Plane Iron Upgrades?

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

I have been thinking a little about plane iron upgrades, and I know that folks like Hock, LV, and others make aftermarket plane irons and chip breakers that have a super reputation. They are also a bit thicker than the vintage Stanley irons which I use and like.

The type that most appeals to me are the ones that are similar in hardness and metallurgy to the vintage Stanley irons from the turn or the century to the 40s or so. The vintage Stanley irons I use have, from my perspective, a nice combination of edge holding ability and relative ease of sharpening.

I have read that at least one type of the modern upgrade irons has a similar type of metallurgy that has what for me is a good compromise in hardness and ease of sharpening.

I do know that some are tougher, and thus have a better edge keeping property, but they also take longer to sharpen. For me, the extra sharpening time is more trouble than it is worth. Simpler to sharpen is better in my case.

Which of these modern irons is the one I have read about, that has this characteristics? Knowing the model type, brand, and type of steel would be nice to know.

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

It may be the Hock O1 blades. They are made of oil quench hardened steel. They seem to work fine in my planes. The also work fine with the Stanley chip breakers if it seats well.

It seems they have a different wear dynamic than Stanley blades. They seem to "act" sharp longer. I have to remember to see if they can still take a light cut before using a plane that has set on the shelf for a while. Otherwise the edge can get a bit over worn (even a bit rounded) when it comes to sharpening.

Not sure if that makes sense, a blade still making shavings yet in need of sharpening.

jtk

[Curt Putnam]

I believe that Ron Hock is the only one making O1 irons. His tend to be substantially thicker than the Stanleys. I would take issue with the belief that the A2/PM-v11 irons are harder to sharpen. Yes, they do take a very few extra strokes on good stones but they last so much longer. For me, the claim to fame for O1 is that the very fine grain allows it to take a very low bevel angle (25° in my shooting plane.) Makes for easy cutting with beautifully thin shavings. I bought an LV O1/breaker combo before the PM-V11 came out. Very happy with it. Also have a PM-V11/breaker combo in my # 8 - very happy with that. Don't forget that you want a bevel angle of at least 30° for a BD iron which pretty much negates the low angle honing advantage and puts it squarely in the newer steels camp. Other folks like O1 because it hones well and oil stones and strops.
JMO & YMWV

[Jeff Heath]

At one time, I had refitted an entire fleet of Bedrock's with replacements from Hock, including chipbreakers. I noticed a marked improvement in performance, and that was all that mattered to me. The only plane that wouldn't take the Hock thickness upgrade was a 606 (which, ironically, is the only one I still own), and I filed the mouth to allow it to fit. I now make my own wood planes, but use that 606 for serious flattening work on gritty, dirty timbers where I don't want to introduce the wear on my woodies that I build.

Personally, I never understood the discussions over sharpening. The time and effort that goes into flattening the back of an iron is a one time investment. After that, if you take care of your tools, you're touching up your edge and taking a few swipes at the back polish to remove the burr. 3 to 5 minutes, MAX, and you're back to work, including a 2 minute water break. I've had A2 and O1 irons in my planes, and never really gave much though to any difference, in use or sharpening, between them. I'll admit that it is quite possible that all the work was mostly done ahead of time by Lie Nielsen, as they have been the only A2 irons I've owned. They ship their planes, and their replacement irons, with remarkable flatness already created.....as does Lee Valley.

Lee Valley's tapered plane irons come so well prepared that they save me a half hour per plane vs. Hock, when it comes to flattening. They are just simply ready to go with a quick high polishing of the back and bevel.

[ken hatch]

Just a couple of thoughts: Clifton and LV as well as Hock make O1 irons. If you use water stones A2 vs. O1 for plane irons is not that big a deal once the back are flat....Oil stones are another story. I still prefer O1 or PM-V11 but who cares. While I like Hock O1 irons they are more work to sharpen the first time than LV's because the backs of LV irons are ready from the get go, LN A2 and Hock O1 not so much.

ken

[Phillip West]

The small amount of vanadium in O1 allows it a fine grain. About 0.27-0.30%. A2 has about the same amount(about 0.25%) and both have the same amount of carbon (1.0%) but the addition of so much chromium and manganese in A2 changes the way it acts in real world use. A lot of the old tools Ive seen tested had simple hypereutectoid carbon steels(meaning carbon content about .86%)..Ive seen some as high as 1.30% carbon.

[Jim Matthews]

I find sharpening thinner irons to be a faster proposition.

Ron makes fantastic products, but if the original
Record, Berg or Clifton iron is still serviceable,
try sharpening it first. Good steel in those.

I think the Chrome Vanadium steels in those take a fine edge.