Record No 50a

[digitalbot]

Does anybody have any opinion on the Record No50a combination plane?
I've been thinking about getting one or something like it for a while. Do they work well?
I was hoping to use the tongue and groove cutters and the beaders to do the boards on a couple of decent barn doors next year. Has anybody had any experience of using them? How much should I be paying on the 'bay for one with all the bits? Roughly.

Thanks

just edited it. Its the 50a not "c". Doh.

 

[Argus]

In my opinion the Record No 50 is a superior beast to the Stanley version. The blade retention and advance is more positive and good quality, mostly unused ones are not scarce. It's best to ensure that it is complete and that all the bits are present.

As with all the combination planes, they work best as a plough plane and I have found that the T&G blades work best in clear straight grained stock; they can put up a fight in any wavy-grained stuff, so would not be my first choice if you have a lot of it to do. OK for the odd plank or two, but not for all day work.


Depending on your board thickness, it may be best to look around for a matched pair of old wooden T&Gs. You should expect to do some cleaning and fettling, but they work very well.

Likewise with beading blades. Good for a few boards, but if you have any serious mileage to do, or larger sized beads, old woodies are best.

As always, my opinion, hope it helps.

 

[digitalbot]

thanks for that
I was toying wiith the idea of some old wooden moulding planes. Don't know that much about them but they don't seem to be that complicated ( famous last words.)
I supppose it's knowing what to look for and getting a good one. I should be able to manage the sharpening though as there are quite a few sites showing the how too's.

While i'm at it, can anyone tell me why the tongue and groove on "modern" floorboards is offset from the center line? My house is about 1910 and some of the boards are center grooved whilst some of the others are offset. I presume someone has done some renovation the past and the offset ones have been used to replace the damaged originals.

 

[Argus]

T&G boards are said to 'centre' on a particular thickness of board, though the only critical dimensions are the distance from the fence to the edge of the groove and the thickness of the tongue, which must fit in the said groove. Which means that the right hand side (opposite the fence) may be wider.
These dimensions don't vary and are the reason why pairs of T&G planes are matched pairs. Don't buy odd planes by different makers, they probably won't fit and the marriage of the boards will not be smooth and level.
Boards often vary slightly in thickness, even though they appear the same, it is best practice to always work with your fences from a designated face side.

All best

 

[skipdiver]

The tongue and groove is offset to signify the top from the bottom, with the best face facing up. It also allows for more wear before the tongue is exposed and finally, the the bottom is sometimes machined slightly back so the top meets tightly when cramped up without interference from the bottom.

 

[AndyT]

+1 to what Argus said.
The Record 50a is a good sound plane. The "a" means it should have the easily lost clamping bracket allowing you to use 1/8" and 3/16" cutters but see this post for a way round that problem if needed.

I prefer the later version with clamped rods, rather than those with threaded ends, as it lets you adjust them side to side to get them out of the way or improve balance if needed.

Another option for your T&G is the rather clever Stanley 48 or 49, where a single fence flips round to switch from tongue to groove, but that will probably be harder to find and dearer than the combi option.

 

[Argus]

Aha! Type a, eh?.

I didn't know that, Andy. I've had mine for donkeys years and it was - is - complete and of the later design, but came in its own wooden box.

Stanley 48s are scarce. Lie Nielsen do a modern version, but it's expensive..................