Stanley No. 48

[Smoothjazz077]

I just purchased a Stanley No. 48 Tongue & Groove plane.  I have been cutting my T&G joints with a router, and wanted to try out the No. 48.  I have never used this plane before, so I was hoping for some tips and suggestions.  The plane appears to have all the parts, in terms of blades and fence.  Looking forward to making shavings, and not tons of sawdust and annoying noise with the router.

[Scoony]

They are easy and fun to use. When selecting panels to use for T&G, pay attention to grain direction.

[Rob Young]

I just purchased a Stanley No. 48 Tongue & Groove plane.  I have been cutting my T&G joints with a router, and wanted to try out the No. 48.  I have never used this plane before, so I was hoping for some tips and suggestions.  The plane appears to have all the parts, in terms of blades and fence.  Looking forward to making shavings, and not tons of sawdust and annoying noise with the router.

All three blades? A rare find, I think people just threw away that 7/8" blade... 48 t&g is a hoot to use. Have fun.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

The #48 is one of my favorite planes. When I get going, I can make the blades hot.

1. Make sure your sole is bright and shiny. Make sure the fence sides are bright and shiny. You don't want anything to cause drag.
2. Sharpen the blades and hone them to razor sharpness.
3. Start with some knot free construction lumber to set the blade depth. Fiddle with each one until they both take wispy and MATCHING thickness shavings.
4. Mark the fence side and maintain orientation when you flip the board. Do this for all of the boards. This is necessary for the flush fit of the boards.
5. Keep planning until BOTH blades bottom out.
6. Make sure your tongue is about 1/16" above the groove. There should be some air to allow for expansion.
7. NO GLUE on a T&G. It defeats the purpose of a sliding joint that allows for expansion/contraction cycles.

If you have done everything correctly, you should be creating some long tight curly shavings. And your boards will fit nicely. T&G joints should be a little loose to allow for swelling. A too tight joint will blow out one of the groove sides. Boards that slide easily are usually OK.

[Smoothjazz077]

The #48 is one of my favorite planes. When I get going, I can make the blades hot.

1. Make sure your sole is bright and shiny. Make sure the fence sides are bright and shiny. You don't want anything to cause drag.
2. Sharpen the blades and hone them to razor sharpness.
3. Start with some knot free construction lumber to set the blade depth. Fiddle with each one until they both take wispy and MATCHING thickness shavings.
4. Mark the fence side and maintain orientation when you flip the board. Do this for all of the boards. This is necessary for the flush fit of the boards.
5. Keep planning until BOTH blades bottom out.
6. Make sure your tongue is about 1/16" above the groove. There should be some air to allow for expansion.
7. NO GLUE on a T&G. It defeats the purpose of a sliding joint that allows for expansion/contraction cycles.

If you have done everything correctly, you should be creating some long tight curly shavings. And your boards will fit nicely. T&G joints should be a little loose to allow for swelling. A too tight joint will blow out one of the groove sides. Boards that slide easily are usually OK.

Thanks Jim.  I appreciate the great tips.  I am looking forward to hopefully getting out into the shop this weekend, and sharpening up the blades and giving it a go.