Stanley
Stanley No. 50 Light Combination Plane
The cut-down combination plane: lighter, simpler and cheaper than the 45, with no sliding section. For grooves and beads it is quicker to set up than its big brother.
- 1884–1962
- Plow & Combination Plane
- medium confidence
| Model | No. 50 |
|---|---|
| Production | 1884–1962 |
| Body | cast iron, nickel plated |
| Cutters | boxed set, typically 17 cutters |
| Capabilities | plowing, grooving, beading, light dado work |
How to identify it
- No sliding section - the cutter is supported by the main body alone, which is what separates a 50 from a 45 at a glance.
- Two fence rods and a screw-adjusted fence.
- Cutters are narrower and fewer than the 45 set.
Photograph needed: Stanley No. 50 Light Combination Plane - overall view, plus a close-up of the toe and bed markings
Buying and using
Underrated. If all you want is to plow drawer-bottom grooves, the 50 does it with less fiddling than a 45 and costs a third as much.
What it is worth
- incomplete $25–$55
- good, most cutters $60–$130
- complete, excellent $150–$300
Sources
- reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach - book
Stanley Tools: Guide to Identity and Value — John Walter
Others in this family
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Stanley No. 45 Combination Plane
Stanley's workhorse combination plane: a skeletal body, two fence rods, a sliding section and a box of cutters that between them replace a rack of wooden plow and beading planes.
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Stanley No. 46 Skew Cutter Dado Plane
A fenced plane with skewed cutters and nickers, made for cutting dados and grooves cleanly across the grain.
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Stanley No. 55 Universal Combination Plane
Marketed as 'a planing mill within itself'.