smaller cutter on stanley multiplane

[Paddy Roxburgh]

I have a stanley 13-50 multiplane. I've had it for some time but where possible use my wooden moving filister. Today I wanted to plough a 3/16" groove and I do not have the correct sized cutter for the woody. I turned to the stanley and I am baffled, the smaller cutters (1/8, 3/16 and 4mm) do not have the little notch out of them to attach to the adjuster. Not only this but the slot that the cutter sits in is wider than these small blades, so you cannot tighten them. I have just seen the manual on line for the record version here http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/record050cmanual.pdf. On page 17 you can see the cutters. What am I missing? It just seems like the small cutters can't be used.

Any help appreciated
Paddy

 

[AndyT]

I'm not directly familiar with the modern Stanley plane that you have but I do have various Record equivalents so will try to help.

The Record planes which were sold with the very narrow cutters came with a special clamp to hold them, frequently lost in action. This was necessary as the cutters are too small to use a second sliding section and skate. So if your plane has two skates, remove one.
If you don't have an extra clamp, you could probably make one. Ideally it would have a hole to pass over one of the arms but that's probably not essential. A large washer might do, assuming you have the right screw to pull it in towards the body.

You'll need something to pack out the gap if the cutter is narrower than the groove so either add a sliver of hard wood or metal or else file something so it has an extra flange on one side, to bear against the cutter.

The small cutters never have the notch - they are too small!
Generally the screw depth adjuster can just bear down on the top of the cutter. Clamp it moderately tight not quite projecting enough to cut, take the adjuster down a tad until it just cuts, then tighten everything up.

 

[katellwood]

If memory serves you remove the outer skirt/base then use the knurled nut to clamp the thin cutter into the remaining base.

For adjustment you can only increase the depth of cut and not back it off as the cutter is not wide enough to accomodate a slot

 

[dickm]

Andy- do you have a pic of the fitment to hold the smallest cutters? The picture in the Record booklet just leaves me puzzled!

 

[AndyT]

Ok, apologies to all modern Stanley combi plane owners.

What I wrote, away from the workshop and from memory, is ok for the Record 050 and its later incarnation as the 044C, but Paddy, your plane presumably looks like this

(from this old thread, https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/for-sale-stanley-13-050-combination-plane-t60370.html on this forum.)

If so, it does all look rather different from my planes.

However, I did find this helpful looking blog post http://woodlooking.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/stanley-13-050-combination-plane.html where the blogger wrote:

Fitting plough cutters under 6 mm seemed impossible, but after (reading the manual and) removing the sliding section the smallest plough cutters ( 1/8", 4mm and 3/16") can be set on a single skate.

Just for completeness, and to make this post useful to anyone with older planes, this is the Record 044C with a 1/8" blade on one skate held by the special clamp for narrow blades

This is the clamp on its own. The earlier Record 050 had something similar, but incompatible:

And this is my suggested workround on an older Record 050 for which I do not have the separate clamp

(Note that the mismatched narrow blade is also too long, and fouls the handle. It would need to be trimmed to use it in this plane; fortunately I have other planes and blades available...)

Happy grooving!

 

[dickm]

Many thanks, Andy, for that. Confirms that my 050 box doesn't include the right bit, but also shows that my workaround is more or less the same as your's.
I wonder if there is a hoard of the "proper" holders anywhere???

 

[AndyT]

Well, according to http://www.record-planes.com/record-no-050a-improved-combination-plane/ there were actually two models - the 050 without the narrow cutters and the extra bracket, and the 050A with them, so there always were more planes than brackets, even before any of them got lost in the cracks of the shed floor!

 

[PhilM]

Paddy

I have the Stanley No. 50. The cutters have a series of notches on the back, rather than the single side notch. However the principle is the same, the sliding section is removed & the smaller cutters held with a 'Cutter Holding Screw', a flat headed bolt which fits through the bolt hole for the sliding section & is held in place with the sliding section's wingnut.

Phil

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Thanks for responses. I changed my plan and used a 1/4" cutter in my wooden filister plane so have not yet tried taking one skate off the stanley. I will give it a go at work tomorrow if I get a free moment and will report back.

Paddy