Record 020C Question

[Doug Shepard]

After getting a 020C eBay find yesterday, I started looking at the blade. Not exactly dull, but not what I'd call sharp either so I proceeded to hone it and the chipbreaker needs a bit of lapping too (the blade appears pretty flat though). But I cant determine what the normal bevel angle originally was and figured I'd start there. This looks like it's always been done freehand and there are numerous small flats of varying angles. One side of the blade has me thinking 25°, and the other 30°. Does anyone know what the factory bevel angle on these was?

Second question.
I tried Googling to see if I could find the answer to the first question and came up empty. Does anyone know of a site for Record planes similar to the Patrick's Blood/Gore for Stanleys?

[Brent Smith]

Hi Doug,

Mine is 25 degrees. I can't remember if that was the angle when I bought it though.

BTW....how do you type that little degree sign?

[Doug Shepard]

...
BTW....how do you type that little degree sign?

In Windoze use Programs->Accesories->System Tools then pick Character Map
There's a Help button with explanations but it's pretty self explanatory

Thanks for the angle. Just figured I'd get it set as if it were new and see how it works before I start monkeying with anything.

[Brent Smith]

Thanks Doug. I'll have to play with it for a while to figure it out.

[Michael Faurot]

Does anyone know what the factory bevel angle on these was?


From what I'm reading (see below), it appears it should be 25〫



Does anyone know of a site for Record planes similar to the Patrick's Blood/Gore for Stanleys?Not a site, but an inexpensive book. The book Planecraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3421), is both a how-to type of book for using planes, but also a reference for much of what Record made.

When I looked through my copy of Planecraft for info on the 020, it has a whole chapter devoted to it. In this chapter it mentions the following with regard to the bevel angle:
The adjustment of the cutter, grinding and honing, are precsely the same as for the Bench Planes. (See Chapters 5 and 6).
Essentially Chapters 5 and 6 are about grinding and honing and say that you should grind the bevel to 25〫. If you like a micro bevel, it says that should be done to 30〫. Also you may want to look at the cap iron (chip breaker). In the book it shows a cap iron gauge, which is a little icon of two lines intersecting at 25〫. The idea is supposed to be that you grind the iron and then hold it to the cap iron gauge to check your work. When the blade angle looks like the image on the cap iron--you're done.

[Doug Shepard]

...
Not a site, but an inexpensive book. The book Planecraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3421), is both a how-to type of book for using planes, but also a reference for much of what Record made.
...


Shoot. I've actually got that book somewhere. It's probably been 15 years since I read through it, and forgot all about it or that it had info on Records planes in there. Time to go on a scavenger hunt.

Thanks