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Stanley #171 Door Trim and Router Plane
In retail, it's well known that constantly making changes (no
matter how small) to a product under the guise of being "new
and improved" usually promises a steady stream of dedicated
new buyers. This is especially true of the North American automobile
industry. Some of our readers may have noticed the gasoline
fill pipe flipping back and forth from side to side on successive
years of the same car model. In fact, manufacturers have even
gone so far as to place an arrow on the dashboard indicating
on which side the filler cap is situated. The question may be
whether it is the consumer or the manufacturer who needs to
be continually reminded of the current placement.
The plane shown here, manufactured from 1911 to 1934, is an
example of the new-and-improved strategy. This updated version
of the popular Stanley #71 and #71-1/2 router planes displayed
the design talents of Christian Bodmer and Edmund A. Schade,
whose patent #1,012,591 was granted on December 26, 1911. However, aside from the significant change in appearance, there
were not too many technical improvements made to the tool. The
most salient was the addition of a set of nifty attachments
and adjustment features that enabled the user to cut a slot
or mortise. For example, a slot up to 2" deep could be cut while
maintaining rigidity in the cutter bar to a maximum of 6" inboard
of an edge. Another enhancement was
that by adjusting the proprietary cutter, with its unique holder
and depth control (available in 3/8", 1/2", 5/8"), and by flicking
a lever, the blade rotated, allowing for 360° control. |
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