I am new to planes and I broke one today. Of coarse my first reaction was "What a piece of crap!", but after a little reflection maybe I was at fault for this one.
When I got the plane, I take it apart and check for the tightness of the frog screws. They were loose, so I tightened them up. The cap iron wasn't to close to the end of the iron, so I moved it. Then I put the iron back in, put the cap iron and lever cap on. The lever on the lever cap seemed a little loose so I turned the lever cap screw in about a half a turn. Then the the lever seem to snap good and tight. Then I adjusted the iron's angle by moving the lateral adjustment lever and it breaks just below the pivot point.
Questions: - How tight should I make the lever cap? - Do you make lateral adjustments with the lever cap engaged, or do you have to disengage it first? - Do you make iron depth of cut adjustments with the lever cap engaged, or do you have to disengage it?
I would think that the adjustments could be made with the lever cap snapped on, but maybe I am wrong.
It also seems like the lateral adjustment lever should be able to handle a little more force than what I applied to it.
Thanks for all your help,
DJS