----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jack Kamishlian" <kamishlianj@w...>
> About measuring the mouth:
> I goofed.  I meant perpendicular to the sole for
> one, and parallel to the iron for the other.
> 

Understood what you meant. 

I measure mine perpendicular.  Which makes
them "narrower" than when measured parallel.
But also has more to do with where the shaving
ends up going in normal operation.

Then again, not all infills need a very narrow
mouth for their operation.  And when they do, 
using a shim to reduce the mouth is quite normal.
I think old ones used to be made of leather.
Nowadays I'd even go for one made off laminated
veneers.

Narrow mouths are useful for very fine cuts
and final smoothing and also for some block plane 
operations.  Other than that, a more normal mouth is
perfectly OK.  Size and thickness of the iron is 
(to me) much more important than the mouth size.

Nuno Souto
dbvision@o...