i am new to woodworking, and I bought a few handplanes. I’m trying to tune them up and after reading alot of stuff on the net, I can’t figure out how to properly adjust the frog on different planes. Using a #4 smoothing plane for example. After smoothing the frog bottom and the contact points on the sole, how far forward or back should the frog be? I’ve read that the gap should be around .008, but can’t really figure out what gap their talking about? How exactly do you check the gap?
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Odie's Oil
Ease of Use = Very Good Sheen = Excellent Appearance = Very good Non-Yellowing = Very good Water/Stain Resistance = Excellent
- Initial static pressure (in. of water): 78 - Static pressure with bag 2/3 full: 75 - Noise level (db): 80 - Disposable filter bags (5 pack): $70 - Reusable bag avail. from mfr.: No - Hose length (ft): 11 - Cord length (ft): 24
Ridgid R86044B
Power: Good Cut visibility: Very good Control: Good (with standard base) Bit changes: Good Depth adjustment: Excellent
Double Sided Tape
A thin woven core makes XFasten tape strong yet not too thick (0.008 in.), and helps it hold powerfully without being difficult to peel off.
Bosch 12V Trim Router
Trim routers are easier to handle when you cut the cord, and the Bosch’s compact, curvy shape and unique base give it unmatched control.
Replies
Tighten the screws holding the frog so that it is snug but it can still slide forward and back. Now install the blade and make it flush with the sole. Looking from above you will see a gap between the cutting edge of the blade and the leading edge of the mouth in the sole. Adjust that gap to be somewhere between 1/32" and 1/16" for starters. Basically you can set the gap by eye, measuring it to .001 is pointless.
Basically the width of the gap is dependent on the character of the wood you are planing and what you are trying to accomplish. A narrower gap reduces tear out but chips will jam in it easily unless you take very thin shavings. If you are rough planing a board to flatten it you'll have a wider gap so you can take a heavy cut and because some tear out won't matter. The plane you use for final cleaning up will be set with a narrower gap because you will be taking very little material off and you will want to avoid tear out.
Different planes will have different gaps, arrived at by experiment. Generally, once the gap is set to a point that works well I almost never change it.
John White
thanks john, i really appreciate your help
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled