My 'Friday Afternoon' Clifton 5-1/2

[Benchwayze]

You have a point BB. But I would not automatically expect 'use straight out of the box' with any plane, because I always hone a secondary bevel. But from all I'd heard about Cliftons, any other work required is minimal if any, and that wasn't my experience with this one. Maybe my expectations were too high?

Given the other facts gleaned from the thread: I would not regard final setting of the frog position, or removal of "warehouse" preservative, or (as mentioned) final honing of the blade to be unreasonable.

If the retailer does it for you, so that the plane is fully "bench ready" that's great.

The main difficulty here seems to be that no-one knows what level of "final setup" Clifton expect the end user to (have to) do, hence my suggestion of a leaflet.

BugBear

Okay BB.

The claim by Clifton is 'Ready to use straight out of the box'.

That is a bit of hyperbole, because I don't expect a new plane to have an iron in the condition I prefer, with regard to a bevel.

However, I would at least expect the frog to be far enough forward to allow easy mouth adjustment. This wasn't possible because the frog was too far back. No sensible woodworker uses a plane with the frog set back from the rear of the mouth.

Matthew obviously knows the planes can be supplied like this, and makes sure everything is right before it leaves for a purchaser. So Clifton are being a bit optimistic in claiming their planes are ready to use out of the box.

The plane I received was unusable, because the frog was preventing proper adjustment of the blade. Also, there was way too much backlash, which is one point that Clifton are emphatic about. Given Clifton's claims, wouldn't you feel aggrieved?

If not, then you are decidedly easier to please than I am, given the claim that a Clifton is 'Ready to use straight out of the box.'

Apart from honing a secondary bevel, I expected the plane to live up to Clifton's claims. It didn't. I was disappointed. This exaggerated claim is something which Clifton should address.

No More to be said.

Regards
John :x

 

[big soft moose]

I'll put it through our pre-delivery process. If there is anything wrong with it that can't be fixed on the spot I'll replace the plane out of my stock and then square things up with Clico or the other dealer.

I can't ask for fairer than that Matthew, and it's an extremely generous offer. I am most obliged. Can you give me a couple of weeks please? I have a number of routine NHS appointments for the next few days. I could let you know when I could get under-weigh for Oxon!

Cheers and thanks again. You are a 'gold brick' Sir..

Regards
John

an exceptional offer, particularly as (I presume) WH didnt supply the plane and shows why matthew is a cut above most other dealers.

one point i'd make is that if you havent been to matthew's before get extremely detailed directions as sat nav sends you to the wrong place , and despite knowing oxfordshire well i got lost twice en route - i'd also note that hes about as far north as you can get in oxon and is damn nearly in warwickshire.

also on the out of the box thing i'd note that the QS 6 i got from matthew was damn nearly ready to use OOB, just needing a teeny bit of honing.

 

[Benchwayze]

Exactly Moose,

That was what I expected, according to Clifton's claims. I should have bought from Matthew, because the condition of your plane was down to his care and attention to detail. Not down to Clifton's claims!

Thanks for the info ref travel directions. too. Glad I don't have Satnav then! :lol: :lol:
John

 

[big soft moose]

That was what I expected, according to Clifton's claims. I should have bought from Matthew, because the condition of your plane was down to his care and attention to detail. Not down to Clifton's claims!

given that my plane was a QS - i'd have been extremly suprised if it was anything to do with cliftons claims :lol:

 

[xy mosian]

And there's still more backlash than I'd like.

That's hard to fix:

- The lumps on the ends of the adjuster stirrup wear down, and I can't see how to rebuild them easily. I suppose you could fit an adjuster knob with a narrower groove, but it's usually a left-hand thread.

Bright ideas would be welcome here too!

Don't know if this qualifies as bright? If the adjusting yoke is pressed steel, could the lugs be spread with a hammer in the manner of a rivet. The same could be applied t'other end to the lug. Of course the thing would need removing from the plane so it could present more problems. No, I'm beginning to think it's a dim idea.

xy

 

[Benchwayze]

That was what I expected, according to Clifton's claims. I should have bought from Matthew, because the condition of your plane was down to his care and attention to detail. Not down to Clifton's claims!

given that my plane was a QS - i'd have been extremly suprised if it was anything to do with cliftons claims :lol:

Yeah okay! No argument, my misreading... Age you see! :lol:

Regards
John

 

[Vann]

Clico do put out an A4 sheet of instructions. (not as good as those put out by Veritas).

The second paragraph states "The plane is ready for use straight from the box though many woodworkers will prefer to add their own personal honing touch to the cutting edge." So I guess John is justified in feeling aggrieved that his plane didn't live up to this.

What I'm interested to find out is: is the plane simply out of adjustment, or is there a manufacturing fault?

As I said in an earlier post, mine has less than 1/4 turn free play in the depth adjuster, whereas John seems to have more. Again from the instruction pamphlet "...the cutter adjusting wheel engages positively - so no irritating "back-lash";...". So I would think that excessive play would be a fault.

If it's faulty John, send it back. If it's out of adjustment, readjust it and tell us how it goes.

Even Anant claim their planes are "...accurately machined..." :roll: but I think we have a right to expect better from Clico (considering the cost !!!)

Cheers, Vann.

 

[big soft moose]

Even Anant claim their planes are "...accurately machined..." :roll: but I think we have a right to expect better from Clico (considering the cost !!!)

