I have a Type 4 Stanley No.8 which I aquired in the last month or so. Now this plane was not a pristine prelateral jewel when I got it. The japanning was all but gone, the knob/tote required refinishing, and there was a slight bend in the upper corner of the iron. Fortunately there were no signs of rust and all the proper vintage parts were present and accounted for. You may have remembered the thread "Latest Addition to the Fleet". Since all signs of its original finishes were erased by time, and subsequently replaced by yours truly, it does not really have much value as a collectible, other than it's value to me, so I am considering embarking on an experiment to install a Lie-Nielsen .175 (3/16) No.8 replacement iron in this little (big) beauty. I plan to open the mouth up to accomodate this monster iron, and use a LN chipbreaker screw to attach it to the original chipbreaker. As for iron adjustment, I am thinking of soldering tabs on either side of the adjuster slot so that the yoke will engage the chipbreaker to advance/retract the iron. If neatly done ,this should result in an awsome jointer. I know I could just use a LN replacement for a Stanley, but thats no fun. Has anyone attempted this? What were your results? I an still in the consideration stage, but am leaning heavily towards it. Any comments welcome.


Steve