Stanley Router Planes - #71

[Jim C.]

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. 



 

[Papaw]

Thanks for the lessons!

[Branson]

I bought a 171 1/2 for fun, probably 30 years ago, and it remains one of my favorite and most useful tools.  I occasionally tease more digital carpenters by telling them I have a cordless router.

[Jim C.]

The #71 1/2 is my favorite router plane.  I think the #71 is really just another Stanley "contraption" with that front "shoe and post" setup.  Although I didn't show the fence assembly in this thread (stay tuned for Stanley Router Plane part 3), I'm not a real big fan of that either.  A simple router plane without all the bells and whistles seems to work the best.  Stanley made four different routers (#271, #71, #71 1/2, and #171), I really only use the #271 and the #71 1/2.  In my opinion, the #71 and the #171, are for the collectors.

Jim C.     

[boki-san]

love my #71, ... thanx for the excellent write-up

[Jim C.]

love my #71, ... thanx for the excellent write-up

Thanks.  If you like the #71, you might like the #71 1/2 too.  That's my favorite of the four Stanley routers.  I like the closed throat design.  It's a simple, straight forward tool, that really works well without too much effort.  There's another plane that I really like, and it sort of works like a router plane, but is actually called a butt mortise plane.  It's great for cutting mortises for hinges, strike plates, lock sets, etc.  It's the ideal plane for working on a narrow surface, like the edge of a board.  I plan to feature the butt mortise plane in a future thread.

Jim C.

[boki-san]

love my #71, ...   I plan to feature the butt mortise plane in a future thread.

Jim C.

could i ask for a preview photo of it, in this thread? it sounds right up my alley

[Jim C.]

love my #71, ...   I plan to feature the butt mortise plane in a future thread.

Jim C.

could i ask for a preview photo of it, in this thread? it sounds right up my alley

Okay.  I guess one picture couldn't hurt.  Here's a small photo preview of the butt mortise plane.

Jim C.

[rusty]

Patiently waiting, as I have now read several totally contradictory descriptions of how that plane is supposed to be used.... : )

[Branson]

Patiently waiting, as I have now read several totally contradictory descriptions of how that plane is supposed to be used.... : )

Now we need Jim C to post the manual in that picture.   From what I see there, you chisel across the marked mortise and then use the plane to cut out the space to the proper depth, probably with two passes.

[Jim C.]

No need to wait patiently.  I actually wasn't going to do a thread on the butt mortise plane for another few weeks or so.

I think there's a couple different methods of using the butt mortise plane.  I've used two different methods.  First you have to mark the outline of the mortise with a knife.  Then, use a sharp chisel to cut some initial "flakes" into the surface of the mortise, just shy of the final depth.  Using the plane (bevel down) from the middle of the mortise, take a light pass and plane to the far edge of the mortise.  Next, turn the plane around and pull it toward you planing to the near edge.  Take light passes.  With a little hammer, gently tap the iron to take a slightly deeper cut.  No need to use the chisel again.  That's just to help remove some of the initial waste.  Always plane from the middle of the mortise outward to the edges. Check your final depth of cut by putting the opened hinge on the sole of the plane and holding it against the protruding iron.  The very edge of the iron should not protrude any further than the thickness of the opened hinge.  Make your final passes and the depth of the mortise should be perfect.

The other method that I've used follows the same steps described above, except no chisel is necessary.  With an extremely sharp iron, bevel facing the work, take light passes from the middle of the mortise outward to the edges. You should end up with a square cornered, perfectly flat bottomed mortise.  This plane really does work.  Amazingly, it wasn't made by any of the big guys like Stanley or Sargent, but by a company out of Thornton, Illinois, called R.M. Rumbold, during the 1950s and 60s.  Currently, Lie-Nielsen makes a very nice version of this same plane.

Jim C.

[Jim C.]

Patiently waiting, as I have now read several totally contradictory descriptions of how that plane is supposed to be used.... : )

I think Branson has the idea.  I'll post a better picture of the instruction sheet shown above.  What you see is pretty much it.  I also have another photocopied version of the instruction sheet that Rumbold was including with the butt mortise plane.  This plane was produced in different versions.  The changes were very, very minor.  With the changes to the plane, also came different versions of the instruction sheet that was included with the plane.  I really haven't sorted out which planes and/or instruction sheets came earlier or later in production.  Anyway, I'll try to post both instruction sheets that I do have, today.  Thanks for your interest in this thread.  I still plan to feature the Stanley #71 1/2 and #171 routers, and finally the Rumbold butt mortise plane, in future threads.

Jim C.

[Jim C.]

Okay, here are a few photos of the two instruction sheets that I'm aware of for the R.M. Rumbold butt mortise plane.  The first two pictures are of an original sheet.  The third picture is a photocopy of an original sheet.  You'll notice that both sheets describe the same basic process for using the plane.  Like I said in my last post, it's not necessary to use a chisel if the iron is super sharp, and you take several light passes.  When I use the plane (I actually use the Lie-Nielsen version) I don't use a chisel.  I just cut deep layout lines with a marking knife and start planing.  Hope these sheets help.  I'll feature the butt mortise plane in a future thread.  Thanks for reading along.

Jim C.
 

[boki-san]

jim, i apologize, if my request for a sneak peek of the butt mortise planer, has frayed this thread dedicated to the #71

it's good info, but i hope it's not bumming you out

i guess that'll learn you, to wave the cork under our noses, without giving us the bottle

(... or, ... to reply to my awkward requests) ;)

i'm doing a full set of photographs of my #71, and it's pieces,
and will post them here, soon

[Jim C.]

jim, i apologize, if my request for a sneak peek of the butt mortise planer, has frayed this thread dedicated to the #71

it's good info, but i hope it's not bumming you out

i guess that'll learn you, to wave the cork under our noses, without giving us the bottle

(... or, ... to reply to my awkward requests) ;)

i'm doing a full set of photographs of my #71, and it's pieces,
and will post them here, soon

It's no problem, and like you said, I brought it up.  I opened the door!!!

Although the butt mortise plane isn't exactly like a router plane, it's pretty close and was specifically designed to perform a few woodworking tasks that one might use a router to perform.  So, the butt mortise plane does fit the topic.  Stanley actually did make its own version of a plane that was designed to do the same basic tasks that the Rumbold was designed to do.  The Stanley version was the #171.  It's a relatively rare plane, it's a little fragile, and it has several parts/cutters that are frequently missing from the plane.  I personally think it's just another one of Stanley's "contraptions." The Rumbold is much easier to use, a little more durable, and has way less parts to go missing.

The Rumbold is really a handy tool. Had it been conceived and put into production in the 1920s or even 1930s, it's my guess that Stanley would have jumped on it and made a similar version, or just bought the company that produced it.......including the patent and intellectual rights.  They probably would have put a SW logo on it, and today it would have been a rare, and highly sought after plane by users and collectors alike.  By the time the Rumbold was produced in the 1950s, the multitude of hand plane patterns offered by Stanley, and others, had been on the decline for at least ten or more years.  A unique and very specialized plane, like the butt mortise, didn't fit in with Stanley's marketing plans.  It obviously didn't last too long with the Rumbold company either.  Power tools were on the rise and some hand tools were on the decline.  Unfortunately, the butt mortise plane came along at the wrong time, and was produced by a little known, and probably long forgotten company.  I think that's why it doesn't get the recognition it deserves today. 

If you get an original Rumbold, or even a Lie-Nielsen version, and learn how to use it, I can almost promise you that it will be your "go to" tool for shallow mortises, particularly those made to accommodate door hardware.  I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your Stanley #71.

Jim C.