Replacement plane irons.

[Sergio Escudero]

Hello. I was looking at Fine Tools and their Juuma planes, as I want a No. 4 (I currently have a 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and 7) and I was thinking of taking the opportunity to buy an extra iron, as I want to try making a 10° back bevel to increase the angle of attack and reduce tearout. I think the steel in Juuma irons is T10. It's probably not the best in the world, and their irons cost €20, but then I thought about the options offered by Dictum with their HSS and O2 Waterjet blades (I suspect SK4 must be similar to T10, as the price is similar).

I would like to be able to compare them with accurate data, but the Wood by Right table does not include tests for these irons. What do you recommend?

[wtnhighlander]

I have little personal experience to share, but blades made by Ron Hock, or the Vertas PMV-11 blades, get good reviews here. To one Vertas shoulder plane I own has a PMV-11 cutter, and holds an edge wonderfully.

Not sure how easy they might be to purchase from Spain, though.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

I bought a hock iron and chip breaker for my 1940-something Stanley #4. And it came with a problem that i still haven't resolved to my satisfaction. 

The cap iron screw that tensions the cap iron and blade assembly is beveled on the underside of the head. The Hock gear is thicker than the stock gear, so that bevel prevents it from seating as it should. 

I've been able to work around it, and i probably just need to try and grind the bottom of that screw head flat, but it's s major annoyance and sometimes makes it difficult to adjust in use. 

This was/is a real head scratcher for me as i was under the impression that Hock was originally produced as a replacement for old Stanley's. Of course there's always the possibility that this screw isn't original and came out of some other plane years ago. 

 

So, i don't know if that helps you at all, but it's something to watch out for. I contacted woodcraft about it and they sent me a new chip breaker screw. I must not have explained it very well to them. 

(The gap on top of the screw shouldn't be there)

[wtnhighlander]

I think somebody swapped screws on you...

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 10/20/2025 at 9:56 PM, wtnhighlander said:

I think somebody swapped screws on you...

I compared it to my other Stanley's from the same era, identical. 

[Chet]

On 10/21/2025 at 4:23 AM, Ron Swanson Jr. said:

I compared it to my other Stanley's from the same era, identical. 

Maybe send the picture to Hock and see if they have an idea as to a fix.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 10/21/2025 at 12:41 PM, Chet said:

Maybe send the picture to Hock and see if they have an idea as to a fix.

I remember trying to do so shortly after i purchased and was unable to find any contact info on their site. Odd. 

But because of your suggestion i took another shot and found they do have a means of contact, it's a form where you type your message into a text box (with a short character limit). 

We'll see what they come back with. But i did notice some CYA verbiage on their site, something like "you may need to make some adjustments on some planes". So we'll see.