: 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.

hi Chip;
what did you get for blades? all the shape cutting blades will normally cost you more than the plane.
the camrest is something else that is missing a lot of the time, mine is. i also had to build the knob that screws to the fence, (for the left hand).
to weld your broken fence, assemble the plane and clamp the fence to something very straight. you might want to think about silver solder instead of brazing. silver solder is far stronger, and cleaner to boot.
daren......