Missing a frog fine adjustment clip and clip screw...

[Jay Maiers]

A friend has loaned me a Stanley #5c for an upcoming project. As the thread title indicates, it's missing the fine adjustment clip and the screw that attaches the clip to the body of the plane.

Are these things really necessary to the function of the plane? Do they make life a whole lot easier when adjusting the frog?

The best info I've found about the screw simply states that it's a non-standard thread. Does that mean uncommon thread, or is it a proprietary thread cut just for the plane? Does anyone know the thread size? (I ask because I have a great local hardware store; they stock approximately one billion different fasteners in every thread under the sun. Uncommon is not a problem, but proprietary is...)

According to a flowchart identifier, the plane is a type 19. If I can find these parts on Ebay, are they likely to fit, or did they switch thread sizes every other production year / model?

Sorry for all of the questions over something that's probably not an issue, but I have only the most basic idea of what I'm supposed to be doing with this thing. I'd like to take as many of the mechanical issues out of the way as possible so that any performance issues are with me and not the plane.

[Rick Whitehead]

No, you don't really need them. They do, however, make adjusting the frog easier, and help keep it aligned to the mouth.
The screw is a 12-20, which is a proprietary thread that Stanley used on most of their planes.
I have several of these plates and screws that I bought in a lot of plane parts from a local guy. So, PM me your address, and I'll send you a set.
I've had these parts for over 10 years, and during that time,I've found only one other person that's needed these parts.
Good luck with the rest of the restoration!
Rick W

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on what Rick said. At one time my preference was for planes made after this feature was added. After having a couple of planes with the feature, it was realized that it was almost never used or needed.

Talk about odd threads, the blade depth adjusting bolt on Stanley planes is 27 tpi if my memory is working. That and a left hand thread. That sounds like a couple of good bets for beers with friends.

jtk

[Johnny Kleso]

The frog adjusting screw really helps setting the plane up but once set most people never move it unless doing a complete cleaning and oiling of the plane..
The face of the frog should be perfectly in line with the back of the mouth by checking it with a small steel ruler or straight edge..

[Jay Maiers]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the information!

I took the blade off last night and made a few adjustments to the frog. I think I've got it set correctly, but I'll have to check and re-check before I'm sure :)

[Mike Siemsen]

I always set the frog based on how wide I want the mouth to be. There is no need to flush the frog with the rear of the mouth as the iron doesn't get supported by it anyway due to the bevel on the iron. If you set it too far back it might give you trouble.
Mike