Stanley no. 18 Block Plane Knuckle Problems

[Rob Newton]

I've had this no. 18 for a while and never have been able to get the lever cap to fasten securely. I've seen a little info online that the lever cap on mine, which is the early style, isn't all that great so didn't think I'd have any luck sorting it out. I took a closer look at it and it seems you have to have the lateral adjuster screwed onto the lever cap screw at just the right height. That at least made mine work a lot better. Does anyone have experience with this plane and can tell me if I'm on the right track in getting it to work properly? It still isn't great but at least it will close and seem somewhat secure at this point after getting the lateral adjuster in a better position.

The photo shows an arrow pointing to the issue at hand.

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[steven c newman]

I think mine is about the next "Type" newer?
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Has the "Handi-grip" sides..
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With the cap removed....and..
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A look under the "hood"

[Rob Luter]

I've had a few #18 and a couple #65 too, all in the 2nd generation Knuckle Joint format. The screw height is as important as it is on any plane with a lever cap.

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[Jim Koepke]

The photo shows an arrow pointing to the issue at hand.

Could you describe what you see as "the issue at hand"?

Is it that the screw can only go in so far or is the post with the threads buggered. My #18 was sold more than a dozen years ago so it isn't around to compare.

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This is the only image found on my computer with the lateral lever which is the first style.

You might also want to read what Patrick Leach says about the #18 > http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan3.htm#num18

jtk

[Rob Newton]

I believe the issue at hand is that the lateral adjuster has to be threaded onto the lever cap screw in a very specific location along the height of that screw. You can see just a couple of threads below the lateral adjuster on the first picture in the original post. Here is another picture for comparison showing how the lateral adjuster was located when I first got the plane. It is much higher up on the screw and doesn't allow the knuckle to lock down securely.
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This picture shows the adjustment I made:
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[Rob Luter]

Thanks for the clarity. The top photo clearly shows the lateral adjuster in the wrong location. My recollection was that after cleaning and lubing mine during a refurbish, I started the screw through the adjuster and just as it started to peek out the other side set it on the casting and continued screwing it down. There wasn't much clearance between the two, with the adjuster sitting right on the screw boss.

I'll say that once I got it dialed in the Knuckle Joint mechanism worked well. I rather wish I still had one of the #18s remaining. They are a good sized block plane and just a bit shorter (but the same width) as a #2 smoother. They fill my hand well and saw use set to cut extra light as a localized smoother. They trimmed edges well too.

[steven c newman]

I placed a shim under the lateral lever, THEN screwed down the bolt...Checking on the way down how the cap iron fits...

[Rob Newton]

Thanks for the replies. It does seem that I'm going in the right direction.

[steven c newman]

The reason I added a shim ( cardboard one) was to get clearance for the depth adjuster post in the back. Set the shim over the hole, set the lever on top of the shim, and start the bolt , threading it into the lever, then through the shim, and then into the hole in the base for the bolt....a turn or two, then pull the shim out....slide the cap into place, snapped down...then finish screwing the bolt down until things are tight....should not have to move the bolt again...