I have a challenge I am facing with some planes I made and am in the process of improving. I made these planes from parts I bought from Steve Knight just before he closed up his plane making shop. I have a good supply of Steve's old blades but many of the 2" irons are not tall enough for use in the planes I have. That is, the blades barely protrude above the top of the plane body leaving little or no room, once a wedge is added, to adjust the iron with a hammer.
I have noticed that some plane builders add a recess in the mortise for the blade that will accommodate the screw head in a cap iron. Any reason this feature can/should not be added to a wood plane originally designed for a thick solid blade? Other than less wood surface for the wedge to clamp the blade to I don't see one. I realize the wedge may need to be modified or a new one made. I also realize that the bevel on the plane blade needs to be at a compatible/usable angle.
I also have a couple wood planes I bought from a Creeker that were made by Steve Knight. These planes have 2 3/8+" wide mouths but use 2" blades. The plane blades are restricted from moving side to side by a set screw in each side of the planes body. Another feature I am thinking about adding to my planes. Might I be able to design wood planes that could use a variety of blade types?