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My old Stanley 78 rabbet plane finally gave up the ghost on a job in Boise
The lateral adjustment lever snapped clean off when I was working on some oak window trim last Tuesday. I've had that plane for almost twenty years, bought it from a retired guy's garage sale. Ended up finishing the cut with a router and a straight edge, but it just wasn't the same. Anyone have a good source for vintage parts, or should I just retire it for good?
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shah.evan1mo ago
Tried to fix a broken lateral lever on my old plane last year. Found a guy on eBay who sells vintage Stanley parts from his own collection, he had the exact piece I needed. Took some careful fitting with a file but it works like new now. Search for "Stanley plane parts lot" and you might get lucky.
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sam_harris681mo ago
Nice find, @shah.evan! My buddy had the same luck with a missing depth adjuster nut for his old No. 4.
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the_diana1mo ago
That "took some careful fitting with a file" part is the real deal. I've done the same thing with a few old planes where the replacement part was close but not perfect. It's a pain but so worth it when everything lines up right and the plane cuts true again. Those eBay guys who part out their own collections are absolute lifesavers for keeping old tools running.
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