# Stanley 13-050 Combination plane - difficult to adjust



## MixedHerbs (9 Apr 2007)

Hello,

I own a plastic handled Stanley 13-050 and am trying to plane a 9mm slot in some oak - along the grain. The blade has been sharpened to a angle of 35 degrees.

My problem is that I cannot to adjust the blade depth correctly. Either the blade digs into the wood, or the blade skates over the wood - there is no setting in between. Does anyone have any suggestions to correct this problem?

One other question; I have noticed that the blade protrudes slightly each side of of the guide rails. Is this correct?

Regards, Peter.


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## Paul Chapman (9 Apr 2007)

Hi Peter,

If you've not seen it already, this might help http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/combihow.html



MixedHerbs":3mvttxdt said:


> One other question; I have noticed that the blade protrudes slightly each side of of the guide rails. Is this correct?



Yes, the blade outside, or flush with, the skates is good.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Alf (9 Apr 2007)

Peter, how's the cutter bedding in the plane? If you have a bit of a "flapping bevel end" situation (technical term :wink: ) you could have the problem you describe. Might need to bend the cutter a little, assuming you've already done the "sharp as a sharp thing" on the cutter edge (another technical term). 

Cheers, Alf


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## bugbear (10 Apr 2007)

Alf":3695jk28 said:


> Peter, how's the cutter bedding in the plane? If you have a bit of a "flapping bevel end" situation (technical term :wink: ) you could have the problem you describe. Might need to bend the cutter a little, assuming you've already done the "sharp as a sharp thing" on the cutter edge (another technical term).
> 
> Cheers, Alf



The other possibility is a hollow skate, but bad bedding is (as you suggest) more likely.

BugBear


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## Benchwayze (10 Apr 2007)

Once upon a time there was a woodworker called Lute, who lived and worked in the land of Gaul. (He was a Gaulute, of course, one of the brethren who today are known as Galoots.)

One hot day, he was working on a particularly grainy piece of timber and in an attempt to get a nice finish he thought about using his widest chisel bevel down. He didn’t have much luck. The chisel went any and everywhere. So he tried it bevel up.

That was worse, except when he held the chisel at a low angle it did cut a little better.

Being a brainy guy, Lute had a flash of inspiration that night, whilst trying to get to sleep. He couldn’t contain himself or his enthusiasm, and despite the late hour, he lit his pig-fat lamp and set to work designing a jig to hold the chisel at a set angle.

This worked much better, and over the following years by trial and error, he found the ideal angle at which to hold the chisel. As a result, he perfected his idea in time to finish the lid of his coffin perfectly flat and plane. Wow, he thought, I’ll call this new tool of mine a coffin-smoothing plane.

With another flash of inspiration, he decided to have a local metal caster make a special blade for his new invention..

Now, in the 1950’s yours truly had a schoolteacher called Vic. Vic said to me ‘Originaly, a plane was just a jig to hold a chisel so the chisel could be used in another way. So, the plane-iron is just a chisel wot ain’t got no ‘andle.’ Okay he spoke better English than that, but my first foreman said the same thing. 

Strange that in 2001 Veritas ‘invented' the Veritas chisel/plane. I reckon they should be congratulated for re-inventing the wheel. Anyone agree?

One other question, what can this thing do, that can’t be done with a shoulder plane or a bull-nose? The one I saw wouldn’t hold a chisel much wider than either of those tools, and it has too steep an angle to allow fitting the chisel bevel up.

While I am at it, as much as I love planes and own quite a few, I never heard a plane make sweet music, other than the swish of a ribbon-shaving coming off a piece of timber. So I don’t ‘tune’ my planes. I *fettle *and *adjust* them.

John (Sometimes a Galoot)


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## Russell (10 Apr 2007)

I had a full new set of those blades I bought in a job lot I look around and see if I can find them


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## Alf (10 Apr 2007)

Fascinating, John - but Peter may be forgiven for wondering where the connection is? :-k 



Benchwayze":2vjkfafq said:


> <snippage>I never heard a plane make sweet music, other than the swish of a ribbon-shaving coming off a piece of timber.


Now if that _isn't_ sweet music, I'd love to know what is. :wink: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Benchwayze (10 Apr 2007)

Well Alf, there isn't a connection, other than it reminded me that a plane really is just a jig to hold a chisel, to make the chisel more functional.. That's just me and my old woodie teacher, and that m.o.g. of a foreman. 

The sound of a sharp iron swishing through timber is sweet music, of a sort. It's also a sign that the iron is sharp and the plane is being used properly; much more important to me!  

It's just that I have a thing about 'twee' and woodwork. "Tuning" a plane is just twee in my book. I prefer "adjusting". But it takes all sorts.  

Cheers Alf and take care now.
Achhh I never checked your post number!  
John


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## Alf (10 Apr 2007)

If you've got a lisp you simply can't do woodwork without twees...

S'cuthse me; hat, coat, door, byeeeeeeee :wink: :lol: 

Cheers, Alf


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## bugbear (10 Apr 2007)

Benchwayze":25r8c7m5 said:


> It's just that I have a thing about 'twee' and woodwork. "Tuning" a plane is just twee in my book. I prefer "adjusting". But it takes all sorts.



