Stanley No. 45 Cutter Boxes

[Mike Hutchison]

I would like to get the basic dimensions for the boxes that cutters for the
Stanley No. 45 came in. I believe that my 45 is a Type 3.
Have never seen one of the cutter boxes in the "wild"; also a photo of the layout
of the inside of the overall, bigger finger jointed box the whole shebang came in
would be helpful.
I've made the big box and have started process of re-creating stickers.
Now I need to work on the inside.
Thanks
Mike H.

[Bill Houghton]

We've got guests; I'll try to get you some dimensions tomorrow, when they go out.

[Stew Denton]

Mike, my 45 is a type 12 made in either 1913 or 1914 I think. The box holds 17 cutters in it, but there are two cutters loose in the plane box itself. One of those is a match cutter, one is a plow/dado cutter, about 3/4", and the splitter is also loose in the main plane box. If the 3/4" iron was in the plane, only the splitter and match cutter would be loose in the main box. There is not enough room left in the cutter box for any more cutters.

That said, the cutter box for my 45 is 10&1/16" long, 4&3/8" deep with the lid in place, and it is 1/2" thick. The lid is 1&1/16" deep. The spacer boards on the sides are 3/4" wide and extend up even with the top of the box if the lid is not in place. By that I mean that the lid fits flush against the top of the main body of he box, including the side spacers, for the entire length of the box.

Of interest is that the entire box is only 6 pieces. The main body of both the lid and bottom body do NOT have separate faces and a bottom spacer, instead the two opposite faces and the bottom (or top if you are looking at the lid) are milled from single pieces. They are made from a single 1/2" thick piece with a deep slot sawing into the body that holds the cutters. The side spacers slide into both the top and lid from the sides. Thus if viewed looking toward the ends of both the lid and the bottom, the profile of the face "pieces" and base have a "U" profile and are a single piece of wood. The side spacers then sit even with the ends of the single piece that is the body of the top and even with the single piece that is the bottom. Thus they are enclosed in the body of the bottom (or top) with only the sides and ends showing.

The side spacer pieces are the same thickness as the face pieces, thus each of the three layers is about 1/6" thick. When in the bottom part of the box, the irons extend proud of that piece a little over 3/4". The cutters setting proud of the bottom housing is what holds the lid in place when the lid slides down over the cutters. The width of the part of the top not milled out (which would be the top spacer if it were a separate piece) is about 1/4", and the equivalent thickness at the bottom that the cutters rest on is about 5/16" deep.

Bill, if you have a different vintage Stanley 45 than I do, it probably would be good for you to give the dimensions of the cutter box that came with your 45.

Regards,

Stew

[Bill Houghton]

My 45 is assembled from various purchases, so I have no idea of the vintage of the box. I'm not sure measuring it would add anything useful to Stew's detailed description.

I've got several loose cutters, and have on my to-do list making boxes for them. This is a user tool, not a collectible; so I'm leaning toward tempered masonite (if I can find any of the good dark brown tempered masonite) or thin "craft" plywood from the craft stores, both of which come in several thicknesses, are stable, and could be cut and glued up fairly easily. I'll probably build them in the same way that people build other lidded boxes: glue up the body and lid as one step, then run the box over the tablesaw to rip the lid from the body.

[Mike Hutchison]

Bill & Stew: Thank you for your info. My overall intent for the plane is that it be a user;
I always tell folks at yard sales that I am not a collector. When it comes to planes
some people might disagree. FWIW I have done several searches on Google and
YouTube trying to get cutter box dimens. They have all ended with results dealing
with the big overall box. I made mine 18" exterior Length x 7 1/4" ext. Wdth x 5 3/4" Depth
1/4" Finger Joints
Plan is to have stickers that replicate the factory stickers to include one
that states that "This a Repro Box made in 2018 by JMH"
The stickers as well as the cutter box dimens. open up the can of worms
of variation from Type to Type and Year to Year.
Further complicating things for me most of the cutters that came with my 45
have the notches for Types that have the adjustment wheel. (my plane does not)
Will have to come down on one side of the Purist/User Fence here or the box/es
can't be completed until I have all correct for Type cutters.
I have done some more sanding and crack filling since the pics below were taken.

391201

391202

[Jerry Olexa]

Good job on the "box".....well done

[steven c newman]

Mine had two "walls" on one end of the box..
391211391212391213

There was a diagonal brace on the floor of the box...with small holes for the bolts that hold the nickers..
391214
My 45 was a SW, type 20, Made in Roxton Pond, Quebec, Canada.
391215
Original box had been used as a soccer ball by the USPS, and was broken too badly to fix....had to make a replacement box.
391216
Find some labels....
391217
Need to got the Roxton Pond one, sometime...
391218
Same as the OEM Box, I have to tear the plane down, to put it all in the box....