This plane is an adaptation of the Stanley No. 95, a specialty plane not made for many years. It has an integral 90 degree fence, making its primary use trimming edge stock square. With appropriate angle blocks, it can produce various angles or widen dadoes and rabbets to depth. The fence, coupled with a low angled blade, makes these jobs simple and precise, working either with or across the grain, or in plywoods. This plane also makes an effective small jointer when used with a straight edge clamped to the work.
The body is cast Manganese Bronze, a hard and durable alloy that gives welcome heft to this small plane. Each tool is carefully polished to a mirror finish. Our lever adjustment moves the blade with almost zero backlash, making adjustment positive and exceptionally smooth.
Click here to download a PDF copy of the instructions for this tool.
The soles of your Edge Trimming Block Plane have been hand lapped for flatness and squareness. Exactly square cuts are achieved by adjusting the angle of the blade in the mouth. A wider opening near the fence will produce an angle of less than 90°, near the outer edge, more. Start with the edge adjusted parallel to the mouth, and check your work for squareness.
The blade is bedded at 15° with a 25° bevel.
The blade comes ready to use, but honing a secondary bevel of 5° or 10° will increase performance, help achieve a razor edge quickly, and improve edge life in hardwoods. You can find sharpening instructions in a printable PDF format here: Sharpening Instructions PDF
For more information on advanced sharpening we recommend David Charlesworth’s video Plane Sharpening, available in both DVD and streaming formats.
Loosen the cap. Holding the tool upside down with your thumb on the cap, sight down the sole and adjust the blade to be parallel to the sole. It will show as a black line. Adjust depth with the lever, and tighten the cap. castings are fully stress relieved, a process that removes inherent stresses and ensures that the tool will remain flat and true. Other parts are Brass and Steel.
The bottom edge of the fence is milled parallel to the sole. If this distance is measured (+/- 7/8") and a straight edge is clamped to the work accordingly, long glue joints may be shot — when the fence contacts the straight edge, cutting stops. With appropriate fixturing, miters, tapers and other angles may be produced, as well as precise dimensioning of strips, veneer, etc.
Angles such as draft for patternmaking may be planed using a wedge shoe. Slight angles can be achieved with a build-up of tape. Shoes of the right thickness will permit precise edging and depth control of rabbets and grooves. If the fence marks light woods, cover with tape or affix a thin hardwood shoe, or polish.
We use Manganese Bronze for the bodies. These castings are fully stress relieved, a process that removes inherent stresses and ensures that the tool will remain flat and true. Other parts are Brass and Steel.
The blade is A2 Tool Steel hardened to Rockwell 60-62, cryogenically treated and double tempered. Our heat treating technique ensures that the blade will take and hold a very fine edge for a long time. After heat treating, the blade is fully surface ground on the top, back, and cutting edge, giving a smooth, flat surface that will take a mirror finish very quickly. The 1/8" thickness provides solid, chatter-free cutting.
The Bronze bodies are lapped to a tolerance of .0015". Depending on how much use your tool gets, an occasional light sanding with 320 or finer wet/dry paper on a flat surface will keep the sole in as-new condition. A light oiling on the moving parts will keep them moving freely. The Blade should be kept oiled or waxed to prevent rust, epsecially when the tool is not in use. We recommend Jojoba Oil, a plant based oil product that is non-toxic, odor-free and easy to use. Also, in our shop, we use a fine abrasive handblock to remove any light surface oxide from tool bodies and blades. Jojoba Oil and abrasive handblocks are available from us.
Many people like the patina that Bronze gets with age and use, but if you wish to keep the finish bright, a little brass polish is in order.
Find everything you need for tool care.
Materials and workmanship are guaranteed for the life of your tool. Call for repairs or replacement parts. We are available for advice if you ever have a problem using your tool.
Bronze and brass alloys contain lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
