rapier planes

[lurcher]

does anyone have any experience with the rapier brand of planes.
i got several over a couple of weeks and at the weekend i set up a 4,1/2 paid alot of attention to the blade flat back and very sharp the build of the planes is very good there up there with the old stanley and record very well machined castings all mine are the red models.
so got some oak out and it planed as good as any other of my planes which is a big fleet.
what i am trying to say is try one fore yourself you might just get a nice suprise.

 

[ED65]

Rapier planes get a very mixed press. There are more than a handful of negative comments about them here but not a few members have commented similarly to you here that they like the one or two Rapiers they have. I think the wide range in views could be down to a similar issue that Acorns have in that they varied quite a bit during their production run.

With Acorns it's not just down to the quality of the castings and machining but actual design details varied enough to make some materially less good than the better ones.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I have a Rapier #043, the little plough plane. It is an identical copy of the Record #043. I cannot tell the difference.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[AndyT]

The copy of the 043 is the only Rapier tool that I have.

Just "for the record" there is a difference - the diameter of the rods on the Record is a slim, elegant 9/32". On the Rapier, it's a fat, ugly 5/16"!

(I'm joking, of course - the size difference is real, but it makes no practical difference to use or performance. )

The quality of surface finish is a little rougher on my Rapier - but again, this is of no consequence and you would only notice it if you were odd enough to own both and pose the two together like this.

Rapier on the left, Record on the right:

Record above, Rapier below:

You can of course mix and match the cutters, or use any narrow cutters from any other plough plane.

 

[ED65]

Thanks for that Andy, very useful comparison.

 

[Vann]

...It is an identical copy of the Record #043. I cannot tell the difference.

...Just "for the record" there is a difference - the diameter of the rods on the Record is a slim, elegant 9/32". On the Rapier, it's a fat, ugly 5/16"!

snip

The quality of surface finish is a little rougher on my Rapier...

This is why I've gone off Derek. He seems to decide that you don't need to know things. If he can't tell the difference, can he tell the difference between a piece of rough sawn timber and a finely planed surface?

If I'd bought a Rapier 043 for parts for my Record 043, on the strength of Derek's "identical copy", "I cannot tell the difference", I'd be highly pee'd off.

Andy, on the other hand, makes well researched comments, and it's a pleasure to read his postings.

Shortly after Veritas launched their PM-V11 irons, I asked Derek if the 2 1/4" Jack Rabbet iron would fit the 2 1/4" Low Angle Jack (figuring that I already had several O1 irons for the LAJ - I didn't need any more - but maybe I'd buy a Jack Rabbet one day and I could try the new steel in the interm). Derek would not give a straight answer. I can only assume he'd decided I didn't need to know.

Sorry to Derek bash... (hammer)

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Good grief!

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Vann]

Good grief!

I quite agree.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

More info on the #043 for Andy ..

Having used a Record #044 alongside a Rapier #043 for some years, I could not tell the difference in quality of finish (note that these planes are used, and comparing "shine" is not possible). Having used a Rapier #043 alongside a Record #043, I could not see a difference in their performance and their parts were interchangeable (I think that the depth stop foot on the Rapier in the photo is from a Stanley #45).

There is a review of the Veritas Small Plow along with a comparison to the Record #044 and Rapier #043 ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReview ... Plane.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[ED65]

Geez Vann, tell us how you really feel.

If we concentrate on cosmetics only surely you've had enough tools pass through your hands to realise that manufacture can vary so much across the period that some tools are made that finish might not be, in fact is virtually guaranteed not to be, always the same? Add to that wear and weathering on one end and restoration or pimping efforts on the other and no two examples of any one tool may tell us anything definitive about what you could generally expect.

Anyway that aside, based purely on the pictures presented in this thread the Rapiers appear to have a slightly better cast texture than the Records!

 

[Vann]

Geez Vann, tell us how you really feel...

Yes, I kinda did, didn't I.

Ah well, back to normal programming.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I have a Rapier metal 'low angle' spokeshave, that I picked up for about £3 at a local car boot. I like it very much and it has marked similarities to the Veritas/LV LA spokeshave.
Cheers, W2S