Calvert Stevens, anyone own one?

[ED65]

More to the point I suppose, does anyone use one?

I was reminded of these yesterday when I was leafing through a woodworking book and saw one pictured (I thought bizarrely) in one of those standard establishing shots in the early pages showing a spread of kit.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

This old thread should cover most questions about them;

information-and-opinions-record-calvert-stevens-cs88-t51147.html

I stand to be corrected, but I think the CS88 number was the year of introduction - 1988. I can recall them first coming on the scene, to some fanfare in the woodworking press since there wasn't much of real quality about at the time. Lie-Nielsens started to become available in the UK a few years after, and the CS88 was quietly dropped from production soon after - they weren't on sale for very long, maybe a decade, if that.

 

[sunnybob]

selling for 300 dollars in the states.

 

[katellwood]

I use one as a daily user, my wife bought it for me before we got married.

Was purchased from Tabwell Tools in Bakewell Derbyshire, nicely boxed and individually numbered

One of the drawbacks I initially noticed was that as it has a norris style adjuster as opposed to a bailey design I found the original lever cap not suitable so I changed it for a a record screw cap and keep the original cap in the box.

As previously identified for quality tools in the late eighties there was little choice unless you went for second hand

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Correction to my previous post - according to this link http://record-plane-reviews.co.uk/recor ... o-cs88.php the CS88 was only made for a very short time, 1988 to 1990 - so it didn't make anything close to a decade! It's demise may well have preceded LN's arrival by a few years.

Katellwood - I remember Tabwell Tools! They used to have a two-page advert in Woodworker every month, closely typed with lists of all sorts of tasty tooly goodies. Fairly sure my Record 07 and 12" try square came from them. Wonder what became of them?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Last accounts 1998.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

* sigh*

Another one bites the dust! Shame, they were a good little business - but thanks for the info, Phil.

 

[loftyhermes]

They also had a shop in Chesterfield, bought my Record lathe and morticer from there in 1993. Didn't they become Rutlands?

 

[katellwood]

I live in Kent but my parents live in Derbyshire. It was my highlight of a visit to go to Tabwell tools.

Later they opened a second shop in the town, one by the car park the other in the central island area that formed the one way system, both were excellent

In the latter shop they had on display a Myford Super 7 which I drooled over and used to twiddle the knobs on the cross and top slide.

They also used to sell plenty of seconds chisels and other stuff which had come from Sheffield (I still have a few Marples chisels from there)

Happy days

 

[ED65]

Thanks gents.

I'd not really be surprised that there aren't many owners here, far less so about a low number of users though.