: It can't hurt a thing to touch up the blade. You can't get them too
: sharp. And I suspect that is your problem. Pretty sure I know
: where Brian too. :-)

Yeah, that was my first thought. The other thing to consider is that the blade in his plane may not hold an edge well when used on hardwood. I have a bunch of Groz block planes that I picked up for paddle making classes and I'm pretty sure they're the same as the Footprint and Anant planes, just a different label. While they work fine on cedar, it took considerable work to tune them (especially the soles) and to get the blades really sharp, as they weren't flat or ground particularly square from the factory.

Dave, If you haven't already, make sure that you flatten and hone the back of the blade really well (mirror polish on the edge), then do the same on the bevel side. Check that your stone is perfectly flat before you sharpen with it. Flatten the sole of the plane and make sure that there are no paint or burrs in the throat. If the blade won't hold an edge in hardwood, consider upgrading to one from Hock or Lee Valley (Veritas). It may sound crazy to put an expensive blade in a low-end plane, but it makes an amazing difference.

Barring that, look around in yard/estate sales for old block planes. I recently reconditioned a Stanley 9 1/4 that was made sometime between 1947 and 1960. I saw it in an estate sale and it looked like it might be a goner, but I couldn't resist the $5 price tag. After tuning and sharpening, it makes shavings in maple and black locust (which is extremely hard wood) that are so thin I just about have to weight them down to keep them from floating away. I hate to say it, but despite its pitted sole, non-adjustable mouth and somewhat shabby appearance, it actually produces a better surface than my Veritas and Lie-Nielsen block planes or my Bailey #4 with a Hock blade. I guess I'd better give them some attention... ;-)