# Use For A Crappy Stanley Plane



## crosley623 (Dec 14, 2007)

I have a Stanley plane that I think I bought at Home Depot a few years ago, before I got into using hand tools. Currently I have a 3,4, and 5 plane but i was wondering if I could butcher this apart and make some sort of useful plane out if it. 
I almost cut the side out of it to make it into a rabbet plane but the way the blade adjustment if it wouldn't work.

Any thoughts, ideas?


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

You could bevel the blade a bit and use it as a scrub plane...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

:smile:


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

I bet it would make a nifty rabbet plane. 

Somehow the adjuster can be modified.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

You could use it to teach a newby how to tune up a plane.


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## Roger Newby (May 26, 2009)

rrich said:


> You could use it to teach a newby how to tune up a plane.



I already know how to tune up a plane!!:laughing:


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

I had one of those and kept fiddling with it, until a part broke. It ended up in the trash can. Then went to ebay and purchased a number of old Stanley planes, cleaned them up and love them.


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## cellophane (Oct 6, 2009)

firemedic said:


> You could bevel the blade a bit and use it as a scrub plane...


That's what I would do. I'm going to do the same to a Buck Bros Plane I have.


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## crosley623 (Dec 14, 2007)

That's exactly what I did soon after I bought it, set it aside and bought a #4 & #5 Stanley and refurbished them and a woodriver #3. It's been hanging there and I look at it every time I reach for one of the others, and I thought maybe it could be of some use.

Right now I'm leaning towards making a scrub plane out of it, how would I go about grinding it without messing up the temper of the steel.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

crosley623 said:


> That's exactly what I did soon after I bought it, set it aside and bought a #4 & #5 Stanley and refurbished them and a woodriver #3. It's been hanging there and I look at it every time I reach for one of the others, and I thought maybe it could be of some use.
> 
> Right now I'm leaning towards making a scrub plane out of it, how would I go about grinding it without messing up the temper of the steel.


Slowly without over heating it. If it turns blue it got too hot. Thing is, I doubt very much the tempering is all that great to begin with. You could eat at it very little at a time and cool it with water I guess?

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## CNYCarl (Apr 16, 2011)

crosley623 said:


> I have a Stanley plane that I think I bought at Home Depot a few years ago, before I got into using hand tools. Currently I have a 3,4, and 5 plane but i was wondering if I could butcher this apart and make some sort of useful plane out if it.
> I almost cut the side out of it to make it into a rabbet plane but the way the blade adjustment if it wouldn't work.
> 
> Any thoughts, ideas?


Sounds like you need the services of a milling machine, like the one I have in my basement.
I'd be glad to help you out with machine work.

Where are you located? I'm near Syracuse, NY.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

cammarc said:


> Thank you for your share,it is better to remain silent.


??? Am I missing somthing?

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## crosley623 (Dec 14, 2007)

Carl,
I'm in Rochester. Unfortunately I've been too busy trying to finish up some breadboards ends to start grinding. Hopefully this weekend I can start messing with it.


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## qgranfor (Jul 2, 2010)

I've been using mine as a paper weight lately. Bought some waterstones to sharpen it up. Which is sad.......I shouldn't have to buy other tools to make another tool usefull. Meaning I couldn't cut a gnat new out of the box.


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## CNYCarl (Apr 16, 2011)

crosley623 said:


> Carl,
> I'm in Rochester. Unfortunately I've been too busy trying to finish up some breadboards ends to start grinding. Hopefully this weekend I can start messing with it.


No problem. If you ever need any machine work, let me know.


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## lawrence (Nov 14, 2009)

get a good file and go to work on it....as was stated it probably isnt that hard to start with..


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## HandToolGuy (Dec 10, 2011)

Take a look at chapter 9 of "HandTool Essentials" (Popular Woodworking) for a David Charlesworth's method for setting up a hand plane. He puts a 23 degree bevel on the plane iron, then uses a coarse waterstone to put a secondary bevel on it at 33 degrees and in the process, grinds an arc on it. THEN he puts a third bevel on the arc'd iron at 35 degrees. I have done this with a Wood River smoothing plane, a Stanley #5 jack plane and a Wood River Jointer plane. The results are incredible! The plane irons are scary sharp, leave no tracks and the wood is so smooth that it hardly needs to be sanded. So take this crappy Stanley and play with this (or any other) technique. If you mess up, no problem.


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