B68-522 PLANE PROTOTYPE. McCulloch Patent. In 1893, an obscure Manchester carpenter named Eppie McCulloch patented what he described as an improvement to Justus Traut's basic 1884 patent for the Stanley No. 45, consisting of an auxiliary stock, mounted perpendicular to the sole, that would allow a vertical adjustment to the fence and enable the plane to accommodate a wider variety of cutters. Stanley promptly bought up the patent rights and, after an abortive attempt to incorporate the feature into an improved version of the No. 45 that would have been designated the No. 145, it became the central feature of the No. 55 which Stanley introduced in 1897. This unique example, which is believed to be McCulloch's original working model, is a Type 2 No. 45 with McCulloch's auxiliary stock attached (and with a wooden face attached to the fence, which would not be added to the No. 45 until Type 7). It comes in a finger jointed rosewood box, which doesn't look like Leamy quality but serves its purpose, with several additional cutters, a set of long rods, and a partial copy of McCulloch's patent pasted into the lid. A unique part of Stanley history. From the collection of Jim and Becky Leamy. Fine 4000-8000