Plough plane question; skew or not?
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I bought a Stanley #46 plough plane at a junk/antique store (for a good price), but as seems to be the norm, it only had one cutter. Sharpening the angled cutter was not easy, but once I got it, the plane seemed to work well. I thought about trying to make more cutters for the #46, but the blades are not only skewed, but the sides of the cutters are also angled (and from what I can tell, not the same angle on each side) and that seems like more agitation than I want to take on. A set of reproduction blades go for about 120$ (full original sets on eBay go for much much more). The #46 I have does have a piece of the casting missing, so if I want to use the depth stop, I will have to drill and tap a hole for a set screw to secure the depth stop (I think this should be easy).
Looking at sold listings on eBay, it seems like I can get a Stanley #50 with blades for about the same cost as a new set of blades for the 46. Given that I’m willing to spend about 120$ on new blades for the 46, I was wondering if people think that I might be better off spending that on a non-skewed plane like the #50?
Word on the internet is that the skewed cutter is better for going across the grain, but clearly both skewed and straight blades can get the job done. I know one down side of the skewed cutters is the increased hassle in keeping the angle just right when sharpening, I don’t know if there are other downsides. Any thoughts? Does anyone here have a #46 and like it (or not like it)?
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here you can see the broken casting.Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.I think you should use what you have. Because, I think once you make a couple blades you will be able to sharpen skewed blades just as easily free hand as you can sharpen straight blades. Plus I don’t think you need a full set and you can make blades as needed.
Just my opinion
Dan
I think you should use what you have. Because, I think once you make a couple blades you will be able to sharpen skewed blades just as easily free hand as you can sharpen straight blades. Plus I don’t think you need a full set and you can make blades as needed.
Just my opinion
Dan
3 January 2015 at 10:23 am #122986Regarding the angled sides, by which I assume you mean a clearance given to the edges of the blade to prevent it jamming in the cut, on a skewed blade you would only have to angle one side – the edge on the forward side of the blade. Once skewed, the previously square sides will on one side project outward and on the other give you a ready-made clearance angle.
You would have to take twice as much off of the projecting side, which may in fact wind up being easier than finely and evenly grinding both sides, as you would have to do were these square cutters. If I didn’t have an electric grinder I don’t think I would attempt to make a whole set of blades, with one though I’d guess it’s entirely within your grasp. It might get quite fiddly on the smaller blades, for which a mole grip would be indispensable at the grinder.
I guess it all depends on how you value your time and your money. The world is not going to stop turning because you pick any one of your three good options over the others, just pick one and get on with working wood!
Matt
I have one of these – with a full set of cutters – and they can be tricky to set up. I found that once set an I’d become used to it, I had an excellent tool.
It’s a shame that the casting is broken – the ability to use a depth stop is very useful in my opinion.Spare blades are hard to find on the second hand market, so if you can get a set of modern ones, it’s a good investment if you intend using it.
The blades are intended to be angled both sides and viewed in cross-section is a parallelogram; the reason that the blades are angled on both sides allows it to be used to cut a groove or trench in the middle of a board. In reality the angles of the sides are relived slightly from the front to the back to prevent binding in the sides of the groove.
One useful unintended benefit if, like me, you use open fires in your house is the ability to make spills. With a wide blade and a deep set it produces a lovely spiraled spill.
6 January 2015 at 3:30 pm #123133As others have said you only need a few blades. 90% of the use age will be with one blade, like 3/8 . If you look at a box of old blades you wI’ll see only 3 or 4 blades show ware, 1/8,3/16,1/4,and 3/8 and most worn is offtenough 3/8. Just make a few out of old files. Save the bucks for wood. If you need other blades for a project they are easy to make as needed. The only other blade that may get used a bit more is tung and grove. And one of that pair is a regular 1/4 or 3/8 .I can’t recall the last time I used anything else in the past 40 plus years
Frankj8 January 2015 at 12:53 pm #123235I HAVE TWO ……NEW…..SETS OF CUTTERS FOR A NUMBER 50 FOR SALE DONT KNOW IF THEY FIT YOURS.?
JOHN UK
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