Love this. I had to learn how to use mine through trial and error and the manual. Got my 55 in Reno NV for a song at a gold dealer/antique store many years ago.

Thanks so much for this information and now I will be able to use my great grandfathers plane I will be referring to this video many times over as I learn to use the plane .. thanks for making my day and year 😊😊!!!!

If I would have waited to see your video it was 51 years To Late. That's how long I've been useing both my 45 and 55.

As a furniture restorer, I find them invaluable. A lot of tool to get your head round. I find it best not to get overwhelmed looking at all of what it can do, but to break it down by task. A lot of the parts aren't needed for every operation. My favorite tool for grooving drawer sides. Once did 18 metres OG for a job. Needed to knock that sharp bit off the base of the handle to stop the blisters...

I've got the modern version, the Veritas Combination Plane, a fabulous tool, cut my first 'reed' set a week ago, WOW, the pride in making something a router\router table does in seconds in 20 minutes, by HAND... Priceless.
one important distinction, the 55 has a second fence, But the big difference between it and a 45 is the 55 has a two part aux. skate which is height adjustable (for moulding cutters, mainly OG and round-overs)- it brings the stability of the skates' toe to bear in the right place, in the OG's case near a curve transition, as this is where the most stress occurs in a cut. Ever see a router bit?- notice the 'GREEN' section behind the cutting knife?, its shaped snug with the cutter!, this is why, and what the 55 is achieving here, to support the cutter at it's weakest point.

what a great video, covers all of the basics.  i have been playing around with my 55, used the 102 for edge treatment on the shelve in my tool cabinet.  the "tower"piece on the front had me mystified, not now!  and now i see the purpose of the fluting "fence"
the 55 is sure a masterpiece of engineering, especially the skate that can raised and lowered

I got one, back in the early mid 70's.  I was working in a backpacking shop, and a customer and I started talking wood.  He had acquired a never used one, from a small hardware store in some small town in Nebraska or Kansas.  The store had it on a shelf of tools, probably 10 years or more old and it never sold.  He traded it to me for a good down sleeping bag.  Which at the time was probably $150 or more, but I got a 40% discount.  I went on to acquire and use a lot more tools.  While I do love using the plane, I also have shapers and power tools that I use much more.  Still love using planes though.  Just sharpened up a couple of rabbet plane blades today, lol.

I did like that.  Thank you.  There is so much to know about using the 55.  You have covered a lot more than anyone else.  Again, thank you.  I've found that in the absence of a toe or mouth to hold down the fibres, the 50, 45 and 55 are prone o tearout.  As such, the choice of wood to work on is critical.

This is an excellent tutorial  for this incredible tool. Normally a daunting prospect to use the tool , made to look easy with the  good tips.  The most useful for making up parts to repair antique furniture. Thanks very much.

Thanks for the great how to tutorial.  I just purchased a 55 on eBay.  I hope it has all of its parts.  This is my second attempt with this hand plane.  I look forward to putting my new old plane to work!

Quite a complex engineering feat!
Thanks for the explanations.   Good sharp irons are essential .

Thank you for this video, just bought a 55 and will use it for restorations mostly. I just hate routers and loud dust making machines. I try to do everything by hand.

I only have a Stanley 45, but this still was a very helpful video. Thanks

I just stumbled across your video and it's really good stuff. Even better than the 55 review Roy Underhill did on the Woodwright's Shop. The one thing that sounded odd was that you called the runners 'skis'. I'd always heard them referred to as 'skates' and that made me wonder what the Stanley 55 manual called them. And it's actually 'runners', so I've been wrong all this time just assuming what I heard was correct. It's the cool bits of minutiae that make old tools so fascinating. I look forward to watching more of your videos.

When buying one of these (or a #45), the screws are likely to be frozen with rust(and/or replaced with the incorrect ones).   Just be careful freeing them up.   My #45 is from the 20-30s era.

I have a  complete stanley 55 and over 45 blades and been hunting for it for years. Its finished. 😂😅❤ now i need some wood .

I was shown to start the cut at the toe end and slowly move back to the heal as you progress to the depth, starting at the heal end you are trying to take a hard bite from the start.

your  bead fence is held in by the other fence so it don't swing out

Thank you for this video! I prefer using a router plane plane over an electric router anytime. The noise and especially the dust when using the electric router is such a p in the a... Not to mention the risks when working with a tool that is spinning with 10000rpm. And often the plane is also faster.

I do have some old wooden molding planes but not a No 55 (yet). Since you emphasized the importance of razor sharp blades, it would be great to see your method of sharpening the different shaped cutters. Could you do a special video about that?? That would be very much appreciated :)

thanks