Thread: Stanley #4

Hi Shedhand,

One of the steps you will need to take would be to file the mating surfaces between the frog and body--which are most painted surfaces or simply poor machining.

As well, the surface of the frog which the blade sits upon ought to be filed flat and smooth.

Take care, Mike

How about unscrewing the frog from the base and flattening it? Then retune the mouth.
No guarantees but if the frog is rocking it might be an idea to get it firmly and squarely attached to the base.

Good luck

Jeremy
PS Mike got in before me!! Great minds....

my thoughts.....

How is the frog rocking ?......

have you tried laying a ruler along the underside of the frog, up against the light, looking for where its hilled...a valleys good.....hills ####....

if the frogs flat already, then body may have a hill......, then you may have to intentionally cup the frog to compensate for a hill in the body of the plane (since its hard to get a file into the body). Can do that off your grinder.

I've never come accross a stanley bench plane whose frog bedding (after all that clamp down by its screws) is so bad that you get terrible chatter like you've described.

Shore your not missing something obvious ? ( something I'm inclined to do myself)

Hows the blade ? When it lies on the bed is the very back of the bevel tight on the bed ? ....its possible the lever caps not holding it down properly......try and stick, say an awl, in between the back of the blade and the bed, through the mouth and see if you can lift the blade that way....you shouldn't be able to.

Can fix that by trying to tightening up the lever cap screw real hard, after its all assembled.....means you'll need the screwdriver again to remove the cap latter.

Can also intentionally bend the blade over to bring it down.....I do that in the vise sometimes with some blades (just lock it up ans belt it with hammer through wood on the back of the blade near edge)

and of coarse you can flattern the blade side of the frog easy enough .
You've got more planes than me, you know.