Thread: Odd #78 plane

Hi Jeremy,

You've got a Woden copy of the Stanley/Record 78. With this knowledge, a google search should bring up everything else - try cutting and pasting this search into Google

Woden plane rebate OR rabbet

- the UK spelling should bring up more hits

Best regards,

eddie

Thanks Eddie. Just the lead I was after...

UkAlf will tell ya.....if she's about.

I should know some history on it since I own two of them...

I think its good one though, because its got two rods to support the fence.....ideal I think........a lot of the stanley 78's just have one fence rod, which can twist about a bit in use.

With my two Birminghams though there was a problem with the bed.......probably the same problem with yours......(just guessing).

I'll try and get some photos when I can if interested........you can see the problem yourself if you look at the blade whilst its sitting on the bed.....the heal of the blade ( off the bevel ) ....should sit flat on the bed......mine didn't...could see daylight there.....gave me chatter in use..

To get an idea of how you can improve the problem I'd sharpen the blade up now and give it a quick go.....then fix the problem and see how the chatters reduces.

Fix the problem by filing down the bed so the blade sits flat. I had to do it with both of mine.....

I have two cause I like to have a left handed one.....means I can rebate the opposite direction when normally I'm tearing against grain. (also cause I like to spoil myself on occation )

Another problem that you may face is sharpening the blade such that the edge remains straight.....easily said than done.....most people don't use these things, so I feel the problem isn't widely understood......so your stone has to be flat prior to sharpening....so you can get crisp square rebates..

Goodluck.

Thanks for that Jake.

I won't be getting into the shed for a couple of days, but when I do I will sharpen this up and see if there is the chatter problem you mention.

I noticed that this one had twin rods and thouught that looked like a good idea - I also like the pizza cutter nicker as opposed to the Stanley's star nicker.

Cheers

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy,

For some reason the reference books are rather lacking in info on W.S. Manufacturing Co. Ltd. - British Planemakers merely gives their address; Quadrant Works, Sheepcote Street, Birmingham and a date of 1952, when they were known to have been taken over by Steel Nut & Joseph Hampton Ltd (aka Woden). We ran with that and came up with a vague-ish timeline for the design, the WS apparently being the daddy of them all.

Cheers, Alf