Originally Posted by
James Scheffler
I would take the frog screws out and see how well the frog interfaces with the base. If the mating surfaces are sizable and well machined, and the frog doesn't rock at all, it might tune up to work well. Stanley reduced the sizes of the machined surfaces over time, and the workmanship of the machining also declined, which is sometimes a problem. The fit of the frog might be correctable with careful filing if it isn't very good.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for trying to tune this plane even if it's never going to be a great tool. You'll learn a lot, and chances are it'll be useful for rough work at a minimum. Lots of us have multiple examples of a given size because we can keep them set up different ways. (e.g. iron sharpened straight across vs. iron with a curvature to the cutting edge). You'll also be more able to evaluate planes you might run across in the future and decide if their worth buying or not.