Jerry, Have you taken any pictures of the planes you've made? (successful and otherwise) Any chance you used plans I could find, or have you written any descriptions?

I have had all kinds of daydreams about possibilities, but I'm thinking for my first plane, I'll just go for something with a fixed-width throat, not adjustable for blade tilt. It may not work on the first iteration, but by the second go-round, I should have something workable. I found a local source for decent quality irons. They quoted me $10-15 for a block plane iron. I know I could pay $3-4 for a Stanley iron, or $25-30 for a handmade one, so I figure the middle would be a good place to start. Besides, if I mess up the plane, I can just build a new one and swap the iron over. Maybe when I get all the kinks worked out (at least the major ones) I'll build a matched pair; one flat and one curved.

Shawn