Stanley #148 or #48 vs Tongue and Groove #45 Irons

[Jason Dean]

As part of my Roubo bench build I need to tongue and groove the lower shelving boards. Already the proud owner of a #45, I could source the appropriate cutters.
I also looked at the #148 or #48 as other options.

For those of you that have used any of these options, would you please opine on the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

[Rob Young]

As part of my Roubo bench build I need to tongue and groove the lower shelving boards. Already the proud owner of a #45, I could source the appropriate cutters.
I also looked at the #148 or #48 as other options.

For those of you that have used any of these options, would you please opine on the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

Since you already have the #45, use that assuming you have the blades. Advantage is that you have the plane (and possibly the blades) already. A bit more fussy to set up than dedicated T&G planes though. But not a show stopper.

#48 needs two 5/16" (I think that's the width) blades to work with material in the 3/4" range. Wider than that, you swap out one of the 5/16" for something wider and continue to let the groove slide off center.

Can't recall configuration on #148 but similar may apply.

And finally, there are "modern" T&G planes & plow planes w/ suitable blades available from Lie-Nielsen and Lee Valley and at least one Chinese manufacturer that I can think off.

[Jim Koepke]

Buying the proper cutters for a #45 would be a lot less expensive than buying a #48 or #148.

If you have the standard plow cutters all you would need is one of the match cutters (#5 & #6 tongue cutters).

I have used a #45 for tongue & groove and it works well. I haven't used any of the planes made for the sole purpose of cutting tongue and grooves.

jtk

[Thomas Schneider]

I too have used my Stanley 45 for making tongue and groove joints and found the process enjoyable and the results were good. I can't comment on the other plane's cause although I own them, I have never reality used them. Good luck with your build!

[Jason Dean]

I ended up going for the purpose built unitasker rather than add to the capability of my #45.

364041

It works really well (tested on pine) and is super fast to change over. You simply pull a pin and flip the fence to switch between tongue and groove. I will post some results on ash in my bench thread when its time to make the shelf.

Thanks for all the advice!

[Alan Schwabacher]

Have fun with that! I don't really understand why, but a #48 is a delight to use. There is something very satisfying about flipping the fence and having the next cut lined up.