Stanley 46 plane versus 55 or 45 Preference?
#11
Question 
I found a stanley 46 with all the cutters I had remembered making the box but it was so long ago I thought there was a Stanley 55 in the box. 
I must have not used it much as I can not recall where I got it. Any thoughts on this versus the 55 or 45.
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#12
I have (more than a few) 45s and a 46

The skewed iron design of the 46 is a huge improvement -- most evident, naturally, when traversing the grain
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#13
(08-21-2017, 10:31 PM)Joe Bailey Wrote: I have (more than a few) 45s and a 46

The skewed iron design of the 46 is a huge improvement -- most evident, naturally, when traversing the grain

For cross-grain work, the skew of the #46 is great. 

Here's P.L.'s Blood and Gore page on the #46 : http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan7.htm

I was reminded of a question I've had about the #46 and that is the presence or absence of a nicker.  A quick skim of the web page didn't answer it for me. 

Does the #46 have a nicker (or nickers)?
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. -- G. Carlin
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#14
(08-22-2017, 10:01 AM)Rob Young Wrote: Does the #46 have a nicker (or nickers)?

Yes
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#15
Jack,  depends on what you want to do.  I have one of each, made a box for the 46, but have used it only a few times.  I find it is more particular to set up than the 45 , and the irons are harder to sharpen, since you have to get the point lined up precisely with the skate.  I also have a set of hollows and rounds. 

For me, the 45 is the easiest to set up, does an adequate job in rabbits, and does a pretty nice job of beading if the wood is cooperative.  The 46 is a little harder to set up, and does not do reeding or beads.

I would not spend the money again on a 55,  there are a lot of different things that need to be adjusted, and according to my brief ebay search of completed listings, the 55 will set you back $250 to $350.  You should be able to get at least 3 pairs of hollows and rounds and a snipes bill plane for that money from an established dealer for less than that,  and the H & R's will do much  better than the 55 on any curved profiles.    If you thought you were going to do a wide variety of molding, you can even get a harlequin set of H & R's from Jim Bode for $325.  http://www.jimbodetools.com/cart.php?m=s...ch=hollows

Search Bickford's site if you are thinking of the H & R route, since it has some great illustrations of how to plane many molding styles, most need just a rabbit plane and a few H & R's   http://musingsfrombigpink.blogspot.com/
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#16
(08-22-2017, 03:16 PM)Joe Bailey Wrote: Yes

Glad to know. Junior Strasil loaned me one once but I had to give it back. He has since pased away and I don't know what became of his collection.
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. -- G. Carlin
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#17
In my opinion the #45, #46 and #55 are all related only because of who made them. They are all very different in use. Let's start with the #55. Someone at STW had a fever dream and sold this dream to his boss. I have tried off and on for years to master the #55 and never could. So, of course, I lay blame specifically on the tool. It is quite fiddly and exceptionally heavy. In my mind, it is a collector's dream because with all the bits and pieces you will be working forever to put it together.

The #45 had a long run and went through many design enhancements. I like the #45 and use it frequently. It excels at cutting 1/8" grooves. My advice is to give the original box to your grandkids and find a way to store the plane put together. Otherwise, you will begin each session with a plane building phase.

But the #46 is my hands down favorite. That skew plane cuts like a dream and makes dynamite shavings. Of course, most of them are found without blades--that is what got me into blademaking. It cuts dados, rabbets and even makes raised panels. And here is a tip for setting the blade. The blade needs to be exactly perpendicular to the plane body to cut properly. If the sharpening angle is off, then the plane will not cut well. On the #45, you set the edge of the blade tightly to the body of the blade slot and tighten it down. But that is because the #45 blades are easy to square. For the #46, put the blade in place and put the plane on a workbench. Make sure the blade protrudes from the skate just enough to make a wispy shaving. Then square up the blade to the plane, using the workbench as a guide. Once it is right, THEN tighten the blade in place. Works every time and you can make the prettiest shavings on your block.
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#18
(08-22-2017, 09:04 PM)Rob Young Wrote: Glad to know. Junior Strasil loaned me one once but I had to give it back. He has since pased away and I don't know what became of his collection.

Junior was a great guy and very talented craftsman; he made me a set of holdfasts for my Sjobergs bench, which had 1" dog holes; I think of him fondly every time I use them.  RIP Junior.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#19
I also have a Stanley 45 as well as a 55. Both of these in conjunction with my H&Rs is all I need and they work quite well for me.

Just my $0.02 worth.
George

if it ain't broke, you're not tryin'
Quando omni flunkus, moritati.
Red Green

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#20
(08-23-2017, 03:58 PM)JimReed@Tallahassee Wrote: In my opinion the #45, #46 and #55 are all related only because of who made them. They are all very different in use. Let's start with the #55. Someone at STW had a fever dream and sold this dream to his boss. I have tried off and on for years to master the #55 and never could. So, of course, I lay blame specifically on the tool. It is quite fiddly and exceptionally heavy. In my mind, it is a collector's dream because with all the bits and pieces you will be working forever to put it together.

The #45 had a long run and went through many design enhancements. I like the #45 and use it frequently. It excels at cutting 1/8" grooves. My advice is to give the original box to your grandkids and find a way to store the plane put together. Otherwise, you will begin each session with a plane building phase.

I have a 45 and a 55.  To me, they are nearly identical.  It's not hard to strip the 55 down to be a 45.

I haven't used my 55 that much, but it really works pretty well for me.  Haven't messed around with the 45 as much as I want.  

I have to admit that the 55 is my one foray into plane collecting.  I really wanted one because it's so complicated.  "Fever dream" is about right. The rest of my planes, I bought because I wanted them for a particular reason.
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