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?
first question: do you really need to do/fix anything. Everything you have said could just mean you fail in some bragging contest, but the plane works just fine. If the plane works for the wood you are working with then don’t worry about showing off how closed a mouth you can get. If you choose wood well you don’t need the plane as perfectly setup. Now onto your question:
It doesn’t need to be smooth, but smoother surfaces make find adjustments easier (sometimes possible at all) so you want it smooth enough.
I haven’t used that plane, but in general the things you buy at a box store are not great tools. I’d use it for wood where I expect to encounter nails or rocks (if you are using a smoother that better not happen, but for some rough wood it might). Then spend 5-10x the price on a good plane from a major brand… If you can’t afford a good plane (great used ones pop up at garage sales all the time), I’d contact hock tools (or other custom blade maker) about getting new blade made of quality steel. The cutting blade on cheap tools is often a really bad alloy and cannot be made good. A blade in O1 or A2 steel (there are other good choices and it often seems more like a religious debate than anything of facts when people discuss: choose something) with a good sharpening system (even more religious than the blade alloy discussions) will solve a lot of problems.
Seriously, start with a good quality blade and a good sharpening system. You will spend more than the plane on a good blade, and probably twice that on a good sharpening system. However this will be your best investments. A sharpening system will last a lifetime, and if you decide the plane is hopeless your new blade will fit whatever you buy to replace it.
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.