Thread: Paying it forward a little - two Stanley 78's to donate to good causes

Hi Chris

I have been scouting around looking for a plane to convert to a scrub plane.
If you think my thoughts are worthy, I would be most grateful for a generous offer like yours.
Also, thanks for the Paul Sellers video tip.
I shall await your decision.
Regardless, thank you for a very generous offer.

Cheers
Keith

Hi Chris,

I would certainly put one to very good use, and would be happy to share its adventures on my work bench.

I’m more than happy to cover postage though.

Kind regards,
Lance

Thanks Keith

First one to you. I assume you might be able to do with the one without the depth stop?

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks Lance - happy to send you the second.

(And that's all)

Continuing this thread though as I like the idea, I have a Stanley low angle block (2016 bunnings model) that's in great condition and in need of a new home.

T'was my first plane and functioned perfectly until a veritas block plane popped up on gumtree and kept calling my name...

If anyone on the forum is interested in this for the cost of postage please let me know.

Regards,

Adam

Don't be too quick to convert a 78 to a scrub plane. They get described, often in disparaging terms, as "carpenter's planes," but they're surprisingly useful tools. Go find a cheap No. 4 or 5 to make into a scrub. Or, if they're common down there in Oz, a "transitional" plane, with wood body and metal castings to hold the cutting iron.

Thanks Bill

Although I may have overstated it. It's just grinding a blade and not converting the plane in any other way. There is nothing to stop you swapping a blade back in for the usual purposes.

There are substantive points, and not just that they're cheap or otherwise useless, to use a Stanley 78 as a scrub.

* The blade being so narrow, you can really move much more waste with less effort than a 4 or 5. I would find a metal no 5 very tiring particularly over a wide board where your ability to position your body and legs to the optimal position is limited.

* Also, the handle being cast iron makes it rock solid for really smashing through eg a knot or cranky grain. You're not trying to maintain pressure fore and aft when entering/exiting a board such as to make a front knob handy.

* Another advantage is the throat is quite hard to clog with a heavy camber. The mouth is open on the sides on the 78 meaning shavings don't get caught in the corners. The "cap iron" such as it is can back be set really far back so that it's almost impossible to wedge anything under it.

* The depth adjustment is also a bit more rough and ready, which suits a scrub. You are not going to be doing fine adjustments with a scrub. The lever makes it very easy.

I hope this does not come off as reactive, but just to make clear it is not disparaging the old gels!

*EDIT: I should have also added three other points that come to mind late:

- If you're doing the dirty work on a rough-sawn face, the other advantage is that there is far less room for dust, small chunks and resinous bits to get caught up in the body. When I have gone at some rough-sawn boards with a 4 or 5 (or similar) it has been a little ugly in the frog area afterwards, and chunks from the saw marks always seem to work their way into the corners. Removing the frog and re-cleaning etc is a bit of a pain. With the 78 it is wide open and easy to clear.

- Space and workflow. The 78 without a fence is really narrow and can you hang it on a little hook safely over off it's handle which forms a loop. I place or hang mine in a little spot behind a leg of the work bench as my mini thicknesser. It is a minor thing I know but it can be a little fussy having a nice tool-holder to hand for a 4 or 5. You can hang it by the front knob of course but a little terrifying!

- Sharpening. If you watch the video the "Figure 8" pattern of sharpening is really quick and can be done in a minute by hand sufficiently to scrub. Compare that to sharpening a heavy camber on a 4 or 5 blade... it might be possible but I can't see how on a regular sized stone.

Fantastic seeing this! Very generous!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Coupla quick points, Cgcc: With wider blades such as the ~40mm blade on a typical scrub plane, or the even wider blade on a modified #4 etc, you don't use the whole width - with a radius of 80mm or so you can only expose the centre of the blade without making the cut excessive, so you end up taking much the same sorts of shavings as you would with your 78 scrub.

I find the easiest way to sharpen the blades after grinding the radius is with a couple of diamond paddle-files...

Cheers,

I'd love this if it is available, i just lost the use of an old 130 I had due to a snapped cap iron so it would be a welcome replacement for a budgetless person starting off

Originally Posted by dcarbonetti

I'd love this if it is available, i just lost the use of an old 130 I had due to a snapped cap iron so it would be a welcome replacement for a budgetless person starting off

Hi D,

Are you referring to the rebate planes from the OP or the block plane i mentioned?

Please PM me if it's the latter.

Regards,

Adam

The block plane is now on its way to a new home.

Regards,

Adam

I love the sentiment of this thread.

I have been lucky to get a lot of tools free or cheap, well beyond my budget would have normally allowed.

I recently gave all my surplus to a young girl getting into woodwork.

When you are blessed you gotta pass it on.