Stanley Bull Nose Rabbett plane

[lowell holmes]

How can you adjust one to get uniform shavings? I need to dress up a rabbet.

I have a multitude of planes and know how to sharpen and use them. I have two the the little Stanleys.

The little Stanley escapes me though. My iron is sharp with a bit of back bevel, but the mechanics of using the plane escapes me.

I have trouble with it digging in. I adjust the mouth as fine as I can, but still has more space in the mouth than I like. I just can't get the uniform shavings I'm looking for.

Thanks

[Kenneth Speed]

That's about as good as you're going to get as far as I know. They aren't really a plane to give you a nicely finished surface but to flatten out the bottom of a rebate or act as a small( not very good in my opinion) shoulder plane. Have you figured out yet that I have one too? Why I haven't rid myself of the the little beast I really don't know.

The only useful advice I can give you is to back off the blade until it isn't cutting anything and then adjust it forward by small degrees until it just starts to shave the surface you're trying to cut. The "throat" is adjusted more in response to the type of wood you're planing than for the cutter. I also sometimes remove the head completely and use it as a chisel of sorts to clean up inside corners. I'll readily admit I don't like the tool much and would rather use a router plane or even a paring chisel if possible.

[James Taglienti]

Are you using a 90 or a 75?

[lowell holmes]

Neither, it is a 12-975 contractor grade plane. The logo on the iron shows that it is a bevel down plane, but it works about as well bevel up. It tends to dig inand that may be characteristic of bull nose planes.
I cannot explain how I got two of the usless little critters.

I'm making a front door and have rabbett wall for the leaded glas panels that need dressing. I probably will end up with a sanding block.

[Jim Koepke]

Neither, it is a 12-975 contractor grade plane. The logo on the iron shows that it is a bevel down plane, but it works about as well bevel up. It tends to dig inand that may be characteristic of bull nose planes.
I cannot explain how I got two of the usless little critters.

Don't feel bad, I still have one after selling the two others for a loss.

It is based on the #75 bull nose rabbet plane that never worked very well for anyone. Though some come darn close.

The #90 (bull nosed rabbet plane, not the #90 steel cased rabbet plane) is a much easier plane to use. It can still be a bit of a trick to get started at the edge of a piece.

jtk

[Bill Houghton]

Part of the problem with this plane is that, for reasons unknown to anyone but the original designers (who are now, I hope, in a happy place where the planes and chisels are always sharp and the wood always sweet-grained), the toe piece is not in the same plane (at the same level) as the rest of the sole, but a bit above it. My uncle corrected this for me by filing the body of the plane where the casting that curves down to form the toe piece rest on the body. File, test; file, test; repeat until it's fixed.

I also find this plane, in factory trim, very uncomfortable. I added a simple palm rest at the back by cutting a piece of maple to fit the body, then shaping a curve on the back side. One screw through a hole drilled in the body holds it on. As you can see from the picture, its main function is to keep the plane iron from digging into your hand. This allows for a better grip that might lead to less chatter/difficulty, or may just be less agonizing.
237572

Even with these improvements, it's not a great plane. I'm not sure the back bevel is helping you - you're making it a high-angle plane, which is harder to push - but I'm not experienced with back bevels. I do know having it atom-splitting sharp is critical.

I still have this thing, but really only use it for removing lumps of paint when repainting (I sold one once, on eBay, to a painter - maybe that's its true function: a paint plane!). I own a Record 077A bullnose and a Stanley No. 90J bullnose, either of which will leave the No. 75 in the dust when it comes to planing.

A bullnose rabbet plane is one of those tools that shine only once in a while - but really shine when they do. I used my Record bullnose just yesterday, smoothing the siding at the base of the rough opening that a window's going into today or tomorrow. I might could have done the job with a chisel, but the bullnose got it done to my standards in much less time.

[Prashun Patel]

I have one of these. It feels great in the hand and makes a wonderful paperweight.

Periodically I try to resharpen the blade and get it to perform. Have never been successful.

[Lamar Keeney]

The lowly 75, After about six years I finaly found a use for one when reglazing the windows of my sister's house. It worked pretty good for the final cleaning out of the glazing. I chunked it in the corner somewhere around here after that.

[James Taglienti]

I have had almost a dozen of the 75's and tried to tune three. I couldnt get a single one to work predictably. I do not say this often about Stanley's older products but that thing is junk.

[Derek Cohen]

The Stanley #75 is one of life's mysteries. Why are they popular? They are the world's most uncomfortable plane to hold - the blade is strategically placed to impale one's palm. They are impossible to tune - no matter what you do, the fact remains that the "mouth" is reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, and adjusting for depth of cut is fun ..

Yet they sell well on eBay. Cute looking? No doubt. Stanley certainly sold a bucket-full of these planes.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Stanley certainly sold a bucket-full of these planes.

What is even more amazing is a lot of other makers copied the design.

jtk

[Mark Wyatt]

I keep one #75 around in the misguided belief that someday someone will discover the trick to making it functional.

[Michael Ray Smith]

Dang. Now y'all tell me. I bought a Millers Falls No. 4 a while back and stashed it in a drawer to wait for an opportunity to use it. If it's as frustrating as the Stanley, maybe I'll just sell it without going through all that pain first.

[Gary Hodgin]

Same here. I guess I've spent at least 2-3 hours messing with my 75 and never taken a decent shaving. Every time I try I head to the garbage can but just can't follow through. Keep thinking this thing has got to work or else they wouldn't have sold as many.

[Brett Robson]

The only way I've had any success whatsoever with mine is to place it on a piece of MDF, slide the iron down until the edge is square on the wood, then tighten the cap. A light tap on the end of the iron with a small hammer will advance the iron just enough to get it to cut.

I've found mine to be just shy of useless and rarely ever even try using it anymore.