Stanley 71 with an angled cutter
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13 October 2016 at 11:59 am #141382
Hi All,
I recently got a Stanley 71 from eBay that has an angled cutter, that is.. angled to the direction of travel. I have not yet checked whether the cutting edge is parallel to the plane sole, but the relief angle looks OK. To be clear the angle doesn’t look like it is just out of square, but quite significantly away from square as though it was intended to make a skewing cut when pushed straight ahead.I’ve not found any reference to angled cutters other than the V shaped ones. Most others seem to be square. Will the shape of this cutter cause me any issues?
I’ve included one of the pictures from the eBay auction to see if it makes it clearer
Andy
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.It does look as though a previous owner modified it to be that shape.
The only problem I can think of that this may cause is if you want to use this plane in a tight corner such as the end of a stopped housing/dado. One corner will cut and the other will not as the edge will not reach the corner.
13 October 2016 at 4:00 pm #141388I have a 71 & a 71p and all the cutters and the one you have is a homemade cutter. There is a spear point that works the same way but has a double edged cutter but the skewed cutter might work. You didn’t say if you got all the cutters, but they are fairly cheap on eBay if you don’t. I have a few extra if you can’t find what you need let know and I’ll look and see if I have what you need.
I too recently bought a 71 on eBay and it came with only one cutter, a 1/4″. I wanted a 1/2″ and a spear point as well. I could not find many on eBay and the few I found were expensive. However, the Veritas cutters will fit the 71 if you turn the adjustment knob over. Put the wide part that fits into the cutter slot on top. They are available from Lee Valley for $15.50 each.
I saw somewhere else, if you’re really ambitious you could even make your own cutter with an old Allen wrench/hex wrench. Not sure I’d really want to do it but if you’re desperate for a different cutter and have a grinder, blowtorch and the ability to bend the wrench 90 degrees, why not?
I have an old router plane that has one cutter. One of these days I’ll probably have to expand.
13 October 2016 at 9:42 pm #141407Thanks to all. It was the only cutter & is the 1/4 inch. I’ll probably reshape it square at some point or get hold of some replacements. Thanks for the offer oltexasboy but probably cheaper for me to source in the U.K. if your name indicates location!
13 October 2016 at 11:33 pm #141411The Veritas router plane cutters will fit in a number 71. They’re a little longer and the notch for the adjustment wheel needs to be slightly widened and deepened with a file, but they work great for me.
Going back to the OP’s question about whether the angled shape will cause any issues, unless the cutting tip is in the same parallel plane to the base of the plane – straight, in other words – you will get a series of grooves on your work instead of a flat surface because the forward tip is lower and cuts first.
If you want a flat surface you have two options:
1 – Regrind the top bevel of the blade to the desired angle so that it’s dead flat across when mounted on the plane’s pillar (don’t touch the sole unless to polish it).
2 – Buy a new cutter – they are not scarce on the second-hand market. Record and Stanley router blades are pretty much interchangeable and often cheaper than the modern variants.18 October 2016 at 3:25 pm #141554Thanks again. I’ve ordered some Veritas cutters from Axminster. Much less hassle & cheaper than eBay.
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