On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 21:26:56 -0700, Richards
wrote:


From a practical standpoint, you're absolutely right. Mathmatically, a
shallow cut with a long soled plane would minimize the blade hanging
from the bottom of the plane to the point that operator ability would
determine the quality of the cut; however, from a theoretical
standpoint, the fact that the blade is the lowest point on a plane would
seem to show that flatness could never be achieved.

Why not? I guess I'm not a theoretician, and/or theoreticians (sp?)
don't know nuttin' about woodworking. Didn't these fellas insist
bumblebees couldn't fly? :-)

Even if the plane sole is lifted ever so slightly by the part of the
blade protruding under it, -waitaminute, now I see what you mean,
there would be a very (very) slightly wavy cut depending on the skill
of the plane handler.

How about Japanese planes, in which the sole has a "step down" in it
which exactly duplicates the way a jointer works? That is, the blade
protrudes down relative to the front of the sole, but just barely
behind the blade, the sole comes down to be at the exact same level as
the blade.

James