Blades that Hock makes hold an edge

Hock Tools started in 1981 when Ron Hock decided woodworkers deserved better plane irons than what was coming stock in most hand planes. He focused on making replacement blades from quality steel that would actually hold an edge through a full day of work, not dull out after a few passes on hard maple.

The plane irons are made from high-carbon tool steel, properly heat-treated to the right hardness for edge retention without becoming so brittle they chip when you hit a knot. Hock offers different thicknesses—standard weight for most work and thicker versions that reduce chatter in older planes or when working difficult grain. The extra mass helps the blade cut smoothly through figured wood that would otherwise tear out with a thin, flexy iron.

Hock makes blades for just about every common plane out there—Stanley and Record bench planes, block planes, shoulder planes, and specialty tools. The dimensions are precise so they fit properly without sloppy side-to-side play or binding in the mouth. You’re not filing and fitting for an hour just to get the blade seated right.

The chip breakers that pair with Hock irons are engineered to actually break chips instead of just sitting there looking important. Proper contact between the chip breaker and blade face prevents tearout on reversing grain and gives you cleaner cuts on tricky woods. The fit matters here—cheap chip breakers leave gaps that let shavings jam underneath and ruin the cut.

What separates Hock blades from factory irons is the steel quality and heat treatment. These blades take a finer edge because the steel is uniform without inclusions or soft spots. They hold that edge longer because the hardness is dialed in correctly. When you do need to sharpen, the steel responds well—it doesn’t take forever to grind a new bevel and the edge doesn’t crumble when you’re honing.

Woodworkers who’ve upgraded to Hock blades talk about the difference immediately. Planes that struggled through hardwoods suddenly glide. Tearout problems disappear. Sharpening intervals stretch from every twenty minutes to a couple hours of actual work. The tools feel different in hand because they’re cutting cleanly instead of fighting the wood.

Ron Hock also wrote “The Perfect Edge,” a book on sharpening that’s become required reading for hand tool woodworkers. The guy knows edges—how to form them, how to maintain them, and what steel properties matter for different cutting tasks. That knowledge went directly into designing his blades.

Hock Tools is small-scale manufacturing done right. They’re not stamping out thousands of blades per hour in some overseas factory. The focus stays on quality steel, proper heat treatment, and accurate dimensions. For woodworkers who rely on hand planes for joinery, smoothing, and detail work, Hock blades turn decent planes into tools that perform the way the old craftsmen’s planes did before mass production cheapened everything. You pay more than a hardware store replacement blade, but you get steel that actually works.