I hope that wasn't me. I finally did buy a Hock spoke shave blade, had to file out the mouth because the blade is so much thicker. It is well worth the effort.On another occasion I had a guy here that was convinced putting a new generation blade in his Stanley spokeshave was not worth the expense. His case: it was all about sharpening. No it wasn't .. it was about the steel and how long it would hold a sharp edge.
@joec is is spot on. We all have different goals and are on different journeys. While I agree some have resign themselves to doing the best they can with what they have, there are others who realize as soon as a tool is in their hand something good is about to happen. Kind of what @danmart77 was talking about. The best tool for the job within reason.Over restored and prestige tools compared to just good tools: You GET to use it rather than you HAVE to use it. For a hobby, how much is the grin factor worth?
I wonder, if any of us ever live long enough to find a LN bronze smoother at a garage sale, how is the wear pattern on the throat compared to iron? A couple of my first planes were from Amish markets and the mouths were worn severely. Bronze may not hold up that well. We can braze an iron sole and re-file it. Not sure how one would refurbish bronze. But I guess anyone buying a bronze smoother would not be using it 10 hours a day for 30 years like my flea market ones probably were.
AMEN!To each their own.
Bruce, I remember that class when you were at Cary High and I was a new TWA member back in the 20th century. I shared a bench with Jeff (@jlimey) and still have those little honing blocks charged with diamond paste.Until I took Garret Hack's class on sharpening both chisels and hand planes, I didn't know what a SHARP tool felt like.
Bruce I searched (quickly) is this what you are talking about:As for sharpening chisels, look at Taylor Tools on sharpening chisels. His set up does the same as a Worksharp, but cost only 25% as much