Stanley 192: anybody use one?

I use the #78 for rabbeting. I find it a little difficult to maintain a square edge as the fence is tough to see through the plane. I run my finger against the fence while planing and can keep it pretty square that way. A super sharp iron makes a ton of difference.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

IIRC, the 192 is a dado plane, not a rabbet plane. You could certainly use it for a rabbet, but it won’t have the fence. I use a 78 for rabbets and I love mine. That’s probably why I have about 10 of ‘em :))

-- Dave, Colonie, NY

sikrap, do you have vintage 78s (um, planes not records) or newer ones? Do the older ones work better than new ones (assuming they’re properly tuned, etc.)?

-- More tools, fewer machines.

My 78 is early … id say the 30’s. Tuning one up is pretty easy to due considering there isnt much metal to be removed to make all the parts flat and square. You just have to make sure you have all the parts most of the time the fence or depth stop is missing. There is also a “nib” that scores the cut line. Luckily mine came with all the parts and pieces.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

I’ve got both a Stanley and a Millers Falls 78 (not sure of the MF #). They both work well. If you buy a vintage, just make sure it has the fence, rod and depth stop. They are all pretty important.

-- Master hand plane hoarder. - http://timetestedtools.net

Hey Brett, I have both the “newer” and “older”. The biggest difference is that the newer ones have a lever for adjusting the blade depth and the older ones require tapping with a hammer. When I say “newer”, I do not mean that they were made recently, only that they have the adjuster lever. I must admit that I find the adjustment lever nice to use. If you’re in the market, PM me and we can talk. I agree with Don about the fence and depth stop, especially the depth stop. Once you get the hang of these planes, they are a LOT of fun to use.

-- Dave, Colonie, NY

I had one for awhile. They are useful for working in grooves and
can sort of substitute for a shoulder plane in a pinch as I recall.

The best rabbet planes I’ve used are the 10 1/2 and the 289.

The #46 combo plane can be got for not too much and it will
work as a skew rabbet and as a dado plane.

I don’t have either anymore… they were too tempting to sell
due to their collectable values.

I now have an antique Japanese wood skew rabbet I got for like
$30 on ebay – has a fence and it works well. Still I never use it.