Record SS...DUN

[Woodbloke]

I've just received this little beauty in the post:







It appears to have unvarnished Rosewood handles and a hight front knob and with that style of machined frog I'm guessing it's quite old. Hopefully @AndyT could shed some light on it's approximate date of manufacture? - Rob

 

[AndyT]

All I know is to take note of what keen collectors have studied, deduced and shared, eg here:

Record Hand Tools

Rosewood suggests it's before WW2 and Stayset that it's after 1931. You'll need to work through details not shown in your photo - which was plenty clear enough to show it's a happy day in Salisbury!

 

[Woodbloke]

All I know is to take note of what keen collectors have studied, deduced and shared, eg here:

Record Hand Tools

Rosewood suggests it's before WW2 and Stayset that it's after 1931. You'll need to work through details not shown in your photo - which was plenty clear enough to show it's a happy day in Salisbury!

Thanks Andy. Looking briefly through the linkie you kindly sent it's got a Lateral Lever No.4 pattern (1952>57) and a Frog pattern which ended in 1956, so if I were to plump for half way between those dates, around 1954 seems to be a reasonable guestimation? I'll do a bit more sleuthing tonight using the info you've given me. Thanks again - Rob...happy days indeed in Salisbury!

 

[AndyT]

There's always the problem that owners can swap or upgrade features, particularly those parts where people have strong preferences, such as the handles and the Stayset option. I don't know any more details myself and only have a few Record planes of my own.

 

[Woodbloke]

There's always the problem that owners can swap or upgrade features, particularly those parts where people have strong preferences, such as the handles and the Stayset option. I don't know any more details myself and only have a few Record planes of my own.

I thought that the handle/tote were Rosewood, but having taken off the handle and sanded the underside it's Beech, so definitely post WW2. Cutter is the original pattern as well, dating up to the mid 50's when it was altered - Rob...who may make some new ones out of proper, pukka Rosewood

 

[AndyT]

I thought that the handle/tote were Rosewood, but having taken off the handle and sanded the underside it's Beech, so definitely post WW2. Cutter is the original pattern as well, dating up to the mid 50's when it was altered - Rob...who may make some new ones out of proper, pukka Rosewood

That should confuse the next owner!

 

[Woodbloke]

That should confuse the next owner!

Hopefully



I think the handle/tote aren't original as they didn't fit properly and I suspect they were changed sometime in the past. The rear handle nut is also too small for the hole and when it's fully tightened the nut surface isn't coplanar with the top...there's a wee 'step' on one side which makes me think that it's not the original handle - Rob

 

[Woodbloke]

Not a full restoration in any way, shape or form, but simply a really good spruce up and attempting to ensure a closer mating fit of the frog to the body:



The front underside of the frog (arrowed) wasn't really flat, so the burr that had taken all the pressure (hence shiny) over the decades was made flat using a few strokes of a 6" smoothing file. The frog seating on the main body was cleaned up using a dowel in the pillar drill coated with coarse valve grinding paste, so burrs and high spots have been removed. Once all the screw threads had been oiled (3 in 1):



...the frog was reassembled onto the plane body. Next job is to sort out some Rosewood for the front knob and handle - Rob

 

[Pete Maddex]

I have had records with a rosewood knob and beech tote, i guess they using up what they had left over.

Pete

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Or the original rosewood handle broke at some point as they often do? But I think you are right that the transition was a gradual one.

 

[Woodbloke]

A bit of work with the Disston D7 and twenty mins on the P/T and bandsaw:







....and I have a couple of nice blanks of East Indian Rosewood, with enough left over if @Malc2098's FuF pays a call- Rob

 

[Woodbloke]

I hate making handles for planes...probably one of the hardest things to do when it comes to fitting the angled rod, but by COP:



...yesterday I'd got this far. The amount off faffing around it takes is unbelievable; mating frog surfaces cleaned up with a dowel dunked in valve grinding paste spinning in the pillar drill - Rob

 

[AndyT]

I was wondering why you are putting yourself through all this if you don't enjoy it - but presumably it's a favour for someone else?

 

[Pete Maddex]

I have a long series 6mm drill bit reground as a lip and spur bit that goes right the way through, but not enough travel on the quill so I have to stop and wind the table up. Clamping the rack to the pillar keeps it in alignment.
I drill the counter bore in the top and bottom first before the through hole it really helps to reduce tear out round the hole.


Pete

 

[Woodbloke]

I was wondering why you are putting yourself through all this if you don't enjoy it - but presumably it's a favour for someone else?

