The Case for Bevel-up Planes

A craftsman makes the argument that bevel-up planes are easier to tune for end grain and difficult woods.

I can clearly remember my first experience with bench planes. I was in high school shop class and while I was leveling a joint with coarse sandpaper wrapped around a sanding block, the instructor stepped up and leveled the joint in seemingly an instant with a bench plane. And the surface created by the plane was smooth; it didn’t have the deep ugly scratches that remained from the coarse abrasive. I was so impressed with the speed and precision that I immediately went out and purchased a No. 4 bench plane for use in my shop at home.

But like many woodworkers I quickly became disappointed when I tried to put it to use. Admittedly, I didn’t understand the complexities of tuning and using a plane. However, later on, after I learned to flatten the sole, sharpen, tune and use the plane, it still created occasional tear-out. A few years later woodworking tool retailers began offering thicker blades and heavy chipbreakers. So I purchased these aftermarket parts for my plane to soup it up. Its performance improved a little more, but the results still left something to be desired, especially when I used the plane on wood with even a hint of wild figure. Fortunately, today there are better options.

By now many woodworkers have heard the news about bevel-up handplanes. The design differs significantly from the Bailey and Bed Rock-style planes that have been so popular for the past 100 years. At first glance, the most obvious differences are the lack of a frog and chipbreaker, and the substantially thicker blade. However, the most significant difference is the incredibly smooth surface that you can create with one of these unusual-looking planes. But I suspect that not all woodworkers have been swayed. Like the pins-first vs. tails-first dovetail debate, bevel-down vs. bevel-up plane design is another woodworking argument that will be nurtured for years to come. However, the purpose of my article is not to stir up animosity among woodworkers who are convinced of the superiority of their old Bed Rock planes (hold the e-mail, please).

Instead, I just want to help woodworkers who want to enjoy using handplanes and have, perhaps, become frustrated in their attempts to use the antiquated bevel-down style planes. Give a bevel-up plane a try, and I think that you’ll find what I and many other woodworkers have found: Bevel-up planes are remarkably easy to tune and use, and when tuned with a high cutting angle, they virtually eliminate the tear-out associated with bevel-down-style planes (and the tedious scraping that always follows). And unlike with the fancy infill planes from England, you won’t need to apply for a second mortgage on your home to purchase a bevel-up smooth plane.

In fact, in the woodworking school that I operate, we switched to bevel-up smooth planes several years ago and never looked back (block planes and shoulder planes have been bevel-up for years; more on that in a minute). Everyone who tries a bevel-up smooth plane is sold on the ease of tuning and the superior results. Gone are the old problems of tear-out and chatter associated with Bailey/Bed Rock-style planes. That’s because bevel-up planes have several design features that work to eliminate planing problems, such as a lower center of gravity and a substantially thicker blade. Also, the bed and sole of a bevel-up plane are one piece instead of two castings. Essentially, bevel-up smooth planes look much like a scaled-up block plane; they have fewer parts than bevel-down-style planes and the bevel-up blade position allows for easy modifications to the cutting angle. And because there are fewer parts, tuning is faster and easier.

For example, making a mouth adjustment with a Bailey-style plane can be a time-consuming process of trial-and-error. After adjusting the cutting depth, the frog is moved forward to close the mouth. However, because the frog is fastened to an inclined surface, the cutting depth increases as the frog is adjusted. This necessitates re-adjusting the cutting depth and trying again.

In contrast, a bevel-up plane ends this ritual. Just slide the plate at the toe of the plane, twist the front knob to hold it in position and you’re done.

Still another great feature of bevel-up planes is the lack of a chipbreaker. On a bevel-down plane, the chipbreaker, or cap-iron, is screwed to the blade. As the name implies, the job of a chipbreaker is to break and curl the shaving as it exits the mouth. When properly adjusted, the chipbreaker also applies pressure near the cutting edge to stiffen the blade and reduce chatter.

In contrast, the bevel on the blade of a bevel-up plane curls the shaving. This feature, coupled with the dramatically increased blade thickness, does away with the chipbreaker. Eliminating another part simplifies tuning the plane. And when it’s time to sharpen, there’s no need to remove a chipbreaker and re-install it afterwards. Additionally, because the bevel faces upward, the bed supports the blade closer to the cutting edge.

However, more than any other aspect of the design, it’s the high cutting angle that makes the greatest contribution to the superior performance of these planes. While traditional bevel-down Bailey-style planes use a 45° cutting angle, bevel-up planes can be quickly tuned with a much higher angle such as 50°, 55° or even 60° or more. The higher cutting angles work much like a scraper to break and curl the chip effectively without the nasty and frustrating tear-out to spoil your day (and your prized board).

