Rust hunting: What to look for in a Stanley 45?

[Judson Green]

So I'm bound and determined to get a good user 45. I guess I'll be looking at em via ebay, can't seem to find any local. So, other than not being total coated with rust and missing obvious parts, what are some of the things to look at or make sure it has? I understand the longer rods are more valuable, from a user point of view. Having at least some cutters, though I do see these for sale separately and some don't look too hard to make. What's that "cam" looking (circled) thing for? Do I need that? Are all 3 depth stops important? What about the knicker (not the 3 pointed ones) that goes on the main body where a depth stop (arrow) can also be screwed in?

Any insight?

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[Jim Koepke]

Judson,

Have you looked in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs?

The rounded thing you have circled is called a cam stop. It can be used like another depth stop or to steady the plane during use.

Here are two posts on the Stanley 45:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?116419-Planes-and-a-Few-Things-to-Look-For&p=1176704#post1176704

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?216885-Rust-hunting-What-to-look-for-in-a-Stanley-45

The slitter is often missing and is one of the most often missing parts. Most owners gave them a long toss after getting their knuckles skinned a few times.

What you do not want missing is the fence locking screw from the late type 11 and later Stanley 45s. They do not come up for sell often.



jtk

[Judson Green]

Thanks Jim

No I hadn't checked the wisdom/FAQ, thanks for reminding me.

Couple of follow up questions.

1) How important is the cam stop? Is it not used often?

2) How important is the slitter?

3) what about the depth stop that goes where the slitter goes?

3a) My impression is that either of these two things wouldn't be that hard to make, correct?

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4) The arrow is pointing to the fence screw that might be missing, correct?

5) What's the circled knob do? I see some 45 fences have this others do not.

[Jim Koepke]

All things are relative.

The cam stop isn't necessary for most applications. It can be useful when working far from an edge and in some specialized work.

The slitter is handy if you want to use the plane like a panel gauge or for cutting thin strips of wood.

The arrow is pointing to the second most missing part on a Stanley 45. More slitters are missing, but it has been around longer so they went missing well before the locking screw was a twinkle in an engineers eyes.

The circled knob is the micro adjustment for the fence. Before this the fence was moved manually and tightened to set. With this adjustment, the fence is set close and then can be moved miniscule amounts for better positioning of the work being performed.

jtk

[Bill Houghton]

Sight the body of the plane and the sliding section along the sole. My first 45 came with a sliding section that had been repaired and was out of straight in both vertical and horizontal axes, and was thus useless.

Bodies for the planes aren't hard to find; cutters are harder. So a plane that comes with a set, or sets, of cutters is worth way more than one without.

St. James Bay ( http://www.stjamesbaytoolco.com/ ) offers many of the small replacement parts, such as the frequently-missing screws. Do get one with the micro-adjusting fence. I've found this is useful not just for the micro-adjustment, but also for final alignment of fence to body of plane. If it skews either way when you tighten the fence screws, the micro-adjustment lets you correct for that.

My planes don't have splitters. I've survived so far.

[Judson Green]

Thanks Bill & Jim

Unfortunately I won't be able to sight the plane on the bay, one of the downsides of buying that way.

[Adam Maxwell]

I understand the longer rods are more valuable, from a user point of view. Having at least some cutters, though I do see these for sale separately and some don't look too hard to make. What's that "cam" looking (circled) thing for? Do I need that? Are all 3 depth stops important? What about the knicker (not the 3 pointed ones) that goes on the main body where a depth stop (arrow) can also be screwed in?

Well, I bought one from Patrick Leach, complete with screwdriver and ratty box, and wish I'd gone cheaper versus being fixated on a complete plane (as with the Stanley router plane…where the depth stop and fence are usually missing because they're stupid and useless, but I digress). The #45 was my primary user plow for a few projects, and it works great for that. I basically agree with what the other guys have said re: locking screws etc, but here's my list as a user.

Essentials:

• Square irons (I've never used the bead/sash/match irons)
• The front depth stops are nice; make sure you get at least one of them, with its locking screws
• Both rod sets, but definitely the longer ones
• Micro-adjust fence
• Sliding section

Non-essential:

• Cam stop (never used it)
• Screwdriver
• Slitter (never used it)
• Slitter depth stop
• Wooden knob
• Nickers (use a knife or cutting gage; the built-in nickers are a pain and don't work that well)

Having said all of that, if you're just interested in a plow, I recommend the Stanley #46 hands-down over the #45. It'll work much better in cross-grain or gnarly situations (I use it for fielding panels, for instance), and it's more agile. It's also more expensive :).

