Thread: A few Stanley 78 tips.

Great tutorial. I love it.

I wuz asked to do the same thing, as so many out there have trouble with the #78, but I'd much rather see yours more widely distributed.

Ellis and Garrett over at Wood Central would gladly post it as a permanent article.

Interested?

Thanks Bob. Flattered.

If you think others would get some use from it, thats sounds good.

Got home from a short holiday today to find the depth guage from Jake in the mail - thanks again mate


Cheers.............Sean

Hey, no problem. THATS just what great blokes do ! .....

no, no big deal really,,,, the part was sitting around doing nothing,,,,I got it for free,,,,,and I was going to the post office anyway. So, the only thing it cost me, was postage. ...About $1 !.....So, you OWE me a Dollar !!!....YOU BETTER PAY IT BACK !! :mad:

Get that fence yet ? Think there's still one up on E-bay.

I made a depth stop some eons ago for my Miller Falls 85, a similar plane.



The problem was to make the stop fit the V-groove designed to prevent it from rotating under pressure. Rather than try to file it, I annealed the brass to make it soft, then pounded it into place with a ball peen hammer. Ugly, but works perfectly.

Pardon my thickness guys, but why has the #78 got two mouths??:confused:

Signed
Confused

So you can move the iron assembly to the forward throat to use as a bullnose plane.

Thanks for the pictures, Bob. You look more handy with a hammer than I. I feel anxious whenever I'm holding one, as though I'm going to damage something I shouldn't..

One question. Why is the rod for your fence, on the side shown in your photo ? I've always had it on the other side.....or did you just put it there temporarily so the plane would sit straight on the table, for the photo ?

Have you ever had a reason to set the fence up this way ?...Wouldn't be able to employ the depth stop or spur too well I would think, with the fence facing the other side...

I think the plane was made to use the fence either side, because some workpieces (like keel timbers) are too big to move, and as whatever the difficulties are working the plane wrong-sided, they are better than either planing against the grain or doing the whole job using a slick.

Jake

Excellent post. My apologies for not responding before, but the thread slipped under my radar!

I particularly like the idea of the sheet of paper to check blade squareness. I have always used a scribe and square, but your idea has better visuals.

That little slitter is a bugger - I have yet to find one that sits flush with the side on any of my planes.

Then there is the importance of aligning the edge of the blade with the slitter and with the side of the plane - otherwise all is thrown out of square, or you end up with a ragged line (especially crossgrain). When setting up a blade I like to place a tiny steel straight edge over the plane body near the mouth and push the blade up against this. I also do this on the #46, etc.

While the #78 (I have a Record #778) is designed for rabbets (with the grain), I have cut beautiful lines across the grain as well when the nicker is set up correctly - hence the tips you posted here are very important in my opinion.

Well done again.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Hi Derek, and thanks.

I particularly like the idea of the sheet of paper to check blade squareness. I have always used a scribe and square, but your idea has better visuals.
White background. I've found it to be the best way to sight small details. In fact, next shed I get, before I move in, I'll paint the walls glossy white I think .

That little slitter is a bugger - I have yet to find one that sits flush with the side on any of my planes.
Glad somebody else feels that....its just the 3-point spur designs that seem to be a problem mostly, for me. Stanley 45's got them too.

The best spurs, IMO, are like those found in stanley 55's and 46's. The recesses for them taper in depth I've noticed, such that it ensures the business ends of the spurs protrude the furthest. Flares them out. Flaring out nickers are important. See that sort of thing in Dado planes and the like.

Then there is the importance of aligning the edge of the blade with the slitter and with the side of the plane - otherwise all is thrown out of square, or you end up with a ragged line (especially crossgrain). When setting up a blade I like to place a tiny steel straight edge over the plane body near the mouth and push the blade up against this. I also do this on the #46, etc.
I like your steel edge idea.

For me, the most important concern, when using a fence, is getting the side of the plane out of the picture. It really serves no purpose. So, what I do, in an attempt to keep things simple, is....
1st - make sure the spurs sticking out past the plane side. (shim it)
2nd - once thats done I know I can line the blade up to it, and it too will be beyond the plane side....

Just thought this up now. Taking your ruler idea further, maybe line it up with it touching just the nicker and blade corner. So ideally it should look like this (maybe with white paper background) ....Ruler edge is close to parallel to plane side, with a little white line visible between the ruler, plane side, nicker and blade corner.



Uno, maybe it could be a final visual check that confirms the planes ready to go, ......just butt the ruler up to nicker and blade ontop of white paper, and if you can see that thin parallel line of white, then alls well, and you know plane side won't interfer.

Maybe.... I should really try this before I post Its just a thought.

Great tutorial. Very handy!

Thanks for the fine tutorial Jake. Very helpful!

Now a question for anyone with a #78. Is the iron beveled at the usual 25 degrees?

I ask because I recently picked up a Sargent #79 which looks to be a copy of the Stanley #78. It works quite well, but the iron is beveled close to 35 degrees. Seems unusual. The bed to sole angle is 45 degrees.

From looking at Stan Faulin's reproduction user manual, I see the same bevel, near 35 degrees. Is that the correct bevel?

G'day Jake. Most informative thread - as usual. Makes me want to get out the #78 to give it a run - try out the angled grinding edge etc. Last time I was in the US I visited a weekend market (Cincinatti, I think) where a guy was selling a bucketful of hand plane bits & pieces. It was full of useful blades, capping irons, screws etc - and also what appeared to be 5 or 6 fence and rods for #78 or similar.$20.00 for the bucketful - but no picking through it. Damn those baggage limits! I should have bought it & left it there somewhere.

Anyway, your WIP are getting world class, my friend. I look forward to the day when you set up a movie camera for some of these things like our friend Stu in Tokyo. In the meantime your tutorials are well received and much appreciated.

By the way, I too find myself talking & muttering to myself in the workshop lately - a lot. Strangely (or not), as this practice has increased so has the intelligence and wit of my audience.

Wayne