The Stanley No.193 Fibre board cutting plane seems to suffer from very mixed reviews.
If you are a follower of Patrick Leach, with his ‘Stanley Blood & Gore‘ – the following is a quote from his webpages:
“Let’s just say that this plane is an utter piece of junk, which Stanley made to cash-in on the tacky fibre board craze of the 1930’s and leave it at that. Oh, this, and the next 3 are my most favorite planes to hate, in the whole wide world, right up there next to anything made by the Shelton Plane and Tool Co. Mere words fail to express just how much I loathe these planes.”
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan13.htm
Other reviews/comments I have seen talk about the cleverness of the plane and how well it meets its designed need.
This is my plane. But first some basic information:
| Manufactured: | 1933 to 1943 |
| Length: | 12-1/2 inches |
| Blade Width: | 6 blades provided in various sizes |
| Construction: | Cast iron, rosewood handle & knob |
| Finish: | Japanned |
| Features: | Interchangeable fences |
| Uses: | Beveling, grooving and slitting for Masonite and fibre boards |
This image from the instruction manual shows the parts for the No.193A – which adds parts 1, 6 & 7 to the package.
For my No.193, all I am missing is part 5 – the Groove Guide.
I have seen a YouTube video by Wood By Wright where he looks at the plane, it’s current usefulness and how well it works. Based on that video, you would concur that the plane does it’s job well. But these days there is very little need for it.
Also – I don’t believe that fibre board panels were anything near as common in Australia as they were in the US.
So the bottom line is that this is an interesting plane to have. It is not currently of much use. And it does not have any significant value either to the user or collector.
Stumbled upon your post. I just purchased one with the same missing part, the no 5 guide, and I am hoping it is essentially a fancy utility knife. I am going to attempt to use it with my cardboard crafts, for scoring hardboard, for cutting plexiglass, and hopefully other materials. I have read that cutting foamboard may benefit from owning this plane. Time will tell. If you come across the specs for the no 5 I’d appreciate them as I think I will explore making a no 5 guide from wood! Cheers!
Hi Fred, I haven’t come across any specs for the no.5 guide – but this link to one on eBay gives a better picture and the overall length. https://www.ebay.com/itm/116494817037
I hope this helps. And good luck using the plane.
regards
Geoff