[Alan Schwabacher]

Since you're in the enchanted land of beer, cheese & brats, I recommend joining the MidWest Tool Collector's Association (MWTCA). This is particularly helpful if you want user grade tools rather than collector's grade, as these less pretty ones are inexpensive. I'm pretty sure that each of the last 5 or 10 MWTCA meets I've been to (in Milwaukee and Minneapolis) had at least one functional Stanley 45 for $25 or less, as long as you'll settle for few irons and a few missing less used parts. You can buy the irons separately, but this makes sense for those you need. If you want them all, buy a set.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I would concur with Adam, exactly as written (I have 3 #45's). I do not have a #46, but will by week's end, as I subscribe to the same "for sale" listings, and from the same enabler as Adam. I've been looking for a good user 46 in the wild, for nearly a decade with no luck (at my price), that I've finally succumbed to the Leichmeister' siren song.

[Judson Green]

Since you're in the enchanted land of beer, cheese & brats, I recommend joining the MidWest Tool Collector's Association (MWTCA). This is particularly helpful if you want user grade tools rather than collector's grade, as these less pretty ones are inexpensive. I'm pretty sure that each of the last 5 or 10 MWTCA meets I've been to (in Milwaukee and Minneapolis) had at least one functional Stanley 45 for $25 or less, as long as you'll settle for few irons and a few missing less used parts. You can buy the irons separately, but this makes sense for those you need. If you want them all, buy a set.

Yeah I've known about that group for sometime. I was very seriously considering going to their last event (I think was in St Francis) but I guess I chalked up the meetings to be more for collectors so I've never gone. Guess I should go cause $25 for a user 45 sounds good to me. But I hopefully (provided its straight and usable) don't need one any more, unless its lonely and needs a friend.

Do you go to these tool swaps? Are there users there for sale? Worth the membership?

[Judson Green]

Well, I bought one from Patrick Leach, complete with screwdriver and ratty box, and wish I'd gone cheaper versus being fixated on a complete plane (as with the Stanley router plane…where the depth stop and fence are usually missing because they're stupid and useless, but I digress). The #45 was my primary user plow for a few projects, and it works great for that. I basically agree with what the other guys have said re: locking screws etc, but here's my list as a user.

Essentials:

• Square irons (I've never used the bead/sash/match irons)
• The front depth stops are nice; make sure you get at least one of them, with its locking screws
• Both rod sets, but definitely the longer ones
• Micro-adjust fence
• Sliding section

Non-essential:

• Cam stop (never used it)
• Screwdriver
• Slitter (never used it)
• Slitter depth stop
• Wooden knob
• Nickers (use a knife or cutting gage; the built-in nickers are a pain and don't work that well)

Having said all of that, if you're just interested in a plow, I recommend the Stanley #46 hands-down over the #45. It'll work much better in cross-grain or gnarly situations (I use it for fielding panels, for instance), and it's more agile. It's also more expensive :).

Unfortunately I passed on a 46 on CL about 5-6 months ago, was missing to many parts. I'm sure the 46 would work much better but the 45 (and its cutters) are a little easier to come by.

[Adam Maxwell]

I would concur with Adam, exactly as written (I have 3 #45's). I do not have a #46, but will by week's end, as I subscribe to the same "for sale" listings, and from the same enabler as Adam. I've been looking for a good user 46 in the wild, for nearly a decade with no luck (at my price), that I've finally succumbed to the Leichmeister' siren song.

I paid $115 for my #46 with a full set of irons in their original box, and that was a pretty good deal from fleabay at the time. It was missing the depth stop, and has kind of ugly plating, but is a great user. I've not used the #45 since I got the #46, though, and I'm surprised no one has decided to reproduce it.

[Judson Green]

Did I do OK?

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As best I can tell a few (like 3) of the cutters are not for the 45, rather I should say a few don't have the notch at the top. The 48 is missing the iron, figured I could make one. The jointer fence will be useful occasionally. The trembles, well I've got a set. Everything a little rusty, hopefully not too much.

Oh and I had a $15 off coupon, plus the free shipping. And from a fellow cheesehead, so I guess I shopped local.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I paid $115 for my #46 with a full set of irons in their original box, and that was a pretty good deal from fleabay at the time. It was missing the depth stop, and has kind of ugly plating, but is a great user. I've not used the #45 since I got the #46, though, and I'm surprised no one has decided to reproduce it.

Good price. What I have coming is $175, complete, but looks shop worn. It will be a user, so it doesn't matter.