Do you use high angle frogs?

[Paul McGaha]

I don't have any high angle frogs for my planes. Just curious as to what others do.

Thanks.

PHM

[lowell holmes]

No, but I do use high angle bevel up planes from Lee Valley.

[steven c newman]

Have a York Pitch by Dunlap. West germany Iron

Comes in handy on curly Maple...

[Jim Koepke]

My luck with setting the chip breaker seems to be doing well.

Of course very little difficult hard woods end up in my shop.

jtk

[bridger berdel]

Other than a block plane ground high and a toothing plane set high, no.

[Stewie Simpson]

Yes. All of my bench planes are 45* and above.

Stewie;

[david charlesworth]

I think back bevels are more versatile and make HAFs unnecessary.

David

[Derek Cohen]

Anyone want to trade a 45 degree frog for a LN #3 for a 55 degree frog that I have?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Zaffuto]

I have an LN #4 with a high angle frog. For the past several years, I've gravitated to two smoothers: one being a Clifton #3 (standard frog) and the LN #4 with HAF. The LN has the chipbreaker set very close, with the lead edge polished to remove the sharp edge (nothing scientific used to measure-more just rubbing it standing up on a hard arkansas). Both planes have had the chipbreaker undersides prepared per an article I read from David (see Post #7 above), to make sure they seat correctly on the blade.

With the wood I work (cherry, walnut, some white oak and similar species) my methods work very well.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have one of my planes set up with a HAF. I only have one of any size plane except a duplicate LN 4-1/2 with the 55 degree frog. It is the one I refer to as the last resort. Sharp blade, HAF, tight mouth, close set cap iron, and light cut, ift hat won't work, scrapers and sandpaper are next. All the others are conventional frogs (mostly old Stanley's).

[Scott DelPorte]

For final smoothing I switch between a LN #4 1/2 with a HAF and a LV bevel up smoother depending on the situation.

[Judson Green]

My luck with setting the chip breaker seems to be doing well.

Of course very little difficult hard woods end up in my shop.

jtk

Pretty much the same here. No HAF in my shop.

[Maurice Ungaro]

"Do you use high angle frogs?Only uphill…..

[David B. Morris]

I have the LN 4 1/2 with the regular and the 55 deg. frog. I find that for smoothing interlocked grain and other tear-out prone woods it really does make things easier. For some of the cherry I've been working with recently it was almost essential, though I'm sure a more seasoned craftsman than I could easily get by without one.

[Curt Putnam]

Depends on what you mean by use. ​I have an LN #4 with a 55° frog and a bevy of bevel up planes to get a high angle. I'm thinking about ordering a 45° frog from LN so I can get more use from the plane.

[James Baker SD]

I have 5 bevel down with frogs from 55 to 67 degrees and ranging from big (17" panel) to small A4 down to tiny (2.5" chariot). As a hobbyist with no time pressure on me, I like working with freaky woods and I find these planes do the job for me. Just never got into bevel up planes for some reason.

[Allen Jordan]

My LN #4 has the 50 degree frog. I like it quite a bit... still easy enough to push but avoids tear-out in weird grain. 55 seems like it would be too high for all but the gnarliest of woods.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have bevel up Veritas planes with all sorts of grinds on numerous irons. I also have all three frogs on my number 4 LN which is my favorite for tough grain. I use figured and weird-grained woods almost exclusively.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I have a 45 degree and a York Pitch for my LN 5 1/2 Jack and #7 Jointer. I use the HAF with Curly Maple, Mahogany and some exotics. Final smoothing on these woods is with a 45 degree #4 with an extremely sharp iron and a 112 Scraper when necessary.

[Kees Heiden]

I voted No. But I do have a 49degree Ulmia smoother. I just use it the same as my Stanleys and wooden planes with the capiron set close to the edge when neccessary. I never grab it because it has a higher angle. I think my infill also has a somewhat higher angle but I almost never use it. Should sell it probably, but I have put too much effort in its restoration and can't decide yet.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Kees

I would not call a 49 degree bed "high angle".

Perhaps it depends on the wood you are used to working. Here in Oz we consider 55 degrees an up, typically 60 degrees, to be high angle.

A well-known Australian made handplane is the HNT Gordon range. The non-adjuster planes, such as the smoother and trying plane (which I have), at 60 degrees. Superb performers. The wooden soles move slickly. The smallest high angle plane I have is a Brese Small with a custom 60 degree bed (the highest they come in is 55 degrees). The blade for the latter is only 1-1/2" wide. High beds on BD planes are generally harder to push. By contrast, high cutting angles on BU planes are much easier.

I cannot say that I can feel much difference in similar 45 degree and 50 degree BD planes, however the jump to 55 degrees is noticeable.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kees Heiden]

It's semantics of course. But when 45 is standard then 49 is highish. I agree that the difference is minimal. Even on European wood the tearout reduction is very limited and the increase in pushing resistance is also minimal. With the lignum vitae sole the Ulmia is a fine plane.