Ever Wondered ....

[Scribbly Gum]

Ever wondered what those Russian handplanes are like that come along from time to time at the markets?

Wonder no more. I have written a little review from my own perspective on my blog.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has one and uses it.
Feel free to comment.
Cheers
SG

[Groggy]

Thanks SG, very interesting and practical write-up. I've always wondered about their planes and I guess the result is pretty much what I expected. :2tsup:

Like your blog too!

[Durdge39]

Interesting read. I can relate to the way this little beast in manufactured. Having utilised some vintage Russian toolkits, it seemed as though sheer functionality to do a specific job was all that was considered, ever. They do have an air of charm about them though.

Many thanks for a good read!

Tom.

[IanW]

S.G., I'm reminded of the old saying about sow's ears and silk purses. I once wasted time on a #3 Stanley that I thought I could 'fix'. It was an ultra-cheap line made to be flogged by department stores. After several days of futile tinkering, I finally decided that it was just not going to perform as I wanted, unless I replaced the body, frog, blade assembly & lever cap. The wooden parts were tolerable. :U I suppose such exercises aren't a waste of time, because they teach us much about what makes a plane work properly.

WRT your blade not wanting to stay put, I'm not convinced that your diagnosis is correct. I don't think the blade should have to rely on the adjuster to hold it in place. What about the many planes with no blade adjusters at all? On any of my planes, the yolk can be backed-off and the blade will stay put through the heaviest cuts (although from long habit I usually do engage it in the 'forward' position, as we were told to do in school). I think you should investigate just how well that hairy lever cap is actually clamping the blade assembly.

There might be some silk lurking in there after all....... :;

Cheers,

[steck]

Thanks for the review~ very interesting and VERY thorough.
I too had been intrigued by the Russian planes.
And I like your Blog page! :2tsup:

[jimbur]

Enjoyed reading that. I wonder if, like us, there is a range varying in quality as well as sizes.
Cheers,
Jim

[jimbur]

An hour or two after posting the last remarks I came across one. At least I suppose so as the box was covered in cyrillic script. Looked rough as SG says.
Cheers,
Jim