# My Favorite Tool



## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Ok, I admit it, my favorite tool is not a router, it's my Stanley 51 Shooting Plane and it other half, the Stanley 52 Shooting Board, first made by Stanley in 1920 and up to 1945, no howling noise, just whisper quiet razor sharp cuts, Jerry this is the real deal in regard to shooting miters to get a clean join. The thing that really bugs me is that I am missing the hold down bracket and its bolt so if anyone has an idea how I may get one then PM me. N


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

That's very nice. I've never seen one of those before. I just use a standard No. 5 plane on a simple home-made board. It would be nice to have an easily and accurately adjustable fence like that though, and a side handle.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

AndyL said:


> That's very nice. I've never seen one of those before. I just use a standard No. 5 plane on a simple home-made board. It would be nice to have an easily and accurately adjustable fence like that though, and a side handle.


Andy its the real deal, a perfect tool, Google Stanly 51 shooting plane if you want to follow them, save your pennies if you want to buy one, there was one on ebay.uk for 650 pounds and one in Paris for 850euros, they are getting hard to find. One thing I do with it is, I have sets of shaped blocks that I drop onto the fence when it is set at 90degs, the blocks let me do perfect cuts of any angle without setting it up so when I make a ring for a segmented item then I drop on the block for , say 25 pieces in the ring and I shoot them, as the block is correct then I get a perfect ring when I join them up. N


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## john60 (Aug 30, 2014)

Stanley No 51 Chute Board Cast Iron Replacement Hold Down Bracket | eBay

Neville,
This sounds like what your are looking for and its in Australia Maybe it the one you dont have


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Neville... now that is just sweet!!! 

After all these years, is the plane still tight in its track? 

I've built a couple of nice shooting boards and swear be em!!


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

TwoSkies57 said:


> Neville... now that is just sweet!!!
> 
> After all these years, is the plane still tight in its track?
> 
> I've built a couple of nice shooting boards and swear be em!!


Yes it is Bill, it slides like a dream and still tight, I can't say how old it is as it could be as old as 95years. Veratas make a shooting plane and it sells for $600+us for just the plane, they are talking about making a board to go with it, they are also talking about making a left handed shooting plane&board, I will be doing some posts about the shooting plane and its board. N


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Well, she's a beauty Neville. There are guys out there willing to shell out BIG bucks for these planes. Especially one that appears to be in as good of condition as yours does. If you can complete the package by replacing the missing parts with original ones, you can pretty much name your price. 
Veratas introduced its shooter to compete with Lie Nielsen's shooter. They came up with a great one!! Albeit on the expensive side of the tracks. A while back I did a short piece on a shooting board I made: 
http://www.routerforums.com/twoskies57-gallery/23696-bench-hook-shooting-board.html
I started out using a #5 low angle plane and now I'll use everything from a block up to a #7...One of the best sounds in wood working is that "ZIP" you get when taking off end grain shavings with a shooting plane. 

Vertas now makes a shooter for sanding, 

Veritas® Shooting Sanders - Lee Valley Tools


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Very nice, Neville....

Puts my old #5 to shame..


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

*your shooting board*



TwoSkies57 said:


> Well, she's a beauty Neville. There are guys out there willing to shell out BIG bucks for these planes. Especially one that appears to be in as good of condition as yours does. If you can complete the package by replacing the missing parts with original ones, you can pretty much name your price.
> Veratas introduced its shooter to compete with Lie Nielsen's shooter. They came up with a great one!! Albeit on the expensive side of the tracks. A while back I did a short piece on a shooting board I made:
> http://www.routerforums.com/twoskies57-gallery/23696-bench-hook-shooting-board.html
> I started out using a #5 low angle plane and now I'll use everything from a block up to a #7...One of the best sounds in wood working is that "ZIP" you get when taking off end grain shavings with a shooting plane.
> ...


I had a look at your board Bill, nicely made. N


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## tonyc69 (May 12, 2012)

Why did Stanley stop making them?


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## denniswoody (Dec 11, 2011)

A question on shooting boards. How do you ensure the pieces you need to match are the same length?


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Dennis..

what I do is take and cut the matching boards as close to finished length as possible, Trim
one to final specs on the shooting board, then follow up with the second, making sure to regularly check my progress with regards to matching the length of the first board exactly.


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

Yes that's the beauty of a shooting board, and indeed hand planes in general: you can sneak up on the required dimension one shaving at a time, until you get the perfect match.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Belated welcome to the forum Tony.


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## denniswoody (Dec 11, 2011)

OK, I thought sneaking up would be the answer but I wanted confirmation. Thanks.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

tonyc69 said:


> Why did Stanley stop making them?


My information is that they stopped making them around 1947, I don't know why as there would have still had a market for them, it would be the same type of decision that TV executives make when they pick TV programing, you know, what will be on TV and what won't be on TV, just too hard to understand. N


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

just a little information for those interested: (great site btw)

The Superior Works - Patrick's Blood & Gore: Planes #46 - #54


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

TwoSkies57 said:


> just a little information for those interested: (great site btw)
> 
> The Superior Works - Patrick's Blood & Gore: Planes #46 - #54


Nice link, I have not seen that one before. N


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

when it comes to Stanley planes, the Blood & Gore site is generally recognized as one of the most reliable and best sites available. 

Put two old planes on a workbench...most folks wouldn't be able to tell the difference, aside from the obvious...yet, one would be worth 25 bucks and the other 200 bucks..or more


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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

TwoSkies57 said:


> when it comes to Stanley planes, the Blood & Gore site is generally recognized as one of the most reliable and best sites available.
> 
> Put two old planes on a workbench...most folks wouldn't be able to tell the difference, aside from the obvious...yet, one would be worth 25 bucks and the other 200 bucks..or more


Aye, it's a fair start if they say Bedrock on the cap iron.
Or Clifton.


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