Originally Posted by
Josko Catipovic
I have a sort of a similar question: I have a set of '80-s Record bench planes; I know them, and they know me, that is, I'm very comfortable with what I can achieve with them. Would I gain anything in planing performance by 'upgrading to a set of LV/LN planes? I did back-to-back tests only twice: my #7 vs LV BU #7, and had problems with tearout on the LV. The other time my #9 vs LV BD #9, and it was sort of, 6 of one, 1/2 doz of the other.
I've taken decent care of my planes. Frogs are bedded down right, gap is where I want it, they're flat, etc. I 'upgraded' a couple blades to PMV-11, but didn't see much of a difference.
So, would my planing performance improve if I replaced the Records with fancier brands? Would I be able to tackle a wider range of woods?
The only real 'performance' improvement would likely be in the depth adjustment or other design improvements. Some of my Stanley/Bailey planes take a couple revolutions or more of the depth adjuster to change engagement from advancing to retracting a blade. The LV/LN planes are built with tighter tolerances. The lateral adjusters on LN/LV planes are likely not going to be loose.
The difference most seen by swapping a blade to PMv-11 is the blade being able to maintain its edge though more work. My Hock 01 blades perform amazingly well. My Stanley branded blades perform as well but tend to need honing more often. They do seem to wear different than the Hock blades. The Hock blades tend to not chip as much.
The difference between planing performance of a well tuned and maintained Record planes versus LV/LN planes will not be discernible. The feel in one's hands may be different. The esthetics of using a finely finished tool may affect the user's senses in a positive manner. In the same way as using a century old refurbished tool can also be a satisfying experience.
jtk
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