Originally Posted by
Simon MacGowen
In the grand scheme of things, "on the fly" adjustments don't really matter for most woodworkers, certainly not for those who don't have the habit of "adjusting" a tool on the fly. It won't be a factor for consideration at all in my handplane purchase decision.
Simon
Honest question: how do you keep from adjusting the plane's blade while you're working?
As you plane, the blade gets duller (either exponentially or linearly). As the blade gets duller, it will take less and less of a cut, so you need to advance the blade to substitute for the loss of the edge.
Now, I agree, you shouldn't be doing 4 turns of the blade adjustment knob every time you pick up the plane (but hey, takes all kinds to make the world go 'round). But to think you can "set and forget" between sharpenings is a little. . .tough for me to grasp.
The Barefoot Woodworker.
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