I used a stanley 45 left handed today !

[Anonymous]

:lol: Showing off ant I.

no. I never had reason to do it before, and I thought it was interesting , so I decided to write about it since I took some photos and I can't sleep.

Cleaning up some old cedar doors at the moment. Cedars was as common as plywood is today around my parts.....I even heard it was once well exported to the UK from forrestry near to my home. So its everywhere.

For some strange reason someone decided to paint these bueatiful cedar french doors with white paint and I've been asked to strip the paint......hellova job. It doesn't look good unless ALL the paints removed, and I don't like using chemicals. So scrape and re-plane etc and fingers crossed.

Anyway, since its already jointed I don't have the luxury of arranging the pieces for ideal grain cuts......and I have to reform a bead that runs along the edge of the door.

But the sprouts aggressively against grain for my normal stanley 50, which is my regular plane for such cuts.

And I realised I can't push the #50 left handed, since you can't reverse the fence........But you can with the stanley 45 I thought.

wacko. Learn somthing new everyday.

I didn't bother grinding the edge off the depth stop this time round.... no reason other than I didn't have to....so I just eyeballed it.....it wasn't critical that the bead have a consistant depth.....since the bead was leading to nowhere.....since its just a bloody door :roll: :lol: ( arn't these emoticons fun )

Very clean cut though, as you'd imagine when planing WITH this kind of grain. So it was worth doing.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Blimey, Jake, it's hard to keep up with you :shock: Still trying to work out how to incorporate your fish scaler clamps onto my bench (I don't do welding) and now you come along with another wheeze I'll have to work faster

Great idea, though, that left-handed planing dodge - always said the #45 was more versatile than the #50 :wink:

Paul

 

[JesseM]

I have a hard enough time balancing it right handed. I'm sure something bad would happen if I attempted it left handed.

BTW Jake I made one of your dovetail cutters for my 45. Just got through profiling out of O1 and am going to send it off to have it heat treated in about a week (crosses fingers). I almost have it fitting in the blade holder. Just a little more filing. If I have done everything right it should produce about a 15 degree dovetail.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks again Paul. Thought I'd put a thread here this time.

Think the 45's more versatile too. Bit too big though eh. but bearable. Think a wider face to the fence helps keeping the thing vertical in a lot of applications

Good to here your trying that blade out Jesse. O1 too.....and getting it heat treated ! .. ...amazed that someones actually trying it out.

I haven't tryied using a blade like that in the 45 yet......Only tried it in the 55 and a record 43........Are you planing on using it in your 45 with that sliding skate removed or tucked out of the way?.......ie. just the main body and the fence ......

 

[JesseM]

I haven't tryied using a blade like that in the 45 yet......Only tried it in the 55 and a record 43........Are you planing on using it in your 45 with that sliding skate removed or tucked out of the way?.......ie. just the main body and the fence ......

I've got a Rapier clone of the Record 43 which I was considering trying, but I was hesitant on milling a knicker for it. Which is the main reason I want to use the 45. I'm not sure about the skate yet. I still need to file some on the back portion so I can get it to fit. If I had to guess I would say without the skate and just use the fence for balance. It seems like the skate may hinder you as soon as you got any depth on the dovetail. I should be able to use it in either plane.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Jesse,

I've got a rapier I was considering converting at the time too. Its made of something other than cast though,,,,,something softer (aluminium ?). Had me scratching my head wondering if I could tap a good thread in it for binding the nicker. So I don't know how well grooving the nicker recess would be for the rapier. I ended up doing it with the 43 instead.

With that 45 I've got a couple of concerns.....thinking that sliding skate, since it runs square with the main skate, can't be really be used to support that cut since the blade cuts near 15 degrees. Unless surgurys an option.

Maybe you could buy a second sliding skate off ebay (shouldn't cost too much) and rip a strip off it so it can contribute to supporting the cut ... and just use for planing dovetails.

Or forget its use altogether....tuck it away and rely on balance from the fence alone......<- but I'm worried that'll be hard going. The 45 , as you know, is unweildy.....and that fence will no doubt be running off a thin edge (which I'd say is the most unstable situation). But, its probably one of those things you'll never know until you try I guess.

Have you got a stanley 55 ? ..... all you need is the main body, depth stop, one nicker ( their good adjustable types unlike the 45 ), a sliding 'adjustable' skate that doesn't need surgury ( can adjust to any angle you've sharpened that dovetail blade to), and a single fence.........you don't need the whole complement of parts that come with it. .....and if that dovetail blade your making fits the 45, it'll fit the 55. I think it'll be a better choice. And your'll have a tool for other experiment making latter on.

But like I said, I've never tried that with the 45. It may be fine. Love to hear how you go. Goodluck.

Jake.