Router planes

[marcros]

Does anybody happen to have both a Stanley 71 and the Veritas version with the fence?

I have received a Stanley 71, but it is missing the fence. It seems to be difficult to find a Stanley replacement, so I am wondering whether the Veritas version will fit. The alternative is to either do without (how useful is the fence?), or to make one. Has anybody made one- it cant be that difficult, surely?

Could somebody take a picture of the Stanley with fence in situ?

I have seen a blog post by Derek Cohen about the Veritas replacement cutters- do people have a range of sizes, or tend to only use 1? I am planning to use the plane for trimming tenon cheeks, and potentially for inlaying. I was thinking of getting the smallest Veritas cutter for inlaying on jewellery boxes and similar, but whilst at it is it worth getting a set?

TIA
Mark

 

[Cheshirechappie]

For inlay work, the small router (Stanley 271, I think, or various equivalents) might be a better bet.

Now I think about it, I can't recall ever using a hand router plane with a fence, so lack of one may not be such a loss anyway. A wooden sole can be a good idea, screwed on. For trimming tenon cheeks, a piece of scrap the same thickness as the workpiece placed on the benchtop (or even screwed to the end of the wooden sole) to act as outboard support for the router would be more use than a fence.

 

[marcros]

looking at the veritas fence, it fixes in a completely different way. I have a friend going to the USA, that is why I asked. I might have a play with the thing, and worry about more cutters in time. A 271 could be a useful addition to the arsenal

 

[marcros]

The plot thickens. I have, it seems a type 10- dating between 1925 and 38. I dont know why it is painted red, but it has been at some time in its life. Still, brightens up the workshop, and goes nicely with its freud electrical brother. It is not missing a fence, it dates from before they were a part of them. What is the "shoe(?)" for on the front of plane? Is it just to close the gap if required?

Interesting things these hand tools. They seem to swallow up an awful lot of time- when was the last time that I spent an evening looking up the details of a 2nd hand router bit...

They are dangerous too- you start looking for stanley 271 cutters as spares. you stray onto the veritas site, and into the family of router planes... that miniture router plane looks very useful...

 

[AndyT]

I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of a fence. They do turn up on eBay sometimes, but for a particular job you could perfectly easily screw a block of wood in the required position.

I can only remember needing the fence on mine once, which was on a bookcase. I was using flat library strip to hold the shelves, and the strips were shorter than the interior of the bookcase. So I needed to make four long shallow stopped grooves parallel to the edges of two boards. But even on a job like that, most of the time you would have saw cuts to define where the cutter is going to work.

You certainly won't need the fence for trimming tenons, which is something where the 71 is very useful.

The shoe at the front does serve to close up the gap, which is theoretically needed so you can see what you are doing and let shavings out. (So how come it works fine with the gap closed?!) If not locked in place to close the gap, you can lift it off and use it as a separate self-contained depth gauge.
I did read somewhere the suggestion that you can invert it so as to give a loose depth gauge riding up and down in the hole. When you take the last cut, you can see that it just stays still. Again, not the most brilliant bit of design, but others may like it.

 

[marcros]

Thanks Andy. Interesting to see that the Veritas and LN designs seem to have done away with the shoe.

 

[Sawyer]

Never used the fence on a no. 71 and can't quite understand why it would be useful?

By the way, do Veritas cutters fit the Stanley 71? Mine only has the 1/4" one and I'd like to have the other ones too, especially the pointed one.

 

[marcros]

yes, have a look here http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReview ... Plane.html

It looks like you just flip the depth adjuster over.

I too only have the 1/4". The cheapest I have seen the veritas cutters is Chronos http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Veri ... s_etc.html (bottom of page). It seems to imply it is inclusive of postage, but I didnt check. Veritas do several narrow ones, but I dont know if anybody keeps them over here. I was going to ask a friend to bring a couple back from the States, but the cronos price works out about £1.50 more, so it isnt worth the trouble. If I decide to get a narrow cutter for inlaying, I might have to do that, although the miniture router plane they do, at the USA price looks quite attractive.