My Latest Handtool

lowpolyjoe · October 30, 2016, 08:36:08 AM

I couldn't pass up this Stanley 55 yesterday at the fleamarket. It's in fantastic condition and is a true thing of beauty. Most of the cutters look like they have never been used. Looking forward to learning how to use it and putting moulding profiles on every one of my projects going forward 8).

21incher · October 30, 2016, 08:39:28 AM

Wow you got lucky. I have never seen a complete kit like that stay together.

btulloh · October 30, 2016, 08:42:20 AM

Wow. Great find. It looks to be in perfect condition.

Just Me · October 30, 2016, 11:10:20 AM

I have the same set. Original screwdriver is rare.

A really old guy taught me how to use it, now passed, and his # one rule was wood selection, wood selection, wood selection. He did his apprenticeship standing at a planing bench for three years. The old straight grain wood they had to use was the ticket. I have tried with weird grain and it si hard not to get catches.

Its a fun piece of history, and they will do things modern tools can not, but I don't think I will sell my moulder or shaper just yet. :D

lowpolyjoe · October 30, 2016, 11:21:18 AM

I definitely got lucky in finding the gentleman selling this. I looked on ebay briefly as reference since I had no idea what a fair price was (to be honest, I'm still unsure). Very few that I saw online looked to be in shape as good as this one. He actually had a second 55 that was an earlier model and included the original Stanley wooden box - that was more of a collector's item and he was asking a lot more for that. I appreciate the historical and collectable value of this tool but I'm mostly looking to use it

Just Me - Yeah, this would definitely not replace machines for any real production requirements. I would like to sell my projects at some point, but currently it's all just a hobby. The seller said he was unsure if that was the original screwdriver, but it was included with the set when he bought it. Considering how little use this thing got (from the looks of it), I could see it all being part of a set that largely sat in a box or drawer for most of its life. I am a little worried that when I go to use it I will have problems - which is what I experienced when trying to use my antique wooden plow plane. I will certainly post more info when I start trying it out

Kbeitz · October 30, 2016, 04:27:44 PM

Highest price first on E-bay $993.00 + $30.00 shipping...

Bruno of NH · October 30, 2016, 06:16:10 PM

Nice find

I would like one my self

low_48 · October 30, 2016, 11:17:44 PM

Nice find. My wife's Grandfather gave me a Stanley 45, in a cardboard box but no lid on the box, as a wedding gift. The only gift I remember getting, 44 years ago!

lowpolyjoe · October 31, 2016, 10:11:41 AM

Quote from: Kbeitz on October 30, 2016, 04:27:44 PM
Highest price first on E-bay $993.00 + $30.00 shipping...

. I think the highest i saw when looking around was in the $650 range. Crazy.

low_48, that's a great gift

.

Bark Beetle · November 01, 2016, 09:56:15 PM

What is the piece right below the screwdriver in the first picture?

lowpolyjoe · November 02, 2016, 07:07:03 AM

That odd shaped piece is a "cam rest" support. From the original manual:

CAM REST G can be fastened on either the front or back arm
between the Sliding Section and the Fence D and acts as a rest when the
Fences are wide apart as in center beading. When the Auxiliary Center
Bottom is in use, the cam rest provides additional support when required
and should be placed on the rear arm.

Mitch Peacock has a great video describing the parts of a Stanley 45, which is similar plane but not quite as versatile as the 55. At around the 11 minute mark, he shows the use of the cam rest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgLZ5NgeGEw

thecfarm · November 02, 2016, 07:10:35 AM

Looks like quite the find!

woodworker9 · November 02, 2016, 03:07:44 PM

Nice find!

One piece of advice to add to what has already been given.....sharpen those cutters. Those are factory grinds, and while they may look sharp, they are not. You'll need to polish the backs to a mirror finish (flattening) and also the bevels, if you want the plane to work halfway decent.

Most folks who have had a go with 45's and 55's say that they are a jack of all trades, and a master of none. You can get really good results using it as plow plane, but frustration often sets in using one as a moulding plane. Super sharp cutters and very straight grained, easy-to-plane wood will help a lot. The direction of planing will be critical, as these style planes have a lot of problems with tearout against the grain. There is no chipbreaker.

Good luck, and enjoy it. I've never seen one that nice and clean.

lowpolyjoe · November 02, 2016, 06:00:55 PM

thanks for the advice woodworker9 - i had actually been wondering about that. some tools come sharp from the factory, some don't... i was hoping these would be sharp out of the box but i guess i'll have some work ahead of me.

i haven't had much shop time this week so i haven't been able to play with it. i'm looking forward to trying to make a few profiles with it just for fun and practice

woodworker9 · November 03, 2016, 07:44:46 PM

A fairly cheap and simple way to make up a bunch of sharpening hones for your cutters, in different grits, is to wrap 3M scary sharp paper around different sized hardwood dowels. You can end up spending a lot of money on a full compliment of slip stones in different sizes and grits. With the scary sharp paper, you can buy a full spectrum sampler pack from places like toolsforworkingwood.com and make up your own sharpening system for less than $40.

I use these to sharpen and polish moulding plane irons of varying profiles, including hollows and rounds, to a mirror polish on both sides.

Taking the time to really get the bevels and the flat back polished to a mirror shine will yield the best results possible with this style of plane, along with paying close attention to the grain of the wood.

Good luck with it.