Quote Originally Posted by Whiskers View Post
I was eluding to that, yes... in comparison to a shaving razor; for sure.



In theory you may have something there ... but in application the mediums are so different, they are beyond comparison imo. Its almost like comparing a bicycle tire and a tractor tire. Yes can be generally related (made from rubber, steel wire reinforcement, round, etc...) but the comparison is lost on the fine points and even main points, includuing application.

I'm still sticking to my guns about my theory being that the author had little reference, that he basically used anything he could.

Hindsight is always 20-20.
What part of the mediums are holding you back? Protein vs Cellulose? A low angle shearing force is needed to cut them.Plane vs Straight? Ok consider a chisel shaped exactly like a Straight except with a larger bevel angle, I admit cellulose is a hell of a lot harder to cut. But, so are some beards, so their are straights designed with different bevel angles and beefier blades, just like our chisel. If you don't accept the premise of the analogie, if I am wrong on that part, than this excercise is meaningless. So, is that something we need to look at?
Blade is about the same, matter of fact most of my old planes are carbon steel tempered in the same ball park as razor. forces on blade from slightly different materials cause stress. Chipping, dulling happen to both.
Mike