Gene, answering Richard, wrote :

>A4) Something that hasn't come up:  When you look at the shape of the tote,
>and the way your hand grips it, a huge %age of the force you can produce
>there has to be directed forward.  Much less is directed straight down.
>Unless you hold the tote a lot differently than I do.  If you *can* produce
>that much YMBAG, and you should work on sharpening that iron.

Speaking of the iron, isn't the iron trying pretty hard to pull
the plane through the wood at a 45 degree angle ?  Wouldn't 
something like 50% of forward force be converted into downward 
force, and right at the mouth ?

Paul

Montreal (Quebec)