Stanley produced the #78 from 1884 well into the 1980s. They must have sold millions of them during its 100+ years of production. Based on my limited experience, and with the exception of a few other planes, the #78 has got to be one of the most frequently seen planes out there. I see them on Ebay, at tool shows, flea markets, garage sales, etc. Many are very well used to say the least. As a result, they're relatively inexpensive, and donor parts, such as fences and depth stops are very abundant. Those parts have not changed much, if at all, during the plane's entire 100 year production run. One of the major changes to the plane's design was the addition of the iron adjuster lever, as was mentioned in previous post.
Below, I've attached a few pictures of a #78, including the parts that are missing from Radguy's plane. You'll notice that my plane does include the iron adjuster lever. This particular plane is a type 13, which dates from approximately 1925 to 1935. It's probably one of the earliest #78 planes to have received the iron adjuster lever.
Jim C.
