"if you hold the plane sole at an
angle of 45° or more you will be able to engage the full blade cut in the
bevel you are cutting".

I've also found that a smaller plane, that fits in the palm of your hand, works best. I used a small, cheap Stanley modelling plane with great success until I received a Lee Valley apron plane for Christmas last year. looks nice, feels nice, cuts nice but honestly, the cheap plane worked just as well (provided it was well sharpened).