Hi,.. I arrived here kind of late, and first, I'm sorry about the broken fence. Once it's whole you'll have fun with it. I've owned one for a long time and read somewhere that, especially when cutting hollows, you should start with short strokes on the end furthest away from you, and work back along the piece. Once the groove is establised it's pretty easy to work back along the length and the cutter follows the path you've cut. You just establish a little more hollow with each new stroke. Hope this helps. enjoy!

My #45 arrived with a broken fence. The lady that sold it to me apparently
: doesn't understand the properties of packing material or cast iron. The
: USPS will end up paying for it. I've seen examples of brazed cast iron and
: I guess I'll be trying my hand at it. I guess this is how artifacts from
: the past become rare. If I like it I'll probably find one in mint
: condition and use this for parts.