I mentioned these in another thread, and figured it would be better to start a new thread with photos.
I had planned to acquire a small series of hand planes one at a time. I had been searching for a Stanley No. 7 and attempted a few eBay bids, one of which was for a new old stock No. 7 in the original box. That particular example sold for close to $400, and it was then I began looking at the Record No. 07 plane.
While researching the Record planes, I stumbled on a 3-plane set offered on eBay and the description said, “Record Plane Set (Smoother, Jack, Jointer). Condition is Used. Original Plastic Handles have been replaced with rosewood. All planes include Veritas blades and chip-breakers. Plane socks for each plane are also included.” The eBay buy it now sale was asking $425 or best offer, so I offered $400 and it was accepted.
A few days later, 3 Record planes (numbers 04, 05 and 07) arrived on my doorstep and I thought they were brand new because none showed any sign of wear. The Veritas irons and breakers were all there, but it seems 2 of them had been sharpened in a different manner than the third. I tried contacting the seller because I had a few questions, but never got a reply. I don’t know if these planes were part of an estate sale or if the seller was simply giving up on them, giving up on woodworking, or moving to a different brand.
I spent several days going over these, starting with checking flatness and square sides. During my inspections, I think I discovered a possible reason the seller got rid of them. The Veritas items were all first-rate, but the heads of the screws clamping the irons and breakers together were too thick on a couple planes. And they were the same 2 planes whose irons appeared to have been sharpened on a grinder (curved surface).
Each overly thick screw head prevented the iron from making full, flush contact with the frog. There was a 0.050” gap between them, and most likely caused poor performance. In turn, the seller may have attempted sharpening the irons in an attempt to improve performance. I only had to swap one thick head to the 07, and grind one screw head thinner (see photo) to ensure all irons fit flush to the frogs.
My last step was to hone the irons back to their 35° angle (all 3 are oriented bevel down), and adjust the frogs before final re-assembly. These Record planes work very well and I’m glad I took a gamble on them.
I had planned to acquire a small series of hand planes one at a time. I had been searching for a Stanley No. 7 and attempted a few eBay bids, one of which was for a new old stock No. 7 in the original box. That particular example sold for close to $400, and it was then I began looking at the Record No. 07 plane.
While researching the Record planes, I stumbled on a 3-plane set offered on eBay and the description said, “Record Plane Set (Smoother, Jack, Jointer). Condition is Used. Original Plastic Handles have been replaced with rosewood. All planes include Veritas blades and chip-breakers. Plane socks for each plane are also included.” The eBay buy it now sale was asking $425 or best offer, so I offered $400 and it was accepted.
A few days later, 3 Record planes (numbers 04, 05 and 07) arrived on my doorstep and I thought they were brand new because none showed any sign of wear. The Veritas irons and breakers were all there, but it seems 2 of them had been sharpened in a different manner than the third. I tried contacting the seller because I had a few questions, but never got a reply. I don’t know if these planes were part of an estate sale or if the seller was simply giving up on them, giving up on woodworking, or moving to a different brand.
I spent several days going over these, starting with checking flatness and square sides. During my inspections, I think I discovered a possible reason the seller got rid of them. The Veritas items were all first-rate, but the heads of the screws clamping the irons and breakers together were too thick on a couple planes. And they were the same 2 planes whose irons appeared to have been sharpened on a grinder (curved surface).
Each overly thick screw head prevented the iron from making full, flush contact with the frog. There was a 0.050” gap between them, and most likely caused poor performance. In turn, the seller may have attempted sharpening the irons in an attempt to improve performance. I only had to swap one thick head to the 07, and grind one screw head thinner (see photo) to ensure all irons fit flush to the frogs.
My last step was to hone the irons back to their 35° angle (all 3 are oriented bevel down), and adjust the frogs before final re-assembly. These Record planes work very well and I’m glad I took a gamble on them.