Carbon blade for my 112 scraper plane and have seen much improvement (though still not satisfied).

Then bought a Hock A2 for my 604 1/2 and I couldn't be happier. Proves thicker is better, right?

So then bought a Ray Iles D2 for my 605. It is advertised as about 0.115" thick. I've found it to be too thick to fit my 605, just can't get the blade tip to exit the body without it completely closing the mouth. Luckily, that same D2 blade fits my wooden jack plane and has made a significant difference in it's ability for deeper shavings in hard wood.

Has anyone else here tried the Ray Iles D2 in a Bedrock (605 or other)?
I'm interested in hearing anyone's D2 experiences. It seems like a great blade to start with if building your own woody, which I hope to do someday soon.

rick
 
Intresting comments Rick. I have a #5 that I am thinking of upgrading the blade on, although it does work pretty good now. I have seen a lot of articles on blade thickness recently and I'll be interested in seeing how this thread progresses. I have no experience of any replacement blades at this time though.
 
Thicker blade, less chatter.

Some open up the mouth for the thicker blades.
If the bedrock isn't a collector type, A+ condition, just a user, open it up and use it.
 
Hi Rick--I assume you have tried adjusting the frog further back? If not, move it back some and give it another go.

fwiw, .095" is about the thickest one can do without modifications on most planes. Some will go to .125", such as a Sargent #6 and an Ohio #8 I have had, but my other bench planes cannot.

There is also an issue of the adjuster fitting correctly on the thicker blades. Not a big deal to me, but it does introduce more backlash on many metal planes.

All that said, my #605 has a .125" blade on it. I did need to move the frog to its back most position which did not interfere with the blade when adjusted and needed to slightly file the mouth.

Take care, Mike
 
Thanks for the replies.

I may give up on the D2 in a Bedrock. Too many problems.

If I move the frog forward, the front of the blade hits mouth before exiting. If I move the frog back, the blade hits the back of the mouth.

If the blade were honed at a shallower angle, I might get more blade to protrude through the mouth before the blade hits the frame. But that seems like it would negate the thickness advantage.

My Bedrock is definitely not in top condition, so I may consider opening the mouth. Would you open the front or the back?

Then again, there is the other problem that Mike referred to; the “Y” adjuster does not reach through the blade to the iron cap for most of the adjustment range.

So if I relegate my D2 to my horned wooden jackplane, I may be in the market for an alternate blade for the 605. Which blade is preferable for a jack that is mostly used for leveling hardwoods; Hock, Lee Valley, Lie-Nielsen, or keep using the antique Stanley?

Thanks for the advice.
rick
 
I have a LV in my Stanley 5. About .094 thick. Works flawlessly. I have a LN in my Stanley 3. Ditto. I can't say that I see a difference functionally between the two. The LN has a maker's stamp, which I find esthetically pleasing, it also has slightly nicer finished edges. I usually go with the LV. I hear that they are now made with a better process to flatten the face [opposite the bevel.]
 
Ray Iles in a Bedrock

I'm sort of out of my depth on this subject, but on a drive north to my new home near Eureka, California, I stopped off at the Ron Hock studio. I bought new irons (all O-2 steel) for 8 of my planes.

Ron is quite a guy. He gave me a shop tour, taught me some tricks about sharpening, and offered a discourse on different types of tool steel.

As to your question, he said that in addition to get a thicker iron, it helps considerably to also get a beefier chipbreaker. His are quite thick, so I bought some. I'm so busy setting up my shop, I haven't assembled all these parts to try them yet.

Gary Curtis
 
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