# Stanley #71 Router Plane



## ibpdew (Nov 18, 2012)

I have the above plane with just one cutter. It's called a grandmothers tooth ( no kidding) the one that is pointed in the front and tapers back on both sides. It works pretty well for me but I'm wondering if the chisel blade (flat on the front like a chisel) could or would work better. So that is what I need your feedback on along with what you use and why you use it. Thx


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## fareastern (Sep 19, 2014)

I use the conventional chisel cutter and have never used the pointed version.


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## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

I have the Lie-Nielsen 71 and love it. I bought the square and chisel blades in both large and small sizes. I've used it on several inlay projects as well as fine tuning dado, rabbets, and tenons. The chisel blades are good for straight work; dados, rabbets, and tenons. The chisel blades are best for free hand and inlay work.


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## ibpdew (Nov 18, 2012)

I will start watching eBay for one. Unless someone has an extra they would part with?..&#55357;&#56836;


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## Joeb41 (Jun 23, 2012)

ibpdew said:


> I have the above plane with just one cutter. It's called a grandmothers tooth ( no kidding) the one that is pointed in the front and tapers back on both sides. It works pretty well for me but I'm wondering if the chisel blade (flat on the front like a chisel) could or would work better. So that is what I need your feedback on along with what you use and why you use it. Thx


 The blade you are looking for is the one dubbed the grandmothers tooth. The one you seem to have is the smoothing blade which is attached to the shaft with a screw. It is the most seldom used of the three blades that came with the plane. I have a complete #71 I bought in 1962 and that blade has never been used. The original plane came with 3 blades, the v blade and two chisel (grannie) blades 1/4" and one 1/2" wide. The problem with finding used blades is no one wants to part with the blades as it reduces the value of the plane. I also have another #71 but it only has one blade, the 1/4" one. I may be listing that one in the classified section soon. I hope this helps a little.


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

All so called router planes are known as a "Granny's tooth", Granny often only had one tooth left up front, LOL. When we hear the word router, we think of the electric portable power tool, a router plane is not the equivalent, it's more of a secondary tool.

The #71 isn't really for cutting dadoes but more for cleaning them up and making the bottoms level. Obviously, they cut parallel to the surface. Back in the day, the indentations, whether for a hinge, a lock, a half lap, a rabbet, inletting, etc. were cut rather roughly with saws and/or chisels to remove the majority of the waste. The #71 would be used after to refine the cuts. The spear point cutter can get into tight corners, recesses, undercuts, such as a dovetail dado and is helpful in cases where a shear action cut is beneficial, difficult grain, cross grain, etc. Envision letting in a small, diamond shaped, ivory, keyhole escutcheon.

In work such as cross grain dadoes, French dovetails, through dovetails, half laps, the technique used is first cutting the shoulders with a saw, then making a series of close together parallel saw cuts in the waste. This forms thin "leaves" which are easily broken out but the bottoms will still have nubs of those "leaves" remaining. The #71 is perfect for cleaning up those nubs and evening the bottom. A straight chisel cutter in the 71 is often better for larger areas. 

While we think in terms of our own experiences, there were and are some woodworking trades we might not think of, coach builders, coopers, pattern makers, millwrights, bobbin makers, wood machinists, box makers, wagon makers, and numerous others of the past that are less well known. Tools like the #71 may have been used for purposes specific to those trades.


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## Roger Newby (May 26, 2009)

I have used Allen wrenches as cutters for the plane. Cheap and easy to come by.


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