Reply To: Stanley #45 knob
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I’m in the process of moving, so all my planes are packed away and I can’t get at them at this time, but as I recall, the Stanley 45 multi-plane’s side-knob is held in place by a slot-head machine screw which goes vertically right through the centre of the wooden knob into the metal of the fence section. It was sometimes the user’s choice to take them off, if they got in the way…… which may have happened to yours.
The screw head is half-round to complement the shape of the top of the knob and the whole thing is recessed. (You can see the layout online if you google pictures of the plane).
The original pre-war knobs may have been made of Rosewood, which is now listed under CITES, so you have to choose another wood type.
As the plane was made in the USA, the threads are most likely a unified type – I’d suggest contacting American members for the size, diameter, pitch etc. Assuming that there were no pitch changes throughout the production life of the No: 45, you may strike a lucky streak and find one as a spare, otherwise a metal-worker with a lathe should be able to turn one out.
I hope that this helps…