I Need a Screw!

[Stew Hagerty]

Hah, I knew that would get your attention! :D

I picked up a pretty nice looking #45 with the primary set of blades. As far as I can tell, everything is there except for one screw. It's the one that secures the fence. See Photo:

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Anybody have one that they wouldn't mine parting with????

Also...

Can anyone explain this to me?

This first photo shows the thumbscrew in the center of the fence.

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But this second photo shows that it doesn't go all the way through. I'm guessing that this is no the right screw for this spot. (Oh, and no it doesn't fit in the other location. Thread size too large.)

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If I need a different screw for here, does anyone have an extra one of those as well?

[steven c newman]

Might check out nhplaneparts on ebay, Eric might just have the one you need.

[Ralph Boumenot]

try St James Bay - he makes a quite few replacement screws

[Bill Houghton]

try St James Bay - he makes a quite few replacement screws

URL here: http://www.stjamesbaytoolco.com/ Follow link to tools, then reproduction Stanley parts. Scroll down quite a ways. Call, don't e-mail; he's not much on e-mail, or didn't used to be.

[Bradley Gray]

Stew,
You got my attention with the photo of the plane fence and I went back to the shop to look at my 45.
I checked with a tap and all the set screws are 1/4-28 thread, so if you need to use this plane any matching thread screw will work fine. the screw in the fence doesn't exist on the model I have. Maybe they are different vintage or maybe you have a 55 which has more adjustments?
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[Greg Wease]

The screw in the center of the fence is incorrect as you surmise. Per Dave Heckel's excellent book on the Stanley 45, the two-piece adjustable fence first appeared in 1915. The correct screw has a knurled head and a total thread length of about an inch. The tip (first 3/8") is a left-hand thread that screws into the moveable part of the fence and the right-hand threads near the head provide the fine-adjustment movement. Hope this makes sense.

I'll have to check my box of "spares" to see if I have extras of the pieces you need.

The plane Bradley shows in his reply is an earlier vintage. The floral pattern on the body of his plane was on planes made before 1908.

[John Powers]

First of all, my condolences. When I threw mine away I saved parts. I have the knurled headed screw that has the left hand threades at the tip in a smaller diameter. I also have three different thumbscrews one of which probably is missing to hold the fence to the rod. I'll send them to you but I'd like to keep the thumbscrews not needed. one thumbscrew has a flared collar between the threads and the gripper portion. I thik thats the one you say doesn't fit either. One has a point at the end of the threaded portion and the other is a tiny bit shorter and flat on the end of the threaded portion. If we can decide what thumbscrew is right I'll send it to you with the knurled one. The thumbscrews all seem to have the same threads and diameter but again the one with the flair may have coarser threads. If ID is a problem I'll send them all. You'll be doing me a favor taking them as I consider that thing a stealer of valuable time. PM me an address and Bobs our uncle.........always wanted to say that.

[Jim Koepke]

The screw that is missing in the first photo is the second most likely part to be missing from a Stanley 45. First most missing part is the slitter. I think once I saw one for sell on ebay.

The screw installed in the fence adjustment looks like the screw to hold the slitter.


I have the knurled headed screw that has the left hand threades at the tip in a smaller diameter. I also have three different thumbscrews one of which probably is missing to hold the fence to the rod. I'll send them to you but I'd like to keep the thumbscrews not needed. one thumbscrew has a flared collar between the threads and the gripper portion. I thik thats the one you say doesn't fit either. One has a point at the end of the threaded portion and the other is a tiny bit shorter and flat on the end of the threaded portion.

The three thumb screws are; flared collar for slitter and slitter depth stop, point at the end holds the fence to the rods between the two openings for fence height adjustment and the flat ended thumbscrew holds the sliding section in place.


the screw in the fence doesn't exist on the model I have.

Bradley, yours is a type 7, circa 1897-1907, iirc, one of the most popular types/vintages with some variations in foundry marks. It was the first type without threads on the rods.

The mark on the fence gives it away.

jtk

[Bradley Gray]

Thanks for the info Jim

[John Powers]

Jim, he needs the knurled and the flat ended thumbscrew?

[Stew Hagerty]

Stew,
You got my attention with the photo of the plane fence and I went back to the shop to look at my 45.
I checked with a tap and all the set screws are 1/4-28 thread, so if you need to use this plane any matching thread screw will work fine. the screw in the fence doesn't exist on the model I have. Maybe they are different vintage or maybe you have a 55 which has more adjustments?
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Thanks for looking. No, mine is a 45 like yours but apparently a different vintage. Because of the embellishments, I'm guessing your is older.

[Stew Hagerty]

The screw that is missing in the first photo is the second most likely part to be missing from a Stanley 45. First most missing part is the slitter. I think once I saw one for sell on ebay.

The screw installed in the fence adjustment looks like the screw to hold the slitter.

The three thumb screws are; flared collar for slitter and slitter depth stop, point at the end holds the fence to the rods between the two openings for fence height adjustment and the flat ended thumbscrew holds the sliding section in place.jtk

Jim, I've heard people talk about the "slitter" but what is it?

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, he needs the knurled and the flat ended thumbscrew?

I think what he needs is the knurled and a separate smaller knurled screw.

The thumb screws with the flat/oval area are used in different places.

Here is an image showing the two screws that should be on the fence:

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One is double threaded as described earlier. The other is a smaller thread just for locking the fence once it is set.

I do not know the thread and size off hand. If I get out to the shop today I will try to remember to check it.

We are having our first snow and our temps have been record lows.

jtk

[Stew Hagerty]

Thanks for the all the help everyone. I looked through the very extensive list of items that nhplaneparts has listed on eBay and found the screws I needed. Of course you can't go shopping without picking up a couple of extra things right??? I also bought a few cutters that I don't have and thought would be useful.

This place, and the people here, are always so helpful. How did we ever survive before the internet?

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, I've heard people talk about the "slitter" but what is it?

It is a special blade that is mounted to the right side of the handle on many planes like the Stanley 45. It has a use for cutting things like the slats of window blinds or even thin strips used for inlay.

It also makes the #45 useful as a marking gauge.

It looks like this:

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It is beveled on both sides (4 beveled edges).

The early ones have a patent date stamped near the top on one side.

There isn't a place to store it with the other blades. When it is kept in its mounting it would often skin the user's knuckles. Often they were taken off the plane and thrown in a drawer or even the trash.

jtk