Many times back in the days when my fondness for buying Stanley 45s was strong a few were often seen on that big auction site with a slot cut in the rose wood fence. This always puzzled me as to why anyone would do that.
My pondering on this would often put me to sleep better than any pill or potion. Then when it hit me, falling asleep wasn't easy. It was the butt mortise plane that finally tilted my thinking in the right direction.
So today an attempt was made to see if my guess might have some validity.
The slot would help in the case of making a stopped rebate with the blade wider than the rebate being made.
My test was in using a #45 as a stopped rebate plane. It sort of worked. With a bit of work and maybe the addition of a thin runner to cover the skates it won't leave unwanted marks on the wood.
The plowing is started in the usual way, but as the cuts are made, the blade is advanced as needed. The depth is somewhat limited, but enough to make a good slot to mount something.
This may be another of the lost techniques from those who have done these things before us.
jtk