Thread: Plough plane recommendations

St James bay tool co Home sell repro blades. Have used them via eBay for Stanley 48 blades previously

Replacement cutters for the Record 050 was discussed on the UK forum a couple of years ago (and no doubt numerous other times). Here are some bits copied from that thread:

Originally Posted by Vann on UK forum

Stanley originally made the No.50 without an adjuster (1884-1935). In 1932 Record brought out their No.050 and the following year added a screw type adjuster. Not to be outdone, Stanley added a lever type adjuster to their No.50 in 1936.

So pre 1936 Stanley No.50 cutters don't come with a nick to fit the Record adjuster. Post 1936 Stanley No.50 cutters come with grooves on the underside, that don't fit the Record adjuster. If you want to use the adjuster you'll need to obtain a set of genuine or replacement Record No.050 cutters. If you don't care about having an adjuster (and lets face it, the Record No.043 plough plane works well enough without one), then you can remove the adjuster screw knob and use just about any combination plane cutters.

Originally Posted by Vann on UK forum

Here's a photo of various combination plane cutters that I have access to.


CuttersXM.jpg [ 239.73 KiB | Viewed 2018 times ]

As there is a little wear in some of the cutters, I've looked for the longest in each box.

Record 043 cutters are ~75mm overall;
Record 044 cutters are ~90mm overall;
Record 050 cutters are ~72-73mm overall;
Stanley 50 cutters are ~75mm overall;
Stanley 45 cutters are ~93mm overall;
My sole Clifton Multiplane cutter is 92mm overall;
Stanley 12-50x cutters are ~85mm overall;
Unfortunately the only two Stanley 12-50x (or whatever) cutters I have, are too narrow to have a notch (assuming any have a notch).

So as you can see, none of the cutters from other planes will fit the Record 050 without modification - if you want to use the adjuster. Even if the Stanley 12-50x cutters have the notch in the correct location, the cutter will be too long and will stick out the bottom of the No.050 by about 12mm. On the other hand, any of the cutters shown could be easily modified to fit a Record 050 by shortening the cutter and filing/grinding a notch.

Where to find blades for Record no 050 plane? : Hand Tools - UKworkshop.co.uk

If you are considering buying new cutters, Clifton have discontinued their multiplane (No.45 clone) and were selling off any remaining cutters cheaply a few months ago. Probably the Veritas ones would be your best bet (for some reason they weren't considered in that thread).

Or just make your own, as others have suggested.

HTH.

Cheers, Vann.

Cheers for that Vann, that's a wealth of information right there.

Apparently the Veritas cutters are ~83mm long (~10mm longer than the 050 cutters). Accessory Blades for the Veritas Small Plow : Hand Tools - UKworkshop.co.uk

It's too late at night to go check whether the Record 050 has enough adjustment to take a Veritas cutter - or whether you'd need to re-notch or shorten the cutter.

Cheers, Vann.

Hi there,

If you want to actually use a plough plane, and for a fair bit of work, here are a few things for you to possibly consider.

Working plough planes have skates as thick as possible and the skate holds down the wood to be planed, right up to the cutter.
This makes the cutting smooth and sweet, and in use, the cutting action "sings" a lovely tune.

The Record 044 skate is just a bit thinner than the thinnest normally supplied blade, 1/8 inch.
This is good.
The Record 050 has a much thinner skate, as the plane was designed to be multi-use, and not just a plough.
When using the Record 050 as a plough, sometimes the work "chips up" in front of the cutter, and the groove is rougher.
(This "chipping" is endemic in combination planes, and forces the user to make very light cuts. A real plough plane can make a decent size cut).
The bottom of a 044 groove is smooth, especially for thin grooves, ie 5/16 inch or smaller.
Both will work, the 044 is better, in my opinion. I have used them both as ploughs.

The other thing with using these planes all day, is that in general, the metal fences supplied with the plane are too small, and the plane will rock sideways in use, and the cut groove will inevitably be tapered on both sides.
A little bit of groove taper can be actually beneficial, but large rough cuts looks bad, and sometimes you can get side "tear out".

The Record 044 metal fence, like most plough planes, has two holes.
Make up an enlarged fence from say 5/16 inch five ply scrap.
My working plane has a 45 mm deep fence.
Use small CSK screws for attachment.
Practice using the plane, holding the fence against the side of the work, as well as pushing the plane through the work.
The plane will now be much more stable in the vertical sense.
Do not wax the wooden fence, as the wax gets onto the work.

After a few hours of using any plane, it gets a bit tedious.
Make sure your choice is comfortable in the hand, and not too heavy.

Don't be tempted to use a Record 405 combination plane (or Stanley 45 etc) as a plough plane, unless it is as a last resort.
The Record 043 was only designed for very small jobs, and I find it very finicky in actual use.


My solid preference for a working plough plane is a Record 044.
That avatar of mine has been a 044 for years.

Good luck to you, mike

Cheers Mike, that's very informative! I've decided to go with a Record 044 until I can afford the Veritas, too much mucking around to get the 050 up and running when I can just sell it on and put the funds towards something proper.

Hi Bueller,

well if it all goes belly up, you can blame me.

Don't worry if your blades are a bit short due to old age and lots of use.
It's actually an advantage, as the top end of a long blade on a 044 in use touches your clenched fingers, and can be irritating.

If you need a manual for the Record 044 (and 043).
Not particularly enlightening, but ...

http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/record043manual.pdf.

I suggest you practise on 3 feet of groove, or so, before you start real work, just to get the hang of a plough plane, and the feel of the 044.
Don't start a run at the end of your work, but rather a bit in from the end, then reverse your work.

Geez, I hope I am not preaching too much here.

cheerio, mike

Haha nah I appreciate the comments mate, just what I was looking for when I posted this. Cheers for the link to the manual too!

Hadn't forgotten about this thread, just picked up a Record 044C off ebay so I'll be able to have a bit of a play soon!

Well that was quick! Very happy for the price I paid, it came to $79 including shipping and is only missing one of the original thumbscrews for the fence. It looks like a standard size so I'll hunt around online and buy a couple of replacements. Also came with all 10 blades, can't see any obvious signs of use on any of them.



Will get it in some Evaporust tonight and have a play this weekend, just need to find a work surface that won't go flying when using a hand plane 😂

Love me some Evaporust. Already used a couple of times but everything should still be sparkling again in about an hour.

And done! Looking forward to having a play 😊

These are nicely made planes. Clever design that won a design award in the UK.
The Lee Valley versions are an update of this concept.
There are 2 minor downsides. First, the depth stop adjuster relies on a tapered pin to expand a plastic tube to set the depth. It can be a bit fiddly to adjust especially if the piece of plastic tube has been sitting squashed for the last 30 years.
Second, the plastic handle soon gets pretty slippery in Australia conditions and without the serif like hook on the top of the handle to grip the web between your finger and thumb you need to hold it tighter than feels natural.
With a little ingenuity, you could replace the handle with something nicer.

I've actually been thinking about making a new handle for it, pretty much a copy of the one that's on there with a horn at the top to get a better grip. The depth stop seems to work fine on mine luckily but you're right that it's not a great design. Might have to figure out a better method in future and make some mods.