Using a #75

[James Pallas]

I hope this helps with using a #75. The Rodney Dangerfield of planes. The photo shoul help. I first grabbed a scrap drilled a 1/4” hole and glued in a dowel, store bought dowel didn’t match the hole well. I used a flush cutting saw with a spacer to cut the dowel. The dowel was a little higher than the nose of the plane. When cutting the nose of the plane will ride up on the higher dowel so it doesn’t try to take a bite too big for it to handle. The next cuts will bring it down to flush. If properly set the background is not touched. I put a bench dog with a light behind. You can see the reflection off of the dog spring but no light under. I would like to think this explains some of the misconceptions about this very handy tool.

[William Fretwell]

Almost the same as careful use of a block plane with your fingers holding it on the sides protruding a little below the edge.

[Charles Taylor]

It explains very clearly to me. Thank you.

[James Pallas]

Almost the same as careful use of a block plane with your fingers holding it on the sides protruding a little below the edge.
William there are several method to do tasks and your finger guides works okay. Won’t work so well if your facing 50 feet of stringing to flush out.

[William Fretwell]

Very true, would like to see an adjustable version with a removable front.

[James Pallas]

Very true, would like to see an adjustable version with a removable front.

William many of the bull nose planes can be used without the nose section. They are usually a little larger and you loose the ability to control the height of the cut and some of the effect that the nose has on chip breaking. In the photos I had opened the throat some just for photos. When in normal use I keep the opening small. I think you could make it work okay taking light cuts. As I remember Steve Latta uses a plane blade held flat on the work to do line and berry work.

[Rafael Herrera]

James,
I've a similar bullnose plane that I've been trying to tune. Did you file the plane toe to make it higher than the rest of the sole?

[James Pallas]

James,
I've a similar bullnose plane that I've been trying to tune. Did you file the plane toe to make it higher than the rest of the sole?
Absolutely not. The plane was made that way. There are some copies of the plane that are made with a co-planner nose and there are many that people have modified to do such. The mistake that people make with this plane is believing it to be an actual rabbet plane. It was not made to cut rabbets. It was made to trim rabbets and other joinery. It is more like chisel plane. An actual bullnose plane or any rabbet plane is an entirely different animal.

[Jim Koepke]

Are any of the moderators able to access the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs archive? If they can, this would be a good candidate for inclusion.

jtk

[Rafael Herrera]

Mine is a Millers Falls no. 4, the equivalent to the Stanley 75. This example has the front coplanar with back of the plane. It's a little awkward to use, it can cut end grain ok. Along the grain, on a rabbet, not so well.

The last two pictures show the blade bed, it was not milled correctly and caused the blade to protrude with a skew. Following Jim's advice from a few weeks ago I filed off the thicker part (last picture). This corrected the skew, I had been trying to correct it by modifying the edge of the cutter. Seems it needs a little more work to get it in proper shape.

[James Pallas]

Mine is a Millers Falls no. 4, the equivalent to the Stanley 75. This example has the front coplanar with back of the plane. It's a little awkward to use, it can cut end grain ok. Along the grain, on a rabbet, not so well.

The last two pictures show the blade bed, it was not milled correctly and caused the blade to protrude with a skew. Following Jim's advice from a few weeks ago I filed off the thicker part (last picture). This corrected the skew, I had been trying to correct it by modifying the edge of the cutter. Seems it needs a little more work to get it in proper shape.

Rafael I have never used a Millers Falls copy of the #75 so I simply don’t know if I the nose was manufactured level with the sole. I have seen copies that are made that way. I do know that it will not perform like a #75 if it was manufactured coplaner. I’m going to add a follow up post to this thread that may help to explain further.

[James Pallas]

Here is more info on the #75. This is where this plane excels. The photos depict a rabbet cut with a #78 clone.
The chisel shown is the longest paring chisel I own. It will not reach the length of the rabbet. Even if the iron is in the front position of the #78 it doesn’t reach well into the rabbet. Also changing the iron position causes it’s own issues. We all know that in order to cut with a level plane the iron must protrude below the sole so each time a pass is made the plane cuts deeper. When you’ve cut your rabbet to correct depth and don’t want it deeper you set up your #75 with the iron level to the main sole, I’m talking about cutting fuzz off a peach here. Finish up your rabbet as close to the corner as the plane will go. Pick up a wider chisel register it on the base of the rabbet and cut that last little 1/4” or so. Easy peasy as they say. Sorry about the photos. Ignore the block you see in the photos it is there just to hold the planes for photos. It is not used in the process at all.

