Hi Mike
Sorry for the delay replying..I work weekends and didn't finish until 2am today so just getting to the messages.
First...your plane.
Nice job mate..particularly with limited hand tools.....and rather you than me trying to make that Holtey mechanism for the lever cap!
I'm afraid I wasn't that brave when it came to that part of my project...and to be honest...without a CNC controlling the shape it's always going to be better to just put the bolts in...particularly since I didn't have the need to remove the cap to access the iron set.
When I looked at the plane shape last night before retiring...I had a flashback to something and I couldn't for the life of me think what it was but then this morning it came to me....
Most things have a shape that symbolizes the period they were made and this shape seems to me to come from the 1930s....like the old Charabanc buses...I think it's the way the curves flow and the back cuts off suddenly. I had the same feeling when I bought this Barron...
...which reminds me of the 30s speedboats you saw on Italian lakes and those speed record cars of the period.
Regarding the adjustment knob...I actually don't agree at all that it's too small...in fact..I would say it's too big...surely it would be more balanced to have a smaller adjustment knob than the lever cap?
Do you need a milling machine to turn the radius on the knob? I would say stick the shaft in the lathe and turn the radius...by hand if that's the way you are comfortable with?
The steps on the plane adjustment hammer I made were deliberate. It's a design I prefer actually...but that's just a preference.
Thanks for posting the beautiful WARD shots...I have a Sorby one almost the same...that is my favourite paring chisel but only because I don't have a WARD (yet).
As you say...you might want to start a new thread yourself on that alone...as hidden amongst this thread, you possibly won't get the answers you need regarding the age....and it creates a very interesting thread too!
The Hand Tools forum can be a bit quiet of times and this is just the old tool stuff that sparks interest!
There have been a number of infill plane builds/restorations of late and if you have WIP shots of your plane build, I'm sure people starting out on this fascinating subject would be greatly helped by shots of how you did each bits....again...another thread would be superb!
Cheers
Jimi