On Jan 16, 9:00*am, Phisherman wrote:
If the Stanley #55 plane was such a good universal workhorse, why are
they not sold today? *Or, are similar planes made today?

I have a couple, and found them to be useful for some things, but
there are limitations inherent in the design. Having no mouth means
that tear out is a bigger problem. They are cumbersome tools and a
bit unwieldly for most work. The biggest problem is that the tool
tries to be everything, which is impossible in woodworking. One of
the nice things about up a dedicated molding plane is that it is
already set up to use when you pick it up.

That being said, you can replicate a helluva lot of period molding
with the 55, and you learn a lot about the importance of planing
order.

I don't know of any plane that is complicated as a 55 being made
today, but I suppose there's some boutique plane maker making a $6000
version.

R