Thread: Record 043 Plough Plane.

Very much in demand when they occasionally show up for sale, too.

I found two at the same time a couple of years ago. One went in the collection and the other I sold on a well known internet selling site. For well north of $100, which surprised me somewhat.

This one cost me $73.00 (au) from the u.k back in 2010.

Stewie;

I picked one up at the end of August for just under $70 including shipping. Used, but in very good condition and came with extra blades too. Was absolutely gobsmacked at the winning bid as I was prepared to nudge 3 figures to get it.

Stewie; that seems to be a massive fence you've fitted. The fences on my 44 and 778 are about 1-1/4 deep" and probably only about 3/8" thick; I had intended to make a similar sized one for the 43 also. What advantages have you found with using such a large block of wood?

Chief; If you have ever tried to use the 043 without an auxiliary fence you would understand its a nightmare trying to balance the plane while keeping the fence tight against the work piece.

The auxiliary fence fitted is 25 x 30mm. I chose to use a softwood over a hardwood in order to better balance the weight felt on the outboard side of the plane. The extra thickness provides for improved registration of the fingers of the left hand on the underside of the fence. That extra thickness also allowed me to use longer 1/2" round head screws to better draw the auxiliary fence tight against it primary. With the extra thickness provided I also have plenty of scope in the future to resurface the inside face of the auxiliary fence as wear from being rubbed tightly against the edge off the work piece takes it toll.

The extra depth provided by the auxiliary fence provides a deeper registration against the work piece.

It may not show clearly within the attached photos, but a 1/8" deep V shaped rebate has been added which follows the bed line of the blade. This prevents the shavings from getting caught if the rebate is started at the very edge of the work piece.

regards Stewie;

I can't comment on that one, but on ebay UK the metal plow planes are practically pouring out of the site. I ordered a novelty plane a couple of days ago (Marples M50), and will see how it compares to the later record types (044c and 050c, both of those types are pretty nice). I had a side grip stanley 50 years ago, one with no adjuster to keep the iron from creeping around in the grip, and never did like it much as the iron would advance while cutting no matter what you did. If I still had it, I'd try to scuff the casting and sand the sides of the irons to get a grip, but just getting a better designed plane is a better idea.

One of my favourite planes - so much so that I have 3 of them, so I don't have to change blades. AS I mentioned elsewhere, when you take a blade out the piece with a screw that holds the blade tight in place is free to wander away (and does in my shop). Only having to take the blade out to sharpen it has reduced the time lost in playing 'hunt the missing piece'....

I also agree that adding an auxiliary fence helps a lot with registration and, as a result with keeping the plane vertical and parallel to the edge. I put the front hand palm upwards between the rods with fingertips pressing the fence against the workpiece and then curl the fingers so the palm supports the curved piece between the rods. Once you get used to this grip, the plane is a delight to use.

Jeremy; you should know the forum rules, no photo's, it didn't happen.

Stewie;

Originally Posted by planemaker

Stewie, I love your sticking board

Ian; it a handy set up for those awkward planing tasks.

Stewie;

Originally Posted by planemaker

Jeremy; you should know the forum rules, no photo's, it didn't happen.

Stewie;

I will see if I can convince one of the offspring to take a photo - with both hands on the plane, photography is quite tricky!

I prefer a deeper but thinner subfence. I do not see the point of making it thick - this simply reduces some of the rod length. The ideal subfence for me is like the one on my Small Plow ..



The one on my Rapier #043 has less depth, mainly because it is used for smaller pieces. The #043 was used for the curved rebate which I added to the drawer bottom below ...








Incidentally, I have two sets of rods for my #043, one short and one long. The short rods plus the thinner fence reduces the mass and increases feedback.

For those interested, I wrote a comparison of the #043, #044 and Small Plow here about a decade ago. Reading through the article, there are helpful tips for setting up the fence of the #043.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek; for the benefit of the members, I thought we were trying to keep our distance.

Was it too much to ask. !!!

Stewie;

Originally Posted by planemaker

Derek; for the benefit of the members, I thought we were trying to keep our distance.

Was it too much to ask. !!!

Stewie;

I have no idea what are you talking about. This is a public forum and I am replying to the thread with information that others may find helpful.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Photo showing how I hold the fence