The Difference: bevel-down and bevel-up

Some woodworking tools, terms and techniques can be confusing. Here, we’ll help you make sense of the finer points of woodworking so you can make the right decision for your situation.

On a bevel-down hand plane the blade is installed with the bevel facing down. The angle of the frog (the part of the plane on which the blade rests) is most often 45° (sometimes 50° or 55°). This determines the effective cutting angle (ECA) of the plane. The blade bevel angle is typically 45° as well. Even if the bevel angle changes, the ECA remains the same. To change the ECA you would need to switch to a different plane with a different frog angle.

On a bevel-up plane the blade is installed with the bevel facing up. The bed of the plane (there is no frog) is usually 12°, while the blade bevel can be anywhere from 25° to 50°. The sum of the frog bevel and the blade bevel determines the ECA of the plane. So, if the blade bevel is 25° then the ECA will be 37°. To change the ECA all you need to do is install a blade with a dif­ferent bevel angle.

Bevel-down planes have been a staple of woodworkers for generations; they’re effec­tive for all types of hand planing tasks. Bevel-up planes have become popular because with a single hand plane you can get multiple ECAs. Low angles excel for trimming end grain and shooting mitres while high angles are ideal for smooth­ing wild grain that’s prone to tear-out. However, with a well-honed blade, either plane can produce clean, crisp cuts.