Choose Your Angle

With bevel-down-style bench planes, you’re stuck using the cutting angle that the plane manufacturer chooses. Keep in mind that the cutting angle of a bevel-down plane is determined by the angle of the frog to the sole, which is commonly 45°, though 50° and 55° frogs are available for Lie-Nielsen bevel-down planes. And while you can theoretically increase the cutting angle by honing a back-bevel on the blade of a bevel-down plane, it is an impractical work-around, and it still does not resolve the other issues with this outdated design.

In contrast, when using a bevel-up plane, you can choose the cutting angle that best suits the type of cut and species of wood. Because the bevel faces upward, the tool’s cutting angle is determined by the sum of the bevel angle and the bed angle; in other words, by changing the bevel angle on the blade, the cutting angle is changed, too.

The choice of cutting angles falls within a broad range of approximately 37° to 62°; however, in reality you only need three cutting angles. Just remember it this way: A low cutting angle works best on end grain, a middle angle is a good choice for everyday planing such as fitting a drawer, and a high angle is the best choice for use on hardwoods to prevent tear-out.

More specifically, a 37° cutting angle slices end grain cleanly, and a 45° angle is easy to push and a good choice for planing soft, bland wood such as poplar. However, when planing hardwoods, especially figured stock for a show surface, I choose a high cutting angle such as 55°, 60° or even 62°. The high cutting angle will create an exceptionally smooth surface that will require no scraping. The only trade-off to the high cutting angle is the resistance created as the plane is pushed. You’d better eat your Wheaties; pushing a smooth plane tuned with a high cutting angle can be a workout, especially on dense, figured stock like a wide tiger maple tabletop. This is why I switch to a 45° cutting angle for planing a stack of poplar drawer parts.

Setting the Cutting Angle

When tuning a bevel-up plane, there are three important angles to keep in mind: The bevel angle of the blade, the bed angle of the plane, which is typically 12°, and the cutting angle, which is the sum of the two previous angles. To modify the cutting angle, just change the bevel angle (or better yet, just swap blades for one with a different bevel angle). It’s that easy. By having three blades ground to different bevel angles, you’ll in effect have three different planes for the price of one.

Knowing the Limits

As I mentioned earlier, the range of cutting angles from which to choose is approximately 37° to 62°. By now you may be wondering, if a 37° angle produces good results on end grain wouldn’t a lower angle be better still? Perhaps; just keep in mind that a 37° cutting angle requires a 25° bevel angle. Lowering the bevel angle a couple more degrees will create a sharper cutting angle with a cleaner cut and less resistance. However, a bevel angle below about 22° or 23° will probably test the limits of the steel and the edge will likely fracture. Besides, a 37° cutting angle will create wispy thin cuts on most end grain.

On the other end of the scale, creating a cutting angle beyond about 62° increases the cutting resistance to the point that you’ll find it difficult to push the plane. And a 62° cutting angle is sufficient for creating a silky-smooth surface on challenging stock.

Other Bevel-up Planes

As I mentioned earlier, block planes and shoulder planes also have the blade mounted bevel-up. So you can change the cutting angle to suit your needs by changing the bevel angle.

When I’m working wood, I think of block planes as scaled-down smooth planes. I use them for smoothing surfaces and leveling joints in areas where a bench plane would be unwieldy. Because I reach for block planes so frequently, I have a number of them and each is tuned for a different cutting angle. Also, keep in mind that block planes are available in a low angle, 12° bed, and a standard angle, 20° bed. To trim a miter, it’s best to choose a low cutting angle. You’ll get the lowest cutting angle by starting with a plane that has a low bed angle. To create a high cutting angle for smoothing, I use the standard-angle block plane with a 20° bed and grind the blade to 40° to create a 60° cutting angle. This setup allows me to smooth a tiger maple post block on a dressing table without the slightest risk of tear-out.

As the name implies, shoulder planes are designed for trimming tenon shoulders to improve the fit of the joint. And although they work great for fine-tuning a shoulder, I don’t limit them to that. In fact, I often use shoulder planes for smoothing away mill marks in rabbets on a lipped drawer or door prior to applying the finish. So I have one shoulder plane tuned with a low cutting angle for trimming end-grain shoulders and another tuned with a high cutting angle for smoothing long-grain rabbets.

Once you experience the results you can achieve by using different cutting angles, you’ll start finding other applications for this concept. I even have paring chisels that I’ve ground to 60°. But that’s a different article.

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