This is a combined list of parts and terms used to describe bench and block planes. Through the years, a part could be referenced with different names. If a part has several names, the term used on this web site will be listed first with any alternate names to follow. This dictionary will not define methods or techniques.
Dictionary of Bench Plane Terms
Bailey– Bailey refers to Leonard Bailey, a designer and plane maker who patented several designs for hand planes in the mid-1800s. Stanley’s standard line of bench planes are commonly referred to as Bailey planes.
Barrel Nut - A brass or nickel plated nut to secure a knob or tote via a double threaded bolt. The top has a screwdriver slot with smooth sides resembling a barrel.
Bed – The bed is the top surface of the plane’s main body. Very similar to the deck of a boat, the bed is the area where all the hardware – knob, tote, and frog are attached.
Bedding Angle - Fixed angle of the frog in which the iron rests.
Bed Knob Ribs – Millers Falls bench planes feature eight unique ribs on the bed under the knob. The knob will have eight corresponding groves joining the ribs.
Bedrock – Bedrock planes were Stanley’s premium line of bench planes. Bedrocks are primarily differentiated through the design of their frogs and how they mount to the bed of the plane.
Bevel Up – Positioning the iron in the plane with the bevel facing up. The combination of the iron bevel (25°) and the frog bedding (20° or 12°) will average 45° or 37°.
Bevel Down - Positioning the iron in the plane with the bevel facing down. The combination of the iron bevel (0°) and the frog bedding (45°) will average 45°.
Body – Whether made of cast iron, steel, aluminum, or wood, the body is the main frame of the plane to which all the other parts attach, and which rides across the wood surface to be planed. The top side is often referred to as the bed, and the bottom is called the sole.
Cam Lever – Locking lever used to secure the lever cap to the bench plane frog.
Cam Lever Spring - Flat metal spring secured to the lever cap that acts as a stationary pressure transition between the cam lever and the chip breaker. The cam lever spring will keep the iron assembly stationary when the cam lever is rotated into a locking position.
Casting Gate - Metal deposit from the casting process found at the toe and heel of all Millers Falls planes over 10”. This process started sometime after 1938 until the end of production.
Casting Relief - Recess areas on the underside of the lever cap.
Cheek – The cheeks are the sides of a plane’s body.
Chip Breaker or Cap Iron – Sometimes referred to as the Backing Iron or Second Iron, the chip breaker sits on top of the iron on bench planes and serves three functions:
1. It adds rigidity to the iron.
2. It provides a small opening through which the depth adjustment mechanism engages the iron.
3. It helps ‘break’ the shavings as they rise off the cutting edge of the iron, thus preventing them from jamming up the throat of the plane.
Chip Breaker Screw or Cap Iron Screw – The broad, flat, shallow screw about the size of a nickel that attaches the chip breaker to the iron.
Chip Breaker Screw Recess or Cap Iron Screw Recess - Recess area on the frog face to accommodate the chip breaker screw.
Contact Pads - Additional clamping contact points in the middle of a Millers Falls lever cap.
Corrugated Sole – A series of parallel groves along the length of a planes sole.
Depth Adjusting Nut or Depth Adjustment Wheel – On bench planes, it is the 1” to 1-1/4” nut at the rear of the frog used to raise or lower the iron.
Frog – This unlikely named part is the angled fixture upon which the iron is secured. Whether removable, as on bench planes, or fixed, as on scrub planes, the seat that supports the iron is called the frog.
Frog Adjuster Screw or Throat Adjustment Screw – At the rear of the raised seat on the bed of the plane to which the frog is attached, a bolt-like screw was added. Called the frog adjuster screw, it engages the adjuster tab that was added to the bottom rear of the frog. By turning this screw, the frog could be moved forward or backward, the effect of which was to open or close the throat of the plane.
Frog Adjuster Tab – This rectangular tab had a slot on the bottom that engaged the frog adjuster screw (see above). This tab and the mounting screw were blued up until sometime in the late 1940s, although there does not appear to be a clear transition date.
Frog Adjuster Tab Screw – This small screw attached the frog adjuster tab to the rear of the frog (see above).
Frog Face Relief - Pressure relief on the Millers Falls frog face from the clamping force of the lever cap contact pads.
Frog Foot – Frog mating surface with the frog foot receiver that contacts the bed close to the mouth.
Frog Foot Receiver - Bench plane bed mating surface with the frog foot next to the mouth.
Frog Hold Down Pins – These pins are unique to the Bedrock series of planes. Unlike the Bailey series of planes, which used threaded bolt-like screws to attach the frog to the bed of the plane, Bedrocks used smooth, unthreaded hold down pins. Each pin had a conical hole in the lower end, which was engaged by a pointed locking screw that attached from the rear of the frog mounting base on the plane’s bed.
Frog Locking Screws – Frogs on most bench planes, regardless of manufacturer, were secured to the bed of the plane via a pair of frog locking screws with separate round washers. These were machine screws tightened with a screwdriver. The frog seat on the bed of the plane had threaded holes to accept the screws.