I think yer average red-neck up to his armpits in crank rods and carburettors thinks "tuning" an engine is a pretty macho activity...

"Fettling" sounds just a mite obscene, a little bit too J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock.

And "adjusting" (to me) implies a more day-to-day activity than the one we're talking about.

So (to me) "tuning" sounds about right.

BugBear


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## Benchwayze (10 Apr 2007)

Tuned a few Carburettors in me time too. Now that is tuning. Engines have a note. (I have even heard music played on car engines!)

The only real music I ever heard from the actual wood was from an instrument such as a Xylophone. (Xylo wood/en Phone - sound. In case you asked me! )

However, I will give way to a point... yes, maybe you can 'fine-tune' a plane to its utmost, but it is an idea that is bandied about by lots of crafts-people who want to sound... well, superior. And what is rude about fettling? Gawd now even I have my grundle-bunts in a twist! \/ 

As I said, along with the Mr Molehusbands of this world, it takes all sorts.  
‘The thound of a thyarp iron thwithhing through timber ith thweet muthic, of a thort. It'th altho a thign that the iron ith thyarp and the plane ith being uthed properly; much more important to me!’ Like it Alf! 

John


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## MixedHerbs (11 Apr 2007)

Hello,

I have discovered the problem. Thank you all for your advice. The blade was slightly bent. The dowel trick worked - thank you Alf.

The plane now sings.

Regards, Peter.


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## Benchwayze (11 Apr 2007)

Alf":373mbm4h said:


> If you've got a lisp you simply can't do woodwork without twees...



Hey there Alf,
I just had a thought...


If I had a lisp, I'd feel sorry for the lisp.

:lol: 


Pete, I am pleased you solved your problem. I am just considering if I can afford to buy a Clifton Combi-plane as it happens. If they still make them!

Happy Wooding.

John


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## Paul Chapman (11 Apr 2007)

Benchwayze":2qi58bz3 said:


> I am just considering if I can afford to buy a Clifton Combi-plane as it happens. If they still make them!



Yes, they still do

http://www.classichandtools.com/acatalo ... Plane.html

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Frank D. (13 Apr 2007)

Wow,
Those are obscenely expensive! You can get a mint Stanley 45 for less than half that price. Is there any particular reason to spend so much on the Clifton, other than the prestige that goes with the name?


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## Chris Knight (13 Apr 2007)

Frank,
No missing bits? :wink:


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## mahking51 (13 Apr 2007)

Benchwayze,
I also think that the Clifton Multi is waaaaaaaaay overpriced and I LIKE ploughs  Looked at one at Axminster and was not impressed with the casting quality either.
You can get a superb boxed complete Stanley 45 or better still a Record 405 for less than a third of the cost.
Just my twopennyworth!
Regards,
Martin


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## Alf (13 Apr 2007)

mahking51":29jz65me said:


> Looked at one at Axminster and was not impressed with the casting quality either.
> You can get a superb boxed complete Stanley 45 or better still a Record 405 for less than a third of the cost.


Took the words right off me keyboard, Martin. Heck, you could get all the extras too and still get change.

Cheers, Alf


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## bugbear (13 Apr 2007)

Frank D.":2ktc73yv said:


> Wow,
> Those are obscenely expensive! You can get a mint Stanley 45 for less than half that price. Is there any particular reason to spend so much on the Clifton, other than the prestige that goes with the name?



The castings are rather rough, but the blades are very good - rather thicker than the Record or Stanley IIRC.

Not good enough for me to pay that (cough) price though.

BugBear (who's #405 with extra blades was 20 quid)


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## Alf (13 Apr 2007)

bugbear":35dkr4d8 said:


> The castings are rather rough, but the blades are very good - rather thicker than the Record or Stanley IIRC.


Yebbut you can get those without buying the plane - for a price.

Cheers, Alf


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## bugbear (13 Apr 2007)

Alf":31dg280x said:


> ...for a price.
> 
> Cheers, Alf



I think you mean "PRICE".

BugBear (stunned)


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## Alf (13 Apr 2007)

Well, yes - not for nothing am I exploring the blade-making avenue. On the other hand what do router cutters cost? (Tailed ones, BB, not for a #71...  )

Cheers, Alf


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## mahking51 (13 Apr 2007)

Alf & BB
I never noticed the price list for the separate cutters. At those figures I'll buy the forge or whatever and the steel; BB can do the research & design etc ; Alf can do the easy work cutting them out and heat treating and sharpening them and giving them a final polish.
I'll set up marketing and sell them and we'll split the proceeds, sound like a fair division of labour?? (running and ducking!)   

Seriously I doremember gulping at the price of a set of 46 blades from St James Tool Co but they seem cheap in comparison.
Regards,
Martin


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## bugbear (16 Apr 2007)

Alf":1xtc2j8j said:


> On the other hand what do router cutters cost? (Tailed ones, BB, not for a #71...  )



I have no idea  

BugBear


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