Stanley #50 (part 2):
The #50 is far from being Stanley’s most complex plane. Actually, I think it’s a user friendly plane and is relatively easy to set up and operate without too much fuss. If I had to pick only one plow plane that was capable of creating accurate grooves, dados, rabbets and beads, I’d give the #50 some serious consideration. It’s compact, light weight but durable, and straight forward in comparison to a few other Stanley offerings. Over the years, it was outfitted with a sufficient assortment of cutters that allowed any craftsperson the ability to make a few basic joints without the expense, weight and complexity associated with some other plow and/or combination planes. The major drawback to this plane is the unavoidable fact that it was equipped with several small parts and cutters that often go missing in action, and can be expensive to replace. Know what parts and cutters were with the plane when it left the factory and make sure they’re all present and accounted for prior to making a purchase. The #50 is frequently missing the chip deflector (used while creating a tongue and groove joint) and the screw used to hold narrow (specifically 1/8” and 3/16” wide) cutters in place. Do your homework.
In this post, I’ll try to show you the #50 as it would be set up to cut basic dados and grooves. The plane incorporates several features that we’ve discussed on other planes to include a fence, scoring spurs (nickers), depth stop, and a lever used to advance or retract a cutter from the work piece. One part that we haven’t covered in the past, because it hasn’t been integral to any planes discussed in prior posts, is the cast iron “sliding section” that runs on the two arms that thread into the main body of the plane. The sliding section is mounted on the arms between the fence on the left and the main body of the plane on the right. When cutting dados and grooves, the sliding section sandwiches the cutter between the plane’s main body and the sliding section itself. I’ve found it to be an effective way to hold the cutter firmly in place, while still being able to adjust the cutter with the cutter lever. This sliding section incorporates a threaded stud that passes through the main body, and is drawn together, thus sandwiching the cutter in place, via a unique looking wing nut/thumb screw. This method works for every cutter except the two narrowest (1/8” and 3/16”) as mentioned above. (Also note that the narrow cutters were included with the #50 beginning in 1936.) Because the sliding section cannot be drawn close enough to the body of the plane to secure the cutters, a special screw was designed to hold them in place. Years later, many examples of the #50 are commonly missing that screw.
When attempting to cut a dado across the grain of a work piece, the #50 allows the user to install spurs just ahead of the cutter. One such spur mounts directly to the main body of the plane, while the other mounts to the sliding section. A well conceived design feature in my opinion. When cutting a groove with the grain, the fence would guide the plane as it was pressed against the edge of the work piece. There's no need to employ the spurs. For a dado cutting across the grain, a thin wooden batten tacked in place would substitute as the fence and the spurs would be installed to prevent any tearout from the cutter. The #50 is also outfitted with a depth stop that can be attached to the plane’s main body, or its sliding section. Finally, with the addition of the two narrow cutters in 1936, Stanley also added a small toothed cutter adjustment lever to the plane’s design. The little teeth on the lever engaged perpendicular grooves on the back of each cutter, allowing the user to advance or retract the cutter. Don’t be fooled when looking at a #50…. If the plane is equipped with that little toothed lever, make sure that the included cutters also have grooves on their backs, otherwise they’re useless and cannot be used without removing the lever.
I guess that’s it for now. Thanks for hanging in there. I was thinking about adding one more post pertaining to the Stanley #50. If you’ve had enough of this one, don’t be afraid to speak up and I’ll move on to another topic. We still have a good ways to go and several more planes and plane related topics to discuss. And as always, feedback (positive and/or constructively negative) is more than welcome. Also, if you have a plane to feature here in the Hand Plane thread, don't let me slow you down. Post a few photos and let's see what you have.
Jim C.
