Hi Branson,
So you were able to see the hidden beauty of that old #41. You have a good eye! Stanley made a series of similar floral casting plow planes (#41, #42, #43, #44) between 1871 and 1897. For some reason, the #42 was last produced in 1892. Each came with nine or ten (depending on the model) boxed interchangeable cutters. The #43 is identical to the #41, however it did not come with a fillister bed and one could not be attached to it. Usually whenever I see these old Stanley plow planes in less than good condition, like the one I posted above, that fillister bed is missing in action. Trying to piece one of these planes together is tough because of that part alone. Earlier model fillister beds don't fit later model planes, so one would need to know approximately what Type (age, era) his/her plane was before trying to match a fillister bed to it. I've seen several of these planes in "complete" condition with a main casting and fillister bed that were correctly matched, but clearly from two different planes, based on visual clues like wear, patina, remaining japanning, etc. The fillister bed alone can be extremely expensive, and easily run a couple hundred dollars apiece..... if you can find one! Like most multi-cutter planes, if the cutting irons don't remain in their original boxes with the plane, they're frequently long gone. The planes usually retain the one cutter that was left in it that last time it was used. Such is the case with the plane depicted above. If you look closely, notice the one cutter still rusted in place. Again, those cutters are tough to find and they're expensive to buy. They're usually around twenty five dollars apiece give or take.
These early Stanley plow planes, and others, were the precursors to the Stanley #45 Combination Plane, manufactured from 1883 well into the 1960s. As you mentioned, the early #45s were also produced with a distinctive floral casting that changed throughout their production. The floral casting was eliminated somewhere around 1908 with the Type 8 planes. We could probably start an entirely new thread dedicated to the #45. What an amazing contraption, but when properly set up, and with a little practice, one can actually produce some very good results with it. I know that somewhere earlier in the thread, I mentioned something about David Heckel's book, entitled The Stanley "Forty Five" Combination Plane. If you're really interested knowing everything there is to know about the #45, that book is the final word. Period. If you're interested in using a combination plane, I'd go with a #45 because they're fairly available, their parts are mostly interchangeable, and they're generally much less expensive than the earlier #41 - #44 plows. The #45 did have some options and attachments available to it that can be expensive, however, none of those are necessary to operate the plane as it was initially meant to be used. If you're going to buy one of these planes for your collection, do your homework!! There's many little parts, different Types came with different cutters, etc., etc. Know what you're looking at. Even buying a user quality plane requires some knowledge. Missing parts, etc., will detract from the plane's utility, and ultimately your enjoyment, not to mention costing you more money and time to find the part(s). I can honestly say that I've never used a #45 on an actual project, but I have often gone out into my shop and just set one up to play with. If you're ever inclined to just spend an hour or so tinkering out in the shop, spend it with a #45.
Jim C. (who hopefully did not bore you to sleep)
