Popular Woodworking 2007-06 № 162, страница 52

a left-hand thread. The yoke on the lower end of a small lever fits into a groove in the wheel. The rectangular upper end fits into a short horizontal slot in the chip-breaker. As the wheel is moved clockwise, the lever pivots and moves the cutter/chipbreaker assembly down, increasing the amount of the cutting edge projecting through the mouth. The projection is decreased by turning the wheel counterclockwise.

Open Wide - or Not

The final adjustment on a Bailey-type plane is the frog itself. The width of the mouth ahead of the cutting edge affects how well the plane cuts. If the mouth is too wide it will be less effective at reducing tearing. If the mouth is very narrow, it better controls tearing. However, the plane will choke if the blade is set to take a shaving thicker than the mouth opening.

The mouth's opening is controlled by moving the frog forward or backward, a motion that moves the cutting edge closer to the mouth's front edge, or away from it. The frog is adjusted by removing the lever cap and cutter/chip-breaker assembly. This exposes the two screws that secure the frog to the body. On early Stanley planes, the frog was adjusted by hand after the screws had been loosened. One moved the frog to the new position and held it in the new position while retightening the screws. The process was pretty much done by feel.

In about 1914, Stanley developed a very handy device to make setting the frog more accurate. A screw with a slot in front of the head was added to the rear of the frog platform. A steel tab with a yoke in the bottom was added to the back of the frog. The yoke slid over the screw's slot. Now, the frog retained its position when the

Here's the frog assembly removed from the body of the plane. The two screws hold the frog tightly in position. The holes for the screws are slotted so the frog can slide forward and back to open and close the mouth.

With most Stanley planes you adjust the frog by removing the blade assembly, loosening the screws that hold the frog and then turning a screw behind the frog that will push the frog forward or back.

platform screws were loosened. Rather than moving the frog by hand, one used a screwdriver to turn the slotted screw in the back of the platform. It could now be accurately moved as little as a fraction of a turn.

The best mechanism is on the Bed Rock series. It is not even necessary to remove the chipbreaker to make this adjustment. The frog is secured by two screws accessible from the back of the frog, one on either side of the frog adjustment screw. When these screws are loosened the frog can be adj usted with the whole plane intact.

Rigidity is Key

Slicing a shaving by pushing a plane blade over a wood surface creates a lot of shock and stress on the cutter. The tool will only work well if all its mechanisms are rigid. The lever cap and cut-ter/chipbreaker assembly all contribute to this. However, if the frog moves, none of the other assemblies matter. Remove the frog from a Bailey-type plane and you will see that the mechanism sits securely on a platform cre

ated by three bosses with narrow machined surfaces. The frog's rear edge sits on one high boss that is the width of the body. The frog's front edge rests on two low bosses separated by a raised rib. The rib prevents the frog from moving side to side. When the frog screws are tightened, the whole mechanism

is secure.

Remove the frog from a Bed Rock and you can see why these are the top-of-the line model. The frog rests on a machined bed. So instead of being in contact with a three-boss platform, the machined bottom of a Bed Rock frog mates perfectly with its platform, and is everywhere in contact. Rock-

With Bed Rock planes you can adjust the frog without disassembling the tool. Loosen the two outer screws to release the frog, then turn the center screw to adjust the frog's position. Tighten the two outer screws, adjust the iron and go to work.

ing (movement due to shock and stress) is virtually eliminated.

The other two components on a Bailey-type plane not already mentioned are the rosewood tote and the front knob. Both are secured into the body with brass screws. The knob changed shape in 1922. On earlier planes it's squat; it's taller after this date.

The bodies of Stanley planes are protected by a shiny black surface called japanning. It is not paint, but rather asphalt based.

Function Determines Form

A plane's purpose determines the shape of the cutting edge. A plane blade fresh from the manufacturer

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Popular Woodworking June 2007