At 11:34 AM 6/12/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Good afternoon.
>
>I'm in one of those dilemmas that we would all like to be in.  SWMBO
>said " your birthday and Father's day is coming up.  Since your going
>past your favorite tool dealer on your next trip why don't you pick your
>present."  I enjoy woodies and have some H&R's but no plow.  So I was
>thinking of a plow.  Then I got to thinking of a 45 or 55.  Does any one
>have any ideas?  What should I look for in any of these?
>
>Thanks
>Carl

Hi Carl,

I have a #46 that I sure like a lot. The cutters are skewed, so it's an
excellent plane for cutting dados and cross-grain rabbets. It's also great
for the regular rabbets and grooves that a #45 will make for you. And it's
terrific fun to use. These cost around $350, or about $100 than a #45 in
nice condition.

If you go this route, you'll lose the beading and limited sash-making
capability a #45 provides. If that bugs you, you might pick up a #50 later.
It's smaller and lighter than a #45, which makes it a great plow for
smaller work on top of giving you that beading capability. These go for
maybe $125 complete. Or you could pick up a few wooden beading planes,
which are common and inexpensive and most likely work better.

Another line of tools you might keep in mind is Record. The #043 has three
cutters: 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8, I think. It's a great little plane, and I got
mine for $85 off the net. The Record #044 is bigger and has a wider range
of cutters, but I don't have one. I believe it's on par with a Stanley #50
-- in cost and features -- but without beading cutters.

I've never used a wooden plow plane but would like to have one if I could
justify adding to the current stable.

The #45 isn't a bad tool at all, but if I were to do it again, I'd probably
get the #46 and #50 instead -- or else the wooden equivalents. I've never
used a #55, so I can't speak to that except to say I agree with you that
wooden molding planes are a real joy. (Still, just last night, I was
marveling over a photo of a #55 that I found on the Web ... )

Have a happy birthday/Father's Day! (obviously, you will :)

Ed