I sent this to Tom Conroy and he suggested that everyone might appreciate it:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/38890586120/in/dateposted-public/

Left one with machined knob (instead of the earlier cast knob), rectangle logo,
and number on side has a full 13/16” bed

Center one with machined knob, rectangle logo, and number on side had a “U”
shaped bed -  machined 1/4” across the throat but then two machined legs in the
same plane up each cheek that hold the sides of the blade

Right one with machined knob, rectangle logo, and NO number on side had a small
bed - this one was obviously a 1980’s/90’s tool with the big slots in the blade
and the chunky, unrefined castings - notice the non-machined edges on the cheeks
and on the cap.  This later plane has a different depth adjusting mechanism.


And here are a couple of others in the family:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/40701228901/in/dateposted-public/

Left one is a rarely seen 60 - same as a 60-1/2 except with nickel plated mouth
knob and cap.  This one has the cast depth knob, no number on side, and a
sweetheart blade. Has a 13/16” bed like the 60-1/2 above.  Lovely little plane
that seems much more delicate than a 60-1/2 although it is essentially the same.

Center one is the even more rarely seen 61 - same as the 60-1/2 except for non-
adjutable mouth and wooden knob, cast depth knob, no number on side, and a
sweetheart blade.  Has a 3/4" bed - less than the 60 above.

Right one is a 65 - cast depth knob, knuckle joint cap, no number on side, and a
sweetheart blade.  Has a 13/16” bed.  This is one of my users.

Ed Minch

Ed Minch wrote: "And here are a couple of others in the family:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/40701228901/in/dateposted-public/

"....Right one is a 65 - cast depth knob, knuckle joint cap, no number on side,
and a sweetheart blade.  Has a 13/16? bed.  This is one of my users."

The #  65 is one of my favorites; I like the low angle and I like the knuckle
cap. I do like the original style knuckle cap, found only on the #18, even
better, though. This is one more thing that Patrick got snarky about. Getting
the old style cap on has a little counterintuitive moment, where you have to
push forward as well as down, but once I figured that out I haven't had any
problem with its coming loose. I had more trouble learning to put on  the new
style knuckle caps. The old style seems to fit my hand even better and I like
its simplicity.
Only....the #65, like almost all Stanley's block planes, is a shade wider then I
like. What I really want is a #60-1/2 with a knuckle-joint lever cap. And that's
not going to happen. Even if there is one of them out there it would be so rare
I wouldn't dare to use it.
Tom Conroy
Berkeley

> On Mar 8, 2018, at 9:54 PM, Ed Minch  wrote:
> 
> I sent this to Tom Conroy and he suggested that everyone might appreciate it:
> 
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/38890586120/in/dateposted-public/

Ed Minch sent these nice pics of the bedding of the Stanley block planes’s. I
had in a later post mentioned my selection of the MF 56 to retain as a low angle
adj. mouth vintage block plane. got back home today from my sojourn in
California and took a pic of said plane to show its nice wide bed. To wit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/77280442@N.../26862902068/in/dateposted-
public/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/77280442@N.../26862902068/in/dateposted-
public/
The main rectangle is 3/4 inch wide and there is that tail that extends all the
way to the cross rib.

If you click the right arrow the next five pics are my Type 2 Stanley #18
knuckle cap, circa 1890. The third pic shows the same nice wide bedding as the
MF. Since that pic I have gone ahead and tuned the plane and lightly filed the
bed. It cleaned up very quickly as it was well machined, back before computers
took over the process.

Bill

Gentle Galoots,

Today was a PNTC* meeting day, and I went looking for block planes with the
longer/wider bed. One that I came home with was a Stanley #60-1/2. After
sharpening it up I ran some side-by-side tests with my other low-angle block
planes including a black 1990s Made-in-England model that I remember buying new
in a big-box store, a maroon Stanley #60-1/2, and another black one that looks
just like a Stanley #60-1/2 but has no markings on it whatsoever. Maybe a clone?
All but the most-recent-acquisition have the narrower bed.

Perhaps my most-recent acquisition needs a bit more fettling, but so far my
favorite of the 4 is the 1990s Made-In-England version. But then I have replaced
its original iron with a Hock iron. Perhaps the extra thickness and overall
quality of the Hock iron make up for the narrower bed support of the plane?


Having said that, none of them performs as well as my Veritas Low Angle Block
Plane with a PM-V11 iron. I picked that up in a Lee Valley store on a trip to
Vancouver, BC last year. Visiting a Lee Valley Store in person is quite an
experience, as I'm sure our Canadian bretheren will attest. Highly recommended.
Fortunately I live not far south of the Canadian border.


I looked at a Stanley #65 with the knuckle-joint cap, and that got me to
thinking that I needed a block plane with a knuckle-joint cap. The #65 was in
good condition and fairly priced, but I didn't want to spend that much. I ended
up buying a Stanley #19, like a Stanley #18 but a bit longer (7" vs. 6" in
length). The #19 just felt better in my hand than the #18 right next to it on
the dealer's table. When I want a smaller plane I can just reach for a #60-1/2.


I'm thinking about turning one of my standard-bed-angle block planes into a
small smoother for difficult grain by regrinding the bevel of the iron to 30
degrees. That would give me a York pitch cutting angle (20 degree bed angle + 30
degree bevel). Anybody tried that?

Chuck Taylor
north of Seattle

* PNTC = Pacific Northwest Tool Collectors

On 2018-03-10 9:14 PM, Chuck Taylor via OldTools wrote:
> I'm thinking about turning one of my standard-bed-angle block planes into a
small smoother for difficult grain by regrinding the bevel of the iron to 30
degrees. That would give me a York pitch cutting angle (20 degree bed angle + 30
degree bevel). Anybody tried that?

No, haven't. But maybe try honing a 30 deg microbevel on it first before 
regrinding. Maybe you won't like it, and you'll have wasted very little. 
Or maybe it will be so sweet you won't bother regrinding. Either way, 
you save steel!

Don

-- 
"You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses"
The Famous Pig Song, Clarke Van Ness

The harder they come, the bigger they fall." Ry Cooder

I read that grinding at 45° produces a very high pitch which was supposed tp be
good for obstinate grain.  One area the author used it was in slightly
chamfering edges and he claimed it did not raise any hangers-on.  I ground one
up and am still having a little trouble making it do exactly what he said, but I
can see the potential.

Ed Minch

sounds like something Rob Lee should hear.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Conroy via OldTools" 
To:, "Old TOOLS" 
Cc:
Sent:Sat, 10 Mar 2018 20:00:19 +0000 (UTC)
Subject:Re: [OldTools] 60-1/2

 Ed Minch wrote: "And here are a couple of others in the family:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/40701228901/in/dateposted-public/

 "....Right one is a 65 - cast depth knob, knuckle joint cap, no
number on side, and a sweetheart blade.  Has a 13/16? bed.  This is
one of my users."

 The #  65 is one of my favorites; I like the low angle and I like
the knuckle cap. I do like the original style knuckle cap, found only
on the #18, even better, though. This is one more thing that Patrick
got snarky about. Getting the old style cap on has a little
counterintuitive moment, where you have to push forward as well as
down, but once I figured that out I haven't had any problem with its
coming loose. I had more trouble learning to put on  the new style
knuckle caps. The old style seems to fit my hand even better and I
like its simplicity.
 Only....the #65, like almost all Stanley's block planes, is a shade
wider then I like. What I really want is a #60-1/2 with a
knuckle-joint lever cap. And that's not going to happen. Even if there
is one of them out there it would be so rare I wouldn't dare to use
it.
 Tom Conroy
 Berkeley
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