Stanley 60 1/2 block planes.

[toolsntat]

Do any of you who have one of these from 2005 onwards have any issues with the milling of the bed and subsequent positioning of the adjustable mouth plate.
The one I have for sale has and although I'm sure it will do the job I won't foist it upon an unsuspecting postal buyer.
stanley-60-1-2-block-plane-new-in-box-t108984.html
Hence me asking this question to see if that is how they are made today.
Observations please.
Oh and please look at my next post down for a better explanation.
Cheers
Andy

 

[Racers]

I have a 9 1/2 that I had some work on to get it to work, including filling the edge of the mouth plate.

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My 60 1/2 was far from flat, and I bought it second hand twenty five years ago.

 

[swagman]

Andy; I haven't experienced any of those issues you mention.

 

[lurker]

Your honesty is commendable.
At the price you are selling, its a good price even if it turns out it needs some fettling

Although I have several 8)
I was eyeing it up for my son, but did not want to be greedy and deny another forum member of getting it.

 

[ED65]

"Some" work being necessary on a Stanley block plane is sort of par for the course it would seem.

The guides to fettling block planes, not just Stanley ones but Record as well, into solid working condition include some steps that many would not find acceptable. But everyone's standards are different, buying new some would be seeking a replacement for a given flaw while others would set to work fixing the issue without giving it a thought.

The only Stanley block plane I've worked on myself I would consider basically non-functional in the state it came from the factory. It hadn't stopped the previous owner from using it plenty! But that was clearly for rough site work and nothing requiring finer tolerances.

 

[toolsntat]

Apologies, I have just read my post and realised I misled you all by failing to state that the milling problem is inside on the bed the iron rests upon and it not being deep enough.
This has resulted in a squared off edge instead of the usual "delicate" pointed edge.
Let me try and share a picture.
Cheers
Andy

 

[Ttrees]

I bought one and it turned out to be a lemon, so I bought the Record/Irwin ...even worse !
I have since made the Stanley work ...with the shoe from the Record and some shim stock...
The Stanley still has the Azimuth error and I have this in the metal shop...
I use it for paring pencils and jointing some rough edges ,of metal and stone contaminated plywood off cuts.
I would not touch these with a barge pole without a thorough rundown.
If you see one check for these issues.....
Azimuth error....
Flat sole and the mouth ledges for the shoe to ride on to be parallel with it.
The shoe must be parallel in its length,so measure each corner ...otherwise when you adjust it, it would lift the plane out of plane.
There may be some misalignments in the machining, of either the casting or the components, (or both) for the blade advance mechanism.
as the blade has slots machined into them.

I now have a LN 60 1/2 and its such a sure thing

Tom

 

[toolsntat]

Here you go.......
The visible face of the iron shown here with a fine setting is 5mm
Does anyone else have this overshoot in use and more importantly is it proven to be detrimental?

 

[AndyT]

That does look a bit crude. My one (around WW1 vintage) is about 1.5mm for the same measurement. Even on my English made 91/2 from the 1970s it's only 2mm.

 

[ED65]

This has resulted in a squared off edge instead of the usual "delicate" pointed edge.

That seems to be normal on mass-market low-angle block planes from what I've seen. The rear edge of the mouth is a tad finer on my no-name 60 1/2 of recent manufacture but not a world of difference.

 

[ED65]

That does look a bit crude. My one (around WW1 vintage) is about 1.5mm for the same measurement. Even on my English made 91/2 from the 1970s it's only 2mm.

It should be quite different on 60 1/2s and 9 1/2s as a rule because of the respective bedding angles. I'd expect up to about 2mm on a 9 1/2 but much more on a low-angle block plane.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Mine (bedding angle approx 22.5 deg - so which one is that?) was a birthday present about five years ago. It seems to be fine. I did have fun and games with the mouth being poorly finished, but a bit of needle file work sorted it. Thankfully the machining of the recess was parallel to the sole, so it just needed a bit of TLC. Obviously I flattened both sole and mouth together, which didn't take long as it's a small plane.

The steel of the blade is very good, and it takes a very nice edge.

They are what they are - modern cheapness with a bit of high-tech steel thrown into the mix. For me the most annoying thing is that the "cap iron" clamping lever very occasionally comes loose unexpectedly, so I find myself checking it from time to time. And I've put a washer under the mouth adjuster knob - vastly improves the action.

And the plane sock/pouch it came with is silly - I keep meaning to ask the DC to move the velcro, so that the flap covers the plane usefully - I don't want to wear it on my belt like a gun holster!

E.

PS: looking at it today, I think I fettled the mouth a bit, flattening the "frog" part.

 

[Racers]

Its not going to provide much support for the blade it it was longer, and its not like its going to be used for rough work.

You could lap the heck out of it, or just think "it won't chip".

Pete

 

[ED65]

Mine (bedding angle approx 22.5 deg - so which one is that?)

9 1/2?

Low-angle block planes have bedding angles of 12° or so. The standard-angle block planes it's around 20° and there are some in between.

 

[Bodgers]

For info - I have the new Sweetheart 60 1/2 block plane and the mouth is perfect to my eyes (doesn't have that overshoot). It isn't too much more expensive than the standard Stanley either...

 

[JohnPW]

I've got one, a later Stanley 60 1/2 (with lateral adjuster), like the one linked to in the first post.

The milling of the bed is off, it's not parallel with the sole going across. If you sharpen the blade as normal ie 90 degrees to the blade sides or centreline, the cutting edge will be slightly skewed.

The plane still works but the mouth is not parallel unless you sharpen the blade skewed.

I've seen another one with the same exact problem.