A rabbet block plane reviewed

[János]

Hello,

I have bought a Dick rabbet block plane recently. This is a small review.

The plane is hefty and well finished, the inside has a pale brown coat of paint/powder coating. the sole is flat. Sides are square with the sole. The adjuster has a quarter turn of backlash. Mouth opening is under 1 mm (it is between 1 and 0,8mm, depending on the cutting depth). The cutter is finely ground and flat.

My only objection is about the working of the adjuster and lever cap, as the tightening of the lever cap diminishes the set cutting depth, so setting the cutting depth is guesswork.

Otherwise the tool performs well.

Have a nice day,

János

 

[Fat ferret]

A plane review with no shavings on show? :evil: Seriously thanks for taking the time to share your experiences 8) .

 

[Saint Simon]

Do you have any idea why tightening the lever cap affects the depth of cut? I don't think I have experienced that with my block planes with that kind of lever cap tightening.
Simon

 

[Paul Chapman]

Do you have any idea why tightening the lever cap affects the depth of cut?

It probably causes the body of the plane to flex. This would be because the plane is a rebate plane with the mouth open on both sides, which makes the plane less rigid than a normal block plane. Best not to over-tighten the lever cap screw.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[János]

Hello,

I left some parameters of the tool out of my first post...
The blade is 44,5 millimetres wide, and 3,2 millimetres thick, made from JIS SK4 low alloy tool steel (equivalent to AISI W110 or DIN EN 1.545).
And you can find a kind, but not too useful thing in the box.

Dear Simon, dear Paul, yes I do have... The lever cap draws back the blade a little bit as it is tightened, I guess. The theory of the plane body flexing is appealing, but possibly not true. Over-tightening the lever cap would flex the rear part of the body, especially the unsupported part of the bed along the mouth, down, and increase the cutting depth (and the rear part of the sole would become concave/hollow), I think.
Any idea about a possible remedy?

Have a nice day,

János

 

[LuptonM]

Is this a Chinese made plane like the ones at Rutlands or Workshop heaven-ie the same make?

 

[János]

Hello,

I do not know where it was made. The home page tells nothing about its origin.
http://www.mehr-als-werkzeug.de:80/cate ... 1_3593.htm
There was nothing about the place of manufacture on the box or in the instructions.
I will write to the customer service, and ask them about the origin. But it is low priced enough to be Chinese.

Have a nice day,

János

 

[pedder]

Hi Janos,

pretty sure they're made in the same factory as Juuma, Woodriver, Quengshang, Dakota .....

Why? All the lines of planes lack a #7 or #8.

Cheers
Pedder

 

[LuptonM]

Hi Janos,

pretty sure they're made in the same factory as Juuma, Woodriver, Quengshang, Dakota .....

Why? All the lines of planes lack a #7 or #8.

Cheers
Pedder

The equipment (surface grinder???) to make a sole the size of a 7 or 8 is much more expensive than one capable of making no 6 planes or smaller. At-least I think it was Mathew or someone who said something like that.

 

[János]

Hello,

Perhaps there is a more simple reason for the lacking no.7s and no.8s. The chinese craftsmen use(d) wooden handplanes for trying and jointing. These planes are much shorter than the Occidental jointers: their length resembles the length of a No.6 fore plane.
The factory's ( http://www.qstools.com/index.asp ) main market is China, I think....

Have a nice day,

János

 

[Modernist]

Interesting link which I've not seen before. I didn't realise they also did bronze planes. Where will it all end?

 

[matthewwh]

...All the lines of planes lack a #7 or #8.

Cheers
Pedder

Not any more they don't!

 

[Alf]

Oh really? Well, well, well.

 

[LuptonM]

...All the lines of planes lack a #7 or #8.

Cheers
Pedder

Not any more they don't!

Why is it so expensive compared to the rest of the line??????? Its not that much bigger than a no6

 

[jimi43]

...All the lines of planes lack a #7 or #8.

Cheers
Pedder

Not any more they don't!

Matthew.....I only saw this tonight when looking to see if Clifton does a 77A iron...and WOW...that is a nice looking plane! Stainless steel lever cap...too!

I am sorely tempted to assume my loved ones love me enough at Christmas time to....mmmm

My Record would get jealous...and it has been kind to me...and it never ever dropped the bottom of it's SS cap on my toes...so...mmmm.....

Interesting! =P~

Jim

 

[pedder]

...All the lines of planes lack a #7 or #8.

Cheers
Pedder

Not any more they don't!

Ok, so it will be a matter of time until we see all the other lines releasing #7, too, don't we?

Cheers
Pedder

 

[matthewwh]

You might very well think that Pedder, I couldn't possibly comment...!

Lupton,

It kinda depends whether you're a glass half full or glass half empty guy. The price of skilled labour in China is rising fast and Oil was $75/ barrel when we started importing these, coupled with a less than perky pound you start to see why prices are rising. I still reckon £179.50 for a high spec No.7 including delivery to anywhere in UK, France, Germany, Benelux or Ireland is a cracking deal.