Question re fence hole on MF no 85 rabbet plane

[Kim Malmberg]

I've bought myself a MF no 85 rabbet plane - and seems entirely identical to the Stanley no 78.
I have had several variations of this rabbet plane model before but it was only on this MF variation that I took any notice of a hole drilled through the top part of the fence. Having had a look around it seems as though Stanley made the fence the same way as MF, but may others omitted the hole, especially Woden and Record which both made a longer fence fitted to two rods.
One the top part of the fence, facing the user, there is a drilled hole as well as two raised ribs. The hole and the raised ribs suggest you could add something like a wooden fence, but why I would want to add something to the top of the fence is more than I can fathom.
There might be a very obvious reason for this hole and the raised ribs, in which case my question will be daft. So, please anyone care to enlighten me?


Pictures here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/finnbe...57643572831894


and here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/finnbe...7643572831894/

[Pedro Reyes]

I had noticed the ribs, and I guess the hole, never gave it much thought. The ribs I gather are there to help the fence register (poorly albeit) against the sole of the plane. The hole, I'm not sure, the bottom of that casting (the fence is somewhat complex (not flat, has ribs, etc) so mounting a fence there seems complicated. I could see it as a way for them to hold the fence before machining the surface that would touch the wood. Covered with scrap cocobolo in my picture.


/p

sorry for the dark pic, just walked out to dark garage and snapped an iPhone pic.

[Kim Malmberg]

Thanks Pedro. Yes, it does seem hard to understand a practical purpose for the hole. Interestingly enough the hole fits the threaded part of the rod which means you can attach the fence to the plane this way too. But this must be coincident as I have tried it and it makes no sense at all.
Could it, no, it couldn't have been intended as a hang hole?