Cheers, Vann.

its all relative i guess, compared with a plane put together out of two by fours by a retarded chimp with a lump hammer they are accurately machined


after all they dont say how accurately machined they are - so a bag of crap annant could be "accurately" machined to plus minus several mm tolerance

 

[Vann]

...they dont say how accurately machined they are - so a bag of crap annant could be "accurately" machined to plus minus several mm tolerance

Yes. I guess I was trying to say - all manufacturers make claims, but if you pay enough money you have a higher expectation that these claims will be met.

I'm waiting for some manufacturer to claim "machined to very low tolerances, with just a 10% chance this thing will actually work, but hey - what do you expect for that money!" (just buy 10 of them - one is sure to work ! :shock: )

I think I'll be waiting a long time :lol:

Cheers, Vann.

ps These comments not aimed at Clifton.

 

[bugbear]

The claim by Clifton is 'Ready to use straight out of the box'.

I know people on forums (nicluding this one) often state that Clifton/LN/LV are usable straight out of the box.

I don't recall Clifton directly making that claim. I'm perfectly ready to be proved wrong.

Hell, I don't remember Clifton advertising at all, but then I don't read magazines, and Clifton are web phobic.

BugBear

 

[Vann]

The claim by Clifton is 'Ready to use straight out of the box'.

I don't recall Clifton directly making that claim. I'm perfectly ready to be proved wrong.

It's on the one page sheet that comes with each plane (2nd paragraph).

Cheers, Vann.

 

[bugbear]

The claim by Clifton is 'Ready to use straight out of the box'.

I don't recall Clifton directly making that claim. I'm perfectly ready to be proved wrong.

It's on the one page sheet that comes with each plane (2nd paragraph).

Cheers, Vann.

Yeah - my bad.

I posted without reading the overnight post in the thread. Sorry about that, and thanks for posting the detail.

BugBear

 

[matthewwh]

I mentioned the issues arising from this thread to Alan Reid, he has read the thread in full and asked me to post the following response on his behalf:

The letter enclosed with every Clifton plane clearly shows our phone no, fax no and email address as well as our postal address and is signed by me. We are always happy to discuss problems, issues or technical questions with end users by phone or in person at shows and to rectify any genuine issues. Customers are usually delighted with our attention to detail and the care we take of them.

The letter mentions that “The Bedrock design differs from the Bailey design …” and goes on to describe the mechanism for adjusting frog position and mouth opening as well. We believe these instructions to be clear and easy to follow. However if the frog was originally set too far back then we would have acknowledged a shortcoming on our part and offered guidance on how to correct it.

The rust preventative that we use does spread an opaque film over the paint work but, as Matthew points out, this can easily be removed to reveal British Racing Green. It should be borne in mind that our planes have to be protected from tropical humidity and transportation by sea as well as whatever the British climate can throw at them and us!

The reported backlash surprises me, but it is not outside the realms of possibility. I'm confident that Matthew will be able to help you with this when you visit him John, if not please feel free to give me a call.



Alan Reid

Managing Director

Clico (Sheffield) Tooling Ltd.

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks you Matthew.
PM sent.

Regards
John

 

[jimi43]

Bloody brilliant from both Matthew and Alan....

I'm impressed and certainly one reason to buy British!

Bravo!

Jim

 

[Routermonster]

I thought it would be useful to add my own experience with Clifton planes.

Reading Matthew's posts and the care with which he prepares planes for sale, I am ashamed to say that I've never bought a Clifton from him. Instead I've always succumbed to temptation at the last three hand tool events I've attended, and parted with my cash at the CHT stand, partly from watching and talking to Mike Hudson and the inimitable Paul Chapman!

My first Cliffie was a No 7, which I ordered a couple of years ago at Westonbirt, When I got it home I discovered some problems. I phoned Mike, wrote to him with an explanation and photos. I returned the faulty plane, and from that point on he sorted everything out for me. Alan Reid also contacted me, apologised for the inconvenience, and sent me a complementary No 400 shoulder plane. When the replacement No 7 was delivered, it was nigh on perfect, and was soon pressed into service. I have to say that I received first class service from Mike and Alan!

Well, I couldn't stop there, could I, and so since then I have acquired a No 3, and this year I finally got my hands on a No 5 1/2 which I ordered at Yandles. It's absolutely awesome! In fact they all are, and get well used. These bench planes knock spots off my older Stanleys.

I do like the O-1 irons, which are easy to hone, and take a very keen edge, even even with my limited skills. I've even got used to the two-piece chipbreaker.

In fairness, I do have a LN 4 1/2, which does a good job as a smoother, and it's beautifully made and flawlessly finished, but my Cliffies are my 'go to' planes at the moment.

Hope this helps

Les

 

[Paul Chapman]

I've always succumbed to temptation at the last three hand tool events I've attended, and parted with my cash at the CHT stand, partly from watching and talking to Mike Hudson and the inimitable Paul Chapman!

Well, you were teetering on the edge of the slope, Les, so required only a gentle nudge :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

I've always succumbed to temptation at the last three hand tool events I've attended, and parted with my cash at the CHT stand, partly from watching and talking to Mike Hudson and the inimitable Paul Chapman!

Well, you were teetering on the edge of the slope, Les, so required only a gentle nudge :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Slope pusher 'extraordinaire' :lol: - Rob

 

[wizer]

So I was just thinking. If Friday afternoon is bad for tools. When's good? Tuesday elevensies?

 

[jimi43]

So I was just thinking. If Friday afternoon is bad for tools. When's good? Tuesday elevensies?

In Dakota...EVERY day is Friday....and nobody can hear you when you scream!

:wink:

Jim