Renovating a #3 Bailey, the blade says: Stanley/England 25 degree angle for grinding

[Don Morris]

Also, there is a linear drawing on the blade that suggests a bevel up orientation. Would I be correct in assuming that means they're recommending that angle and a top up orientation for that hand plane blade? Perhaps with another blade the recommendation might be different. I thought all Bailey #3's would work best under any circumstance or condition with the bevel down orientation and with a chip breaker. I get a little confused about where I would place a chip breaker on a bevel up oriented blade. After reading what negative things FWW editor Charles Schwartz has to say about chip breakers on BU blades, it would seem to me, you might as well just try moving the chip breaker out of the way or even removing them. I tried to place the blade BU without the chip breaker but it chattered and wasn't pleasant to use. A typical Bevel down orientation was no problem and I could easily create shavings through which you could read newsprint.

The other Bailey I inherited and am in the process of renovation is a #4. It's blade says: Stanley/USA with nothing else to give you any guidelines to it's angle for grinding. It has a chip breaker of course and I'm inclined to grind the blade angle at 30 degrees and place it bevel down for most applications. Thoughts?

[Mike Henderson]

All of the Stanley bench planes are bevel down. I'd recommend a 30 degree bevel for those planes.

Mike

[Joe Bailey]

That blade in that plane is intended to be used bevel down -- the schematic is drawn as it is for clarity's sake only and has no relation to the manner in which the blade should be installed.

As useful as it is, for Stanley to have the iron engraved with the correct bevel angle, some have suggested that it should have been placed elsewhere on the plane, since it would be most useful to be able to hold the blade up against the inscribed schematic to check your progress.

[Tom Stenzel]

Are the markings on the iron or on the chipbreaker? My Groz has markings identical to the ones you describe on the chipbreaker, bevel up and 25 degrees. It's definitely a bevel down plane.

I sharpen all my bevel down planes at 30 degrees FWIW.

-Tom

[Joe Bailey]

Tom

Your post has caused me to re-think mine. I could swear I've had UK-made Stanley blades with the schematic on the blade -- but I've been wrong before.
Meanwhile, here's a 4 1/2 Record plane, where the schematic is on the chipbreaker.

309568

[Don Morris]

I stilll think that the schematic on my Stanley blade begs to suggest to the viewer to put the blade in with bevel up. But then why would the same schematic be on a chipbreaker? Obvious answer is the schematic is only for diagramatic purposes only. Blade belongs bevel down.

[Pat Barry]

I stilll think that the schematic on my Stanley blade begs to suggest to the viewer to put the blade in with bevel up. But then why would the same schematic be on a chipbreaker? Obvious answer is the schematic is only for diagramatic purposes only. Blade belongs bevel down.
Post a picture please :)

[steven c newman]

Not limited to the Stanleys? had an New in the Box Kobalt from Lowes with those same markings....