Stanley 45 plane

[Oldtuleguy]

Found an interesting old plane today. Looks like a Stanley 45 with blades and manual and a catalog ca. 1948. Came with a couple of tool boxes, one pressteel and one unknown...

 

[alton1911]

I have found a number of these over the years. Never been able to afford one. Highly collectible. The no. 45 and no. 55 were used for trim work. Very nice find. Looks complete.
I love those.
thanks
alton1911

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I am not very familiar with them. Looks like it is in decent shape. I will read the manual and see if it is something I will use.

 

[h~moto]

Saw a Stanley 45 plane years ago at a yard sale. Asked him how much for the plane and he said seven-fifty. I know they are not worth $750.00 but I did not want to insult him by asking if he meant $7.50. He then followed up with "I'll let you have it for five bucks". In as calm a voice as I could I said "ummm... yea, I'll go for that".

 

[Oldtuleguy]

This one came free with the box! I think he was
actually throwing it all out if I had not shown up.

 

[h~moto]

It's a shame that people throw stuff like that out. Glad you were able to rescue it. Everything that I have sold on eBay for over a thousand dollars has been pulled from the trash.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

The top chest I got with it appears to be home made.

 

[jimreed2160]

Great score on the #45. I use one in my woodshop. The handiest blade is the 1/8". It will put a groove in your project quicker than you can get out the router. The bead blades are good for restoring antique furniture of the era. Yours has the micro adjustable fence, which is nice to use. Finding the blade sets was a bonus.

I see you also got a Stanley #49 auger bit stop. Those are handy if you use a brace and bit. Good luck making shavings.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

It's got a mess of blades. I look forward to trying it out.

 

[Roberts210]

I bought my first Stanley #45 plane in 1973 at a used tool store in California. It was N.O.S., came in the original box with these (original) plane irons and it looked like it had never been used. Later when I tried to cut some grooves for a tongue and groove table top I found out why--the holes in the castings were drilled mis-aligned at the factory. It never worked as it should have, and just would not cut well. I eventually sold the one good casting from it and stripped the other castings and found another #45 plane without irons and put it together with my irons. I love using it, but I don't use it much. Love the sound it makes.

Here are the irons. It also had the original small, black-handled screwdriver used to adjust the plane. I've never seen anyone selling a #45 who included the correct, original screwdriver. Anyway, here are the irons--ploughing irons and beading irons. A slitting iron is in the plane and the T&G and specialty irons.

 

[jimreed2160]

... It also had the original small, black-handled screwdriver used to adjust the plane. I've never seen anyone selling a #45 who included the correct, original screwdriver...

Here is a Stanley #45 screwdriver.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Very nice little screwdriver

 

[humber2]

Here is a Stanley #45 screwdriver.

Is there any text on the blade?

 

[Roberts210]

Jim, that's nothing like the small Stanley screwdriver that came in my NOS #45 box.

 

[ssdave]

Those were the gimmicky presents for your father of the first part of the 20th century. Most of them I have seen have the original blade sharpening still on the blades, indicating no use. Neat tools to own and collect, but pretty much replaced by the router. My father acquired one of these sometime in the 60's; he used to be real proud of it, and show it off occasionally and talk about it's capabilities; but I never recall him actually ever using it.

I acquired one once with a full assortment of new blades. I recall trying to use it for something, it was very difficult to use effectively. The blades grabbed and tore and chipped the wood more than they cut; and it was a real pain to feed the blade out a bit at a time and do multiple passes to cut something. I know how to properly sharpen planes, it was more a function of the complex shape of the cutter than it was of not being sharp; particularly in non-linear grain wood. I think I was trying it on walnut to do a 3 bead profile. I ended up cutting that profile by doing some parallel shallow cuts on a saw and then using a hand hook scraper to round out the beaded lines.

The plane did all right on straight grain pine without knots or grain intricacies.

 

[jimreed2160]

Jim, that's nothing like the small Stanley screwdriver that came in my NOS #45 box.

Not a surprise. The #45 was offered from 1884 until 1958 and saw many changes over time. There are 20 documented plane types.

 

[jimreed2160]

... I recall trying to use it for something, it was very difficult to use effectively. The blades grabbed and tore and chipped the wood more than they cut; and it was a real pain to feed the blade out a bit at a time and do multiple passes to cut something. I know how to properly sharpen planes, it was more a function of the complex shape of the cutter than it was of not being sharp; particularly in non-linear grain wood. I think I was trying it on walnut to do a 3 bead profile. I ended up cutting that profile by doing some parallel shallow cuts on a saw and then using a hand hook scraper to round out the beaded lines.

The plane did all right on straight grain pine without knots or grain intricacies.

Beads are difficult to do without tearout as you found and the #45 needs precise adjustment because it has two skates in lieu of a sole. Once the skates are adjusted, the depth of cut should be adjusted to take a wispy shaving and left alone. Depth of cut is controlled by the depth gauge, not by advancing the blade. The profile emerges during multiple passes and continues until the depth gauge makes the cutter bottom out.

I think these planes earned their keep when they were in the hands of house trim carpenters. Imagine yourself on site (where you walked to work) with no HD nearby and you run out of trim moulding. A skilled trim carpenter could whip out a stick or two of door trim or other simple mouldings quickly and save the day.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Just looking at it I would say not a beginners tool.

 

[jimreed2160]

Just looking at it I would say not a beginners tool.

But fun to play with. The slitter is for scoring thick veneer that is not made anymore. The T&G cutters work but you have to set the fence to center properly and then change out the blades to switch from T to G. All in one planes like the #48 and #148 are easier and self center. But ww rarely use T&G anymore. The bead blades work OK but cause tear out. The large rabbet blades work but dedicated planes are easier. If you want to make varying sized dados, the #46 works much better. So that leaves mostly grooving.

I have used one in my shop for years but it is mostly used for 1/8" grooves. The #45 does them exceedingly well and quickly. In fact, I have a toolbox with all of the blades, bodies and fences. I keep a 1/8" blade loaded and set in one body dedicated to that purpose. Almost every furniture project needs a 1/8" groove somewhere.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I typically use a router for that but will try this out