The new "Stanley 78". An in depth review

[Jason Buresh]

So in the name of science, with a little frustration, I decided to be the brave "read stupid" one to purchase a brand spanking new "Stanley 78" from home depot for the low price of $60. Let's take a look.

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It came well packaged and oiled. Sadly, it says made in China. I thought some modern ones were still made in England, but not this one.

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All the parts are here. Little disappointed about the made in China, and now I am about to confirm my disappointment.

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So I am having a hard time threading this bar in. I can feel grit and metal shavings. It gets a little better by threading in and out but still bad.

Next my eye is drawn to the fence. Something doesn't look right.

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It's about as straight as a snake. At least it's warped out and not in, but not good quality here.

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Spur is ok.

[Jason Buresh]

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Depth stop appears to be ok

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Sole is actually pretty good m when set on the bench there is no rocking on any of the corners

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Whoever put this sticker on the lever cap deserves a pay raise.

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The "fence" appears to be square with the iron, where it isn't curved.

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Iron is well ground. Haven't taken it to the stone yet to really see how well they did.

I am severely disappointed in the fence on this plane. Between the warped casting and the rod that fails to thread all the way in so the fence sags is almost a deal breaker for me.

I haven't taken the iron to the stone yet. I am considering taking it back to home depot for a refund, and not sure if I could get one if I sharpened it, even though home depot is usually pretty good at customer service.

All in all so far I am disappointed, but not surprised. I am going to mull over my decision on what to do next.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks for posting this. For $60, it was definitely worth a try. It seems like you can correct the crappy fence a couple different ways IF the rest of the tool is ok. (If it doesnt work, that would be a valid reason to ask for your money back.) Things that come to mind:
* Is the sole straight and flat? If not, how bad is it?
* Are the rods the fence rides on square with the body of the tool?
* Were you able to get the iron sharp enough to suit you?
* Aside from the crappy fence, how does the tool actually perform?

I'd sure enjoy hearing more about your experiment here.
Fred

Edit: Looks like you answered some questions while I was writing this. I think you may be able to drill and tap that one hole to get the right depth. Im not a machinist, so I'll defer to others on that. But if you can get the rods right, you can correct the fence or make another. I honestly wouldnt give up yet.

[Jason Buresh]

Sorry, I was only allowed to post 8 pictures per post, so had to start a second

Yes there will be some more updates as I progress. I am going to work on the iron tonight. Might as well try a cut and see what happens right?

Stay tuned

[Jim Koepke]

If you take it back you may be able to check another there for the fence squareness.

Taking a tap to the threaded hole would be okay if you have the right tap. If you are thinking of returning it don't do any modifications, let them take the bad tool back. Most likely it will end up back on the shelf.

jtk

[Jason Buresh]

So I may have been a little critical about the fence. The hole is tapped square, and after pinching the rod in my vise and giving it a few turns I was able to seat it.

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The iron on this plane was ground hollow, similar to a Japanese chisel. It took me about 5 minutes to hone and strop to an impressive razor edge.
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Then it was off to test on a piece of cedar.

I am having a problem with clogging, but I assume that is normal with the fence and depth stop close to where the chips are ejected.

I was very pleasantly surprised with the results.
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Everything was very square, with a beautiful surface finish. There was a little bit of a nose dive initially as I probably have poor technique right now but the depth stop helped straighten things out.

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So I guess for now I can't complain to much. I got a fairly good result for my first try.

I am a huge fan of antique tools, and although I can set my 45 up to do this I always wanted one of these so I can have this for rabbets and set the 45 up for something else. But finding one complete and at a fair price can be a challenge.

If you can live with the made in China sticker and a not so straight fence, at the end of the day I do have a functional tool.

I will set up a cut with the knicker and try a cross grain groove next, but if I missed anything please leave a comment and I can send pictures or answer questions.

[Jason Buresh]

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And cross grain cuts with the knicker are a success.

All in all, this tool does perform. I have no antique one to compare it too, but I am not unhappy with my purchase.

The depth adjustment lever is very good too. I am able to dial in a good cut.

I have decided to keep it. I am going to keep my eyes open for a vintage one, but if my future children ever want to come work in the shop and it falls to the floor and breaks, I will be much less heartbroken than if it was a vintage. And in the mean time it works good enough for me.

Thanks everyone for reading! Hope I covered everything.

[Frederick Skelly]

Excellent news! Congrats on a good find!

[Jim Koepke]

The Duplex Rabbet plane can be a little uncomfortable to hold. It isn't too hard to add a front knob where the blade would go for bullnose work:

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The rod holding the fence should be able to thread in to either side of the plane so it can be used lefty.

My depth stop had a tendency to slip so a piece of adhesive backed sandpaper was cut to fit on the depth stop and has been working well so far.

jtk

[Jason Buresh]

Thanks for the tip Jim! I have been wrapping my fingers under the fence and wrapping my thumb up by the bullnose bed. I have found that fairly comfortable.

I haven't tried threading the fence in the other way either, but it is tapped

[Richard Line]

If have a recent production Stanley 78. I think it was England manufacture. I've got it working nicely now. Suffered with the clogging problem for too long, until I ran onto a U-Tube piece on tuning a 78. Search for something like 'tuning a 78 plane'. There were several areas to look at. The lever cap is one that takes some work. The that raised area on the right needs work to have it guide the shavings toward the left and out from under the side of the plane. I had several other areas to work on as well. Generally quick with a flat and a rat tail file to shape and fit the bits to make the plane work good.

[Jason Buresh]

I will have to look up that video. I also am having a clogging issue. It's not the end of the world, but it is annoying

[Bob Jones 5443]

Jason, perhaps you missed my post near the end of your earlier thread. I referred you to Patrick Leach, who had this item featured in his August 2020 list:

"#78 duplex rabbet; probably unused model from ca.1930 with
sweetheart logo on iron; original box, the envelope for the
small parts still has all those in it; minor tarnish from
sitting, it can be honed and used as is"

Maybe it's gone now: it didn't show up on the September list, but duplicates rarely do with Patrick. In any case, he would be the guy to try if you want a vintage plane in good shape at a fair price. The price for this item was $95. Compared with the $60 Chinese model, well, you decide.

Good luck.

[Erich Weidner]

Well... the good news is that Home Depot will take it back without complaint.

The gooder news is that Home Depot likely has an "arrangement" with their suppliers that means they throw out the return and the supplier eats the cost. Hopefully that will help teach Stanley to stop making garbage tools.

[Jason Buresh]

I tried reaching out to Patrick several times with no success. I used the proper email address too. I double checked