Stanley 78 and router plane

Re: Stanley 78 and router plane

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>The 78 was my biggest mistake; but it's the only Stanley I have left, mainly because it didn't sell on ebay. Lyn recommends the Record instead, because it has two rods for fence attachment.

Pam

Re: Stanley 78 and router plane *LINK*

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I haven't used my 78 on anything but softwoods, but have found it suitable as a carpentry plane. The fence feels a little wobbly at first, but it works pretty well. I understand the Record 778 is better, and available, last I looked, at Lee Valley/Veritas, one of Wood Central's advertisers (link to marketplace below; scroll down a little for LV).

Three is right for the router plane, if two are straight across (one 1/4" wide, one 1/2" wide) and one kind of v-shaped at its cutting edge, like a simplified boat prow (that should be the one with the screw in it, so it can be disassembled for sharpening).


Wood Central advertisers

Record #778 is no longer available from LV :(

Wendell @ Murphy, TX

>

...But Showing Up On Ebay

TMStock

>

How much better

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>How much better are they. Anyone have recommendations on a favourite? I still have a stanely 45 that I'm waiting delivery on the fence but those irons should be easy to make.

Some Tips on #78

jim_reed@marietta

>I use my #78 frequently, even with the sub-par Stanley blade. Works well on ash, walnut & cherry. Here are some tips. 1)Don't use it cross grain--get a #46. 2)Nicker causes more trouble than it is worth--get it out of your way. 3)Make sure the blade is really sharp and set the plane to cut thin wispy curls. 4)Reverse direction if you run into grain problems. 5)The little iron bar is a guide, not a true fence. Make light cuts. 6)Clean up with a shoulder plane, ala #93. Good luck with yours.

Re: Stanley 78 and router plane

Ron Smith

>I just took delivery of a new Stanley78. I wasn't expecting much, and was very surprised to find the machining and finish to be quite good. All edges of the casting were rough and required a bit of stoning, but all aspects of the casting are square and true. The only problem was the blade bed. The blade could not be moved fully to the right and extend slightly past the casting as is required. A quick zip with a Dremmel widened th bed a thirty-second and I was off and running.

Get the blade sharp, set it for a very light cut and use the following technique and I think you will be happy with this cheap little plane: Start your cut at the FAR end . . . Where one would normally END the cut. Start at the far end . . use light cuts holding the fence firm against the stock. Plane away and just keep 'advancing backwards' . . . Chop on down close to desired depth and then go back and finish the cut in the normal manner. Worth a try . .and it works for me.

Re: Stanley 78 and router plane

Patrick Gibbons

>I have the Record 778 and was just trying to use it on soft maple to make tenons. I find it does work much better with the grain than cross grain. Attach a wooden fence to the guide for better register. Sharpen the nicker carefully. Try not to stone the flat, only the bevel. Apply more pressure to the guide. No pressure really needed down on the wood. The weight of the plane does the job if the blade is sharp. I'm left handed so I still have trouble using this plane. It doesn't seem to be the easiest plane to use.

Re: Stanley 78 and router plane

Jonathan Peck -N.Y.

>It's not the blade. The 78 excells at pine because it is straight grained. If your grain is not straight or if you're planing cross grain, a skewed iron plane is better. Stanley's got all the bases covered here. The 289 has a skewed iron. Either way, a light cut is what you're looking for, and is easier to push. The skewed iron will also help by pulling the plane into the workpiece, helping to keep the fence registered against the edge.

If you want a heavier cut, a bench rabbet like a 10 or 10 1/2 is a better choice.

Regards

Jonathan - who wiped out sliding down a small shady hill. Saved the baby, wrecked my ankle