Bevel Up or Bevel Down

[Coop]

I have an old hand plane that I picked up from a garage sale years ago and disassembled it for cleaning. After cleaning, I put it in a zip lock bag for assembly later. Later has arrived and I don’t know if the bevel goes up or down. It’s a Stanley Handyman but if the make were unknown, is there a way of knowing? 

[wtnhighlander]

Ken, if the frog is 45* to the sole, it's probably meant to go bevel down. Bevel up planes usually have a much lower angle frog.

[gee-dub]

Bevel up planes add the bevel angle to the frog.  Usually this is something like 12 degrees for bevel up and 45 degrees for bevel down . . . generally speaking.

[Coop]

Great to know guys. Thanks

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

@Coop

Can you post a picture of it? 

Another clue, in addition to the great points above, a lot of times the low angle bevel up planes the frog is built into the soul and is not removable or adjustable. 

[Tpt life]

Double iron planes cannot have the chip breaker on the bevel. Most Stanley’s were in that configuration. Bevel down, chip breaker up. 

[Von]

I'm far from expert on planes myself, but I think whenever I've found myself in this situation, if I spend enough time comparing the blade in the two configurations, I find some logistical reason it has to be one way over the other.

Serious question: are there actually planes where you can put the blade in either way and have it reasonably work?

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 6/12/2025 at 7:31 AM, Von said:

 

Serious question: are there actually planes where you can put the blade in either way and have it reasonably work?

No. Or at least, not that I've ever seen. It would be too big a shift in the geometry of the blade. Maybe someone at some time created some custom jobber, but I've never seen one. 

[Immortan D]

On 6/11/2025 at 10:04 PM, Coop said:

I have an old hand plane that I picked up from a garage sale years ago and disassembled it for cleaning. After cleaning, I put it in a zip lock bag for assembly later. Later has arrived and I don’t know if the bevel goes up or down. It’s a Stanley Handyman but if the make were unknown, is there a way of knowing? 

If the iron is stamped, place it with the stamp facing up.

It may sound silly, but that's the method I use with my LN 48, which doesn't have a chipbreaker and accepts the iron either way.

[Tpt life]

On 6/12/2025 at 9:28 AM, Immortan D said:

If the iron is stamped, place it with the stamp facing up.

It may sound silly, but that's the method I use with my LN 48, which doesn't have a chipbreaker and accepts the iron either way.

How does it work bevel up?? The blade is set at an angle that I would expect it to dig rather that planing with the bevel up. 

[fcschoenthal]

Lots of good advise here. The way I always remember is that if the plane isn't a "lowrider" (or the blade leaning way back in the seat), then it goes in bevel down. Another indication is the chip breaker, which is usually set to a very small distance behind the edge. If you put it together with it against the edge and there's a gap, you've got the blade upside down.

[Immortan D]

On 6/12/2025 at 3:18 PM, Tpt life said:

How does it work bevel up?? The blade is set at an angle that I would expect it to dig rather that planing with the bevel up. 

It doesn't work with the bevel up, but you can install it that way and ruin your day.

[Tpt life]

Thank you. I likely misread your other post.