There has been much discussion about the brass pads on my blade bed but the logic is quite simple. The blade is supported only where it counts i.e. along the bottom edge directly on the frog and at the rear where I have inserted the brass pads. Theoretically the three legged stool principle would be ideal. The idea of bedding a plane blade over the entire surface would only be possible if you were using some sort of bedding compound. But it is pointless anyway especially with a blade thickness of 3/16ths”. There is no way I want the blade touching the bed in the centre as I might be relieving some of the pressure at the front end where it counts and I could get a see-saw effect. This is eliminated by raising the contact points a small amount. There is also less chance of the blade coming to rest on any debris.