[Jason Buresh]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one on the planet that appreciates this little tool. I think it is invaluable for small trimming jobs l. Because the nose is not co-planer I have had success cleaning up glue squeeze out with this plane too.

[Rafael Herrera]

I filed the nose of my MF no. 4 to mimic the Stanley plane. It wouldn't cut anything after that. After sime trial and error I realized the blade was riding on its belly. After a light pass on the grinding wheel and the help of my brand new Gramercy Tools gauge, it rebeveled it at 25°. It now works really well. Thank you for the hints regarding the sole of the plane.
433546

[James Pallas]

I filed the nose of my MF no. 4 to mimic the Stanley plane. It wouldn't cut anything after that. After sime trial and error I realized the blade was riding on its belly. After a light pass on the grinding wheel and the help of my brand new Gramercy Tools gauge, it rebeveled it at 25°. It now works really well. Thank you for the hints regarding the sole of the plane.
433546
Happy to hear you are working out the particulars of this little plane. It has a bad reputation because it has been asked to do tasks that it was not intended. When used correctly it will become an asset in your kit.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I'm not sure if you posted about this or not, but would the same thinking apply to the Stanley #90? Reading your final posts really clarify how the #75 works.

T

[James Pallas]

I'm not sure if you posted about this or not, but would the same thinking apply to the Stanley #90? Reading your final posts really clarify how the #75 works.

T
Different animal Tony. Nose inline with the sole. I have used one on occasion but never thought it would contribute much to the work I normally do. I have thought about buying a #90 over the years even when they were a lot cheaper. I just never found a place to fit it in. I guess I could be schooled on how others use a #90. Maybe I need one and just don’t realize it.

[Jim Koepke]

There are two varieties of Stanley planes designated as #90.

One is the well known bull nose Shoulder plane:

433573

The other is a skew blade Rabbet plane:

433574

They both have their uses.

jtk

[steven c newman]

This was a bit too rich for me..
433602
And...when did they make them out of brass?
433603
I'm sure there were a #75 or two...
433604
Somewhere in this case....

[Jim Koepke]

One of my #75 planes had slots cut in the base. It looked to be original:

433622

It looked like a way to mount a fence:

433623

It actually worked okay:

433624

This did have a Stanley blade. The blade may have been a replacement.

jtk

[James Pallas]

One of my #75 planes had slots cut in the base. It looked to be original:

433622

It looked like a way to mount a fence:

433623

It actually worked okay:

433624

This did have a Stanley blade. The blade may have been a replacement.

jtk
Interesting. Many adaptations were made I’m sure in attempts to get the plane to work cutting full rabbets. You have either a shop redesign or a very rare prototype. I’m definitely not a plane expert. What is of interest to me is all of the major makers made the plane. It’s just the use of it got lost somewhere.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Later today, I'm going to dig out my MF equivalent of the #75 and see if I can get it to work, using the advice given in this thread. I'm also going to dig out my Stanley #90 bullnose, and try the same with it. These are both planes that have been put away for maybe 15 to 20 to 25 years.

[Jim Koepke]

Interesting. Many adaptations were made I’m sure in attempts to get the plane to work cutting full rabbets. You have either a shop redesign or a very rare prototype. I’m definitely not a plane expert. What is of interest to me is all of the major makers made the plane. It’s just the use of it got lost somewhere.

It looked to be done in the making as there were bosses around the slots. It was sold on ebay so someone else now has an oddity or a rarity.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Interesting. Many adaptations were made I’m sure in attempts to get the plane to work cutting full rabbets. You have either a shop redesign or a very rare prototype. I’m definitely not a plane expert. What is of interest to me is all of the major makers made the plane. It’s just the use of it got lost somewhere.

30 seconds tops and my MF #75 equivalent works! The toe is shallower like the Stanley, so I just set the blade even to the main sole. The blade needs a sharpening and the main sole needs flattened (visibly low at each side behing the mouth). Thanks for the tip, Jim!

I did not dig out my Stanley #90 (as I mrntioned earlier in this thread).

[James Pallas]

30 seconds tops and my MF #75 equivalent works! The toe is shallower like the Stanley, so I just set the blade even to the main sole. The blade needs a sharpening and the main sole needs flattened (visibly low at each side behing the mouth). Thanks for the tip, Jim!

I did not dig out my Stanley #90 (as I mrntioned earlier in this thread).
Glad I could help Tony. You will probably find more uses for that little plane.