#78 stanley

[tim duplin]

i am new here and really enjoy all the kowledgable post. i have a stanley 78 is this plane worth the effort to restore and use i've read blood and gore and other info on it saying the parts can be more exspensive the the plane itself. properly tuned is this a plane worth keeping or should i go in a different direction any help would be appreciated. there is an incredible amount of info at these forums.
thanks tim

[Jim Koepke]

Tim,

A belated welcome to the creek.

It really depends on which parts are missing from your #78.

Pictures are always helpful.

If it has the blade and lever cap, it can still be used for some tasks.

It also depends on how much you have invested so far.

jtk

[Andrew Gibson]

Hi Tim. I have a 78 and use it a lot. I got mine complete, and have seen several at flea markets and such in complete and fairly nice condition for a decent price...
replacement parts can be found fairly easily as well, St James Bay Tool Co also sells reproduction parts.

Depending on whats missing a 78 definitely has a place in the toolbox, Unless you have the cash to throw at one of the LV Versions... http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=59999&cat=1,41182,48945

[Mark Wyatt]

Tim,

Welcome. Please post a picture of your #78. It is a very nice tool and parts are relatively easy to get. If we can see what you need, we can probably help you get them!

[Don Dorn]

I think the Stanley is fine as far as quality, but I don't care for the lever adjustment. I much prefer my Record 778.

[tim duplin]

thanks erveryone for the advice. i believe the blade is sharp, don't have the guide for rabbiting but i do have the lever cap and fiber scorer one problem is either no shaving or to thick a shave. this has been sitting in my toolbox for ten years since reading all the treads here i have been breaking out old planes and messing with them. i ground the sole on plate glass and sand paper up to 320 and lapped the blade. i would like to try and make a picture frame by hand. can any of you hear the sound your plane makes once your blades become super sharp i have been sharpening a lot practicing. as far as pics i have not been able to figure how to post for i did make a jewlery box for my wife and did a lot by hand which is much more relaxing than computors although this website is addicting and no better place to shop in the world i could be broke in days.
thanks tim

[Dave Anderson NH]

It all depends. I have an absolutely perfect #78 with all of its japanning, all its parts, and which has never seen a spec of rust. I find it to be a royal pain to use since I'm left handed. The iron adjusting lever always gets moved and changes the blade adjustment on me while I'm using it and with the open side on the left of the plane I find it harder to watch the mouth while working. If you are right handed, these problem will not apply to you.

[Erik France]

I picked up an older #78 off of ebay without the lever, it cleaned up nicely. If you are patient, and just lay down low bids, you can complete the parts fairly cheaply too. I picked up a good depth stop and guide & rod off of ebay. I wasn't as patient as I should have been on the guide, but I got tired of waiting. I don't use it as often as I should, a lot of the time I forget I have it since I took so long getting all the parts together.

I love that wooshing like sound too. The proof is in the curls, not the pudding. ;)

[Jim Koepke]

thanks erveryone for the advice. i believe the blade is sharp, don't have the guide for rabbiting but i do have the lever cap and fiber scorer one problem is either no shaving or to thick a shave.

A sharp blade is paramount. I have the Record 778 version of this and it has never been one to take super fine shavings. If yours does not have an adjuster, you may have a little more work to get the blade set to cut like you want it too.

Here is an image from a previous post of mine showing how to use a small wooden mallet to adjust the blade of a block plane.

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As a starting point, I will set the plane on a piece of wood and let the blade move forward to just touch the wood and then tighten the lever cap. It is rare that this ever sets the blade depth perfectly, but there is always a chance. After a test of the blade depth, the following is how my blades are set on planes that do not have an adjuster.

Loosen the lever cap a little, and then if the blade is not cutting, give a light tap to the back of the blade. If it is cutting too deep, tap the back of the plane. Lateral adjustments are made by tapping the sides of the blade at the top.

Then tighten the lever cap. it should only need about a quarter to a half turn from where the blade was able to be moved. It only needs to be tight enough to keep the blade from moving when being used. Also when adjusting, you want the lever cap to supply a little tension otherwise the tapping will not be able to make controlled movements.

Over tightening will cause stresses that will lead to problems in the future.



[snip]
can any of you hear the sound your plane makes once your blades become super sharp i have been sharpening a lot practicing. as far as pics i have not been able to figure how to post for i did make a jewlery box for my wife and did a lot by hand which is much more relaxing than computors although this website is addicting and no better place to shop in the world i could be broke in days.
thanks tim

Yes, often my planes make a nice soothing skeesh sound as they take shavings.

To post pictures, click on the paper clip above the message text frame.

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If you are replying to a post, and plan to insert an image you will have to double click on the "Reply to Thread" button or if you are already in the "Quick Reply" screen, click on the "Go Advanced" button and select the paper clip from there. Please note that I am using a Macintosh and the screens may appear different to those using PCs or other Operating systems and browsers.

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This will bring up a window that looks something like this:

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Please note, the red arrows were added by me.

The top part will show images that you have uploaded in the past. To add new images, select "Add Files" which will bring up a small window like this in the "Manage Attachments" window.

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Click on the "Select Files" button, then navigate to the pictures on your computer and select the images you want to upload. On my machine, I can use the cursor while holding down the button to drag across multiple images or hold the shift key while clicking on multiple images to do multiple image uploads.

To insert the image in text, select the area of the text where you want to insert an image. Then click the paper clip and select the image you want to place. It helps to have your images named.

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The Picture 3 text was highlighted from being selected, but clicking on the paper clip it became unhighlighted and instead showed the menu.

The image did land in the right place and shows up as an attachment with a number.

When you are done, just click done in the "File Upload Manager" window.

Hope this helps, give it a try.

jtk