The plane was a gift Andy and the handle/knob were horrid, worm eaten, covered in thick gloopy, badly applied stain so they had to go, but an hour's worth of bandsawing, rasp work together with a bit of powered sanding resulted in:



...this; slightly fatter than the original, which was too skinny anyway. Needs a whole load of hand sanding now, but it's essentially done - Rob

 

[Woodbloke]

It's now changed from a decent 'user' with grotty handles to something that's a little better:





...and the front knob with 'V' cut detailing:



As mentioned above, it's not a full restoration project or anything like, but a general clean up, thead oiling (never been done) as well as a new front knob and handle in Indian Rosewood, so now it's a much more pleasant 'user' than it was a couple of days ago. Although there's absolutely nothing wrong with the original Record cutter, I've decided to treat it to a new Japanese blade from Workshop Heaven as I recollect that some while ago @Eric the Viking mentioned how good they were, having purchased one or two from Ax aeons ago. You won't be surprised (or maybe you will) to learn that Classic Hand Tools sell something similar for over twice the price, which is more than a bit steep!! - Rob

Edit - Indian Rosewood finished with two coats of Odie's Oil and a slathering of smelly Alfie Shine

 

[TomTrees]

I have a long series 6mm drill bit reground as a lip and spur bit that goes right the way through, but not enough travel on the quill so I have to stop and wind the table up. Clamping the rack to the pillar keeps it in alignment.



Pete

That's painfully clever Pete!, and yet so simple at the same time...sounds waaay more straight forward than my Heath Robinson arrangement,
and ponderings regarding a big square/flat & plumb stud, for the table apron..
or even thoughts regarding a thicker walled column with a slot, for a spring pin to engage with.
Slightly miffed, an understatment, why the heck wasn't this wasn't suggested to my thick skull before?,
as I posted on having this exact problem previously.

Care to add a little more details/provide some links if possible?
I'd like to see what clamping arrangements were neseccairy, and Perhaps some other for bits of info.

Wouldn't ya think the manufactures could elaborate on this idea, as it sounds like this extremely useful function could be done very cheaply...
I'd be out experimenting on this, though a fools errand for me now, due to already having this function, combined with the dodgy quill, arbour, bearings, and chuck.. Lol.
Would love to see someone demonstrate this indexed drilling tip with a machine in trustworthy condition.
Cheers
Tom

 

[Woodbloke]

As mentioned above, the new Japanese blade from WH was fitted the other day. The original blurb on the webpage mentioned a thickness of 2.6mm and this was changed after my 'phone call where in conversation with the charming lady in the office (MP off swanning around the Continent apparently...disgraceful) I said it actually measured:



...nearly 3.4mm and would not drop in, as advertised online, straight into a No.4 without 'adjustments'. In this particular instance, the mouth was very carefully filed out from an original, scant 5mm to a just a smidge over 6mm:



Worth noting as well, that as it's a Japanese 'Blue Paper' steel blade, it should IMO be honed with a single 30 deg bevel as you would a chisel. This preserves the much softer backing steel that supports the very, very hard 'Blue Paper' steel honed edge. Matt is off on his hols at the moment, but early next month I'll give him a ring on the dog n'bone and have a natter with him - Rob

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Watch out that for the SS cap iron and a thick cutting iron, the lever cap screw can be close to full stretch with not that many turns of thread engaged. Would not want to strip the thread out of the frog.

 

[AndyT]

Watch out that for the SS cap iron and a thick cutting iron, the lever cap screw can be close to full stretch with not that many turns of thread engaged. Would not want to strip the thread out of the frog.

That sounds like a useful warning.

Rob, if you need one made, I could turn you a longer replacement.

 

[Woodbloke]

That sounds like a useful warning.

Rob, if you need one made, I could turn you a longer replacement.

Thanks Andy, that would be very handy. I'll check after tea and get back to you via a PM if that's OK?

 

[Accipiter]

Question Rob, if I may... re the filing out. Would that be making the opening bigger by filing at the back,front or trying to make it even both front and back? I've never been in such a position for having to do this so my mind is inquisitive about this

 

[Pete Maddex]

If you file the back of the mouth you can go back to a thin iron.

Pete

 

[Woodbloke]

Question Rob, if I may... re the filing out. Would that be making the opening bigger by filing at the back,front or trying to make it even both front and back? I've never been in such a position for having to do this so my mind is inquisitive about this

It's the front of the mouth that's filed....carefully!

If you file the back of the mouth you can go back to a thin iron.

Pete

You still can this way Pete, all you need to do is to advance the frog to close up the gap, but in all honesty, this blade is pretty darn good and I wouldn't want to return to anything thinner - Rob

 

[Planeiron]

That's a great result on filing the mouth. I was in a similar position when I needed a new blade for a no.6. I must've purchased the same brand (also from WSH) along with a new cap iron. There was no way this was going to fit as it's a hefty piece of metal. I chickened out and bought a Hock which turned out to be the Goldilocks of the 3 and just about fitted without any filing.

New blade at the top, old at the bottom