Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
...that the open mouth is problematic, you can let in a patch in front of the mouth, extending back into the mouth a bit to close it down, then filing the patch to the degree of "open" that you want. Your new router plane (nice looking tool) can be used to smooth the floor of the mortise you would cut into which to glue the patch. So, you see, it may not be unrelated news at all.

You'd know it's too open if you consistently get too much tearout when planing. The sole of the plane in front of the mouth serves to hold the wood down and assist in breaking the chip so that you don't get runout into the grain, which is what causes tearout.

But, I agree: use it first. People will sometimes spend lots of extra time fussing around with a tool because someone told them you're supposed to.