I just picked up a copy of Charles Hayward's 1955 "The complete book of woodwork" and it is interesting that he has a whole section on the "close" cap iron setting and how it is used to prevent tearout. It really is an interesting book. He has a starter tool kit, which includes a wooden jack plane, along with a metal smoother, right along side a discussion of the merits of a tablesaw.

Anyway, I thought some of you might be interested to know that at least in Britain, after the war, the use of the cap-iron had not been forgotten, and is described at some length in a book designed for hobbyists.