I stoped by my local Woodcraft today and out front was an 80% off table, so of course I had to rummage through it. As I waded through Akadia attachments, various plans and bits & pieces of stuff what do I find? A 2-5/8ths inch Hock plane blade and some japanese laminated blades for Stanley 9-1/2 and 9 block planes. So in I go and ask if they know if the Hock will fit my Miller Falls 18 jointer and if either of the laminated blades will fit my Stanley 60-1/2P low angle block plane. Well, they didn't know about the Miller Falls but the Hock would fit a Stanly 7 or 8 they said and I was sure the Miller Falls 18 was a copy of a Stanley 7. They said the 9-1/2 should be the same blade as the 60-1/2 but I would have to grind the right bevel. So, I bought a new Hock blade for $9.40 (listed at $46.99) and a japanese laminated block plane blade for $7.20 (listed at $35.99) and was feelin' good.
Got home and the Hock was too wide for the Miller Falls 18 - damn! Then out came the 60-1/2. The new blade was the right width, but the cutout was too big and the adjuster didn't fit the adjuster slots in the blade - double damn. So I can't gloat on either blade. Now I have to decide whether to just sell the blades on ebay and make a buck or 2 or try to find a deal on a old user Stanley
8 and Stanley 9-1/2.
Does anyone know for sure which planes a Hock 2-5/8ths blade fits (any Miller Falls)? Also does anyone know if a stanley 9 blade will fits a 60-1/2? (They still have a couple of laminated blades for a 9 at Woodcraft). BTW all sales were final.
Since I hate to post about a gloat gone bad without any good news, I did get a set of 4 roundover/beading Woodcraft 1/2" router bits at the 80% off table for $11. Also, a friend gave me a heavy older Columbian woodworking vise that came out of a High School shop. Works great. Did a little clean-up and attached a couple new boards for the jaw faces and then installed on the bench. So a good day was had irregardless of the plane blade fiasco.
Dave Hall