Frog Retaining Screws - Bedrock hold down screws.
Frog Seat - Frog mating surface with the frog foot next to the frog locking screws.
Heel – The rear of a plane’s body.
Heel Tab - Tote support at the heel of smoothing planes.
Horn - The horn extends out of the top-back of the tote and cradles the hand between the thumb and index finger.
Interlocking Tabs - Tabs found on a type 1 Millers Falls lever cap.
Iron – ‘Iron’ is the correct traditional term for a plane’s cutting implement. The terms iron, cutter, and blade are often used interchangeably. Plane irons are flat on one side and have a single bevel on the other. The bevel is usually sharpened at 25 degrees, although it is common practice today to hone a second ‘micro-bevel’ between 1° to 5°. The irons on bench planes were traditionally positioned bevel side down, while irons on block planes are typically positioned bevel up.
Knob – Knobs on bench and specialty planes were made of wood – most often rosewood, Cocobolo, Goncalo Alves, or birch, although different manufacturers used different species.
Knob Bolt – Identical to the tote bolt, only shorter. The knob bolt will secure the knob through a hole drilled through the knob length and screwed into a boss at the front of the bed. This bolt can either be a double threaded rod capped off by a knob nut, or a one piece bolt.
Knob Nut - Generic term that references either a waist nut or a barrel nut.
Lateral Adjustment Lever – The lever is attached to the top of the frog via a rivet. At its lower end there is a circular disk that engages the slot in the chip breaker, so that moving the lever back and forth adjusts the lateral positioning of the iron. This is extremely helpful in properly aligning the cutting edge of the iron within the mouth of the plane.
Lever Cap – The lever cap secures the iron/chip breaker assembly against the face of the frog.
Lever Cap Screw – This slotted round-head screw provides the point of leverage needed to secure the iron to the plane. On bench planes this screw is threaded into the frog face.
Locking Screws - Bedrock planes use a very different method of attaching the frog to the base of the plane than that on the Bailey line. At the center of the rear of the raised seat upon which the frog is attached is the frog adjuster screw, same as on the Bailey planes. However, on either side of this screw are threaded holes through which the locking screws are inserted. These screws have pointed ends that engage the conical holes in the frog hold down pins and hold the frog in place through downward pressure of the pointed locking screws.
Mouth – The mouth is the opening in the sole of the plane through which the iron protrudes. The throat is the area just above the mouth on the top side of the body through which the shavings pass.
Pitch or Angle of Attack - Pitch is the angle at which the cutting edge engages the wood. The following five angles can be used on bench planes:
60° - Half Pitch used on molding planes for hardwood.
55° - Middle Pitch used on molding planes for softwood.
50° - York Pitch used on harder woods with different grain.
45° - Common Pitch is the standard pitch for most planes.
<45° - Low Angle used on softwood and end grain.
Raised Tote Receiver – The raised bed under the tote.
Sole – The sole is the bottom of a plane’s body that slides on the surface of the wood. A bench plane will have either a smooth, or a corrugated surface. The length and shape of the sole will determine the plane’s type.
Support Rib – Structural rib across the bed in front of the throat.
Threaded Adjuster Rod – This threaded rod is attached to the back side of the frog and is the mounting post for the depth adjusting nut. The nut threads onto the rod and engages the yoke just above it. On left hand threaded rods (standard), turning the knob clockwise advances the iron. Turning the knob counterclockwise retracts the iron. On older Stanley planes with right hand threaded rods, turning clockwise retracts the iron. Note that all, but very old Stanley planes, have left hand threaded rods.
Throat – The throat is the area just above the mouth on the top side of the body through which the shavings pass.
Toe – The front of a plane’s body.
Tote – The rear handle on a plane is called the tote. Like the knob, totes were typically made of rosewood, hardwood, or some other species, depending on the manufacturer. Totes on smaller planes are secured via a tote bolt alone, while totes on the larger planes have a tote screw added at the tote toe for additional support.
Tote Bolt – Identical to the knob bolt, only longer, the tote bolt will secure the tote through a hole drilled through the length of the tote and screwed into the bed. This bolt can either be a double threaded rod capped off by a tote nut, or a one piece bolt.
Tote Nut - Generic term that references either a waist nut or a barrel nut.
Tote Screw – Totes on the larger bench planes (Stanley 4-1/2 and larger) were held in place by the combination of a tote bolt and a tote screw. It has a round slotted head and screws into the base of the plane through the tote toe.
Tote Toe - Front of the tote at the base closest to the frog.
Upper Frog Seat - Bench plane bed mating surface with the frog seat next to the frog locking screws.
Waist Nut or Hourglass Nut- a brass or nickel plated nut to secure a knob or tote via a double threaded bolt. The middle of the nut is recessed resembling a waist.
