Back for another installment about Stanley router planes. This time I'm going with the #71, which was manufactured starting way back in 1885 and continuing well into the 1980s. Like I said when talking about the #271, the router plane is really an underrated plane, and doesn't seem to get the credit it deserves. If you do any kind of serious woodworking, a router plane should be in your arsenal of hand tools. When used properly, and with a very sharp cutter, it does a fantastic job of smoothing and leveling the bottom of a groove, dado, or depression below the surface of a workpiece. It also does a great job of getting into the corners of stopped dados, etc.
The #71 is usually found with a nickel plated finish, although I have seen some japanned versions too. It has an open, or arched throat, that in theory allows the user to see his/her work more clearly. The problem with the open/arched throat is that it renders the plane useless on narrow work, like the edge of board. In an effort to solve that problem, Stanley added a "shoe" and a rod that runs through the arched throat. The shoe can be used to close the throat, thus allowing the plane to be used on narrow work. Both the shoe and rod are held in place with thumb screws. This same series of parts can be flipped over and used as a depth stop too. Later versions of the #71 also included a fence that could be attached to the bottom of the plane for use in grooves that ran parallel to the side of a board. Fences were added to the #71 and #71 1/2 (next Stanley router plane installment) around 1939. The plane shown below was probably manufactured somewhere between 1925 and 1938, prior to the addition of the fence. I think the cutter adjustment mechanism is pretty straightforward. A collar and tensioning thumbscrew hold the cutter in place. The cutter fits into a grooved column and is adjusted by a special threaded nut that fits into a slot in the back of the cutter. Three cutters were supplied with the plane, two were straight (1/2" wide and 1/4" wide) and a third came to a point. The problem with planes that were supplied with multiple cutters, is that the cutters not mounted in the plane, were often lost. Router planes are occasionally found in their original boxes. I suspect that some prior owners saved the boxes so the plane's parts could be kept together. Of course, many were separated from their boxes, and other parts, years ago. I still see router planes frequently for sale at internet auctions, and flea markets. They seem to turn up frequently at antique stores too. For some reason, I've never seen one at a garage sale.
Obviously the nickel plating is nice to look at, and a must for serious collectors, but if you intend to simply use the plane, the finish isn't too important. I wouldn't buy one that's too rusty, damaged or missing parts (besides cutters) because there are a lot of router planes on the used tool market. I think you can afford to be a little picky. Cutters aren't too difficult to find. If you don't have a router plane, consider getting a good user and giving it a try. They're simple to use (pushed or pulled), they're handy, and I think they're relatively affordable.
Jim C.
