So I’ve got a goofy issue tuning my block bench plane. It’s one of the Pony Jorgensen #4 smoothing planes they’re selling at Lowe’s in the States. Works pretty well with one exception: Moving the frog forward to bring the iron closer to the mouth also advances the iron.
I can’t get it anywhere near as closed as you’re supposed to with a smoothing plane before I can’t retract the iron sufficiently. The mating surface in the sole that the frog rests on is slightly angled downward, so the frog is lowered as it is moved forward. I can’t realistically bring the iron any farther on the chip breaker than I’ve got it.
As I had it apart, I noticed the finish on the bottom of the frog, the surface that mates with the sole, was as cast, it isn’t machined or lapped. Should it be?
Do I really need to do/fix anything? I suppose not, it’s been working pretty well for about a year now.
On price…100 years ago, a Stanley #4 smoothing plane cost about $4.20, adjusting for inflation that comes out to be about $77. Which is pretty much bang on the price of a Jorgensen #4 here, and I think I’ve got a tool of equivalent quality. The iron it came with is O1 tool steel which does take and hold a keen edge from my diamond plate.
I’ve used it for about a year before I noticed the frog-to-sole mating surface isn’t machined. I think I’m gonna contact Jorgensen about that, see if they’ll send me a new frog, failing that I might just lap it myself.