Yoke or Y Adjusting Lever – The yoke is a small wishbone shaped device that is attached to the top of the frog just above the threaded adjuster rod. Made of cast iron or stamped steel, the fork of the yoke engages a wide shoulder notch in the depth adjusting nut. As the nut is turned, the opposite end of the yoke that protrudes through the face of the frog engages the rectangular hole in the chip breaker, retracting or advancing the iron through the mouth.
Yoke Pin Recess - Frog recess on either side of the yoke pin. Found on all Millers Falls frogs after type 1.
Dictionary of Block Plane Terms
Bed – The bed is the top surface of the plane’s main body. Very similar to the deck of a boat.
Bevel Up – Positioning the iron in the plane with the bevel facing up. The combination of the iron bevel (25°) and the frog bedding (20° or 12°) will average 45° or 37°.
Bevel Down - Positioning the iron in the plane with the bevel facing down. The combination of the iron bevel (0°) and the frog bedding (45°) will average 45 degrees.
Body – Whether made of cast iron, steel, aluminum, or wood, the body is the main frame of the plane to which all the other parts attach, and which rides across the wood surface to be planed. The top side is often referred to as the bed, and the bottom is called the sole.
Cam Lever – Locking lever used to secure the lever cap to a block plane.
Cheek – The cheeks are the sides of a plane’s body.
Depth Adjusting Lever - Pivoting lever used with the block plane depth adjusting nut to advance, or retract the iron. This adjustment mechanism was used on block planes with a twenty degree bedding angle.
Depth Adjusting Nut – The depth adjusting nut traverses a vertical threaded rod to pivot a depth adjustment lever to raise or lower the iron.
Depth Adjusting Screw – Threaded screw with a knob that threads into both the frog and iron depth adjusting seat. The iron depth adjusting seat slides on the top of the frog controlling the position of the iron.
Eccentric Lever or Mouth adjusting Lever - Lever under the screw knob used to adjust the sliding mouth plate. Tightening the knob locks the lever in position.
Finger Grip or Hand-y Grip - A milled depression on the side of the cheek to grip the plane.
Frog or Frog Risers - The frog on a block plane provides a secure platform on which the iron is supported. Block plane frogs are fixed. Adjustable plane frogs have either a depth adjusting lever or an iron depth adjusting seat that controls the iron. Manual adjusting planes have fixed frog risers to support the iron.
Heel – The rear of a plane’s body.
Iron or Cutter or Blade – ‘Iron’ is the correct traditional term for a plane’s cutting implement. Plane irons are flat on one side and have a single bevel on the other. The bevel is usually sharpened at 25 degrees, although it is common practice today to hone a second ‘micro-bevel’ between 1° to 5°. The irons on block planes are typically positioned bevel up, but some smaller planes have a 45° bedding angle and the iron is installed bevel down.
Iron Depth Adjusting Seat or Sliding Iron Seat - Threaded seat that slides on a block plane frog. The seat engages the iron and advances or retracts the iron as the depth adjusting screw is turned.
Iron Landing - The bed on a block plane where the iron rests next to the mouth.
Knob – Knobs on block planes serve as a comfortable and secure rest for your finger. Planes with a sliding mouth plate have a metal knob that screws into a boss on the sliding mouth plate. Fixed mouth planes have a threaded wooden knob that screws onto a threaded boss on the bed, or is secured to the bed with an external machine screw.
Lateral Adjustment Lever – The part that adjusts the blade's lateral position. The lateral adjustment lever is usually attached to the lever cap screw.
Lever Cap – The lever cap secures the iron at two points against the frog and iron landing. A lever cap screw or tension bar on the body acts as a fulcrum securing the cap with either a cam, tension wheel or tension screw exerting force upon the iron, holding it firmly in place.
Lever Cap Screw or Lever Setscrew– This slotted round-head screw provides the point of leverage needed to secure the iron to the plane. The screw is threaded into a raised boss on the bed.
Lever Cap Rod - Rod that extends across the planes width (cheek to cheek) allowing the front of the lever cap to apply pressure to the iron as a tension screw or tension wheel is tightened at the rear of the lever cap. This configuration is used on manually adjusted planes.
Locking Knob - Front knob that screws into the sliding mouth plate. When this is tightened, both the eccentric lever and sliding mouth plate are locked into position.
Mouth – The mouth is the opening in the sole of the plane through which the iron protrudes. The throat is the area just above the mouth on the top side of the body through which the shavings pass.
Sliding Mouth Plate - Removable plate positioned at the toe of the sole used to set the opening of the mouth.
Sole – the sole is the bottom (business surface) of a plane’s body. The sole is milled flat on most block planes.
Strike Button – A raised area above the bed at the heel of manually adjusted block planes. Hitting this area with a small hammer will retract the iron.
Tension Wheel - Lever cap tension screw.
Throat – The throat is the area just above the mouth on the top side of the body through which the shavings pass.
Toe – The front of a plane’s body.
References
Virginia Toolworks - Plane Terminology
Time Tested Tools - Plane Terms
The Patriot Woodwiki - Plane
Union Manufacturing Co.