Where did the term “Frog” come from in Hand Planes terminology? Here is what I’ve found so far. Roger Smith in PTAMPIA Vol 1 states that Justus A. Traut was the first to use the term in a patent. That is true if only metallic planes are considered. He also states the the first time Stanley used it in a catalog was the 1898 edition.
I’ve found the following patents with the word “frog” in them.
Method of Holding and Adjusting Plane-Irons in Their Stocks
Cutter Adjustment with a Frog for Wooden Planes
Patentee: Willard W. Chipman – Lowell, MA
US Patent: 17,618 Granted: Jun. 23, 1857
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Improvement in Devices to Adjust Plane-Irons
Patentee: Justus A. Traut – New Britain, CT
US Patent: 186,281 Granted: Jan. 16, 1877
Assignees: The Stanley Rule & Level Co. – New Britain, CT
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Improvement in Bench-Planes
Plane Cutter Adjustment
Patentee: Samuel D. Sargent – New Britain, CT
US Patent: 192,132 Granted: Jun. 19, 1877
Assignees: The Stanley Rule & Level Co. – New Britain, CT
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Improvement in Bench-Planes
Patentee: Henry M. Clark – New Britain, CT
US Patent: 195,481 Granted: Sep. 25, 1877
Assignees: The Stanley Rule & Level Co. – New Britain, CT
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