@
Paolo.wood
£5?
You'll probably at least get your money back by selling the individual bits as spares. You could then get a new version that is complete. I know that recent actions with the EU has has probably screwed up postage to Italy, but they come up regularly on Ebay in the UK......... As do spare blade clamps at a big mark-up. It is often easier to get a new one complete.
Personally over many years working I tend to use the Record 043 most of the time - it will work in most woods with cutters up to about 1/2 inch (12mm) before becoming a struggle, needing something bigger.
Therefore I have more than one set up for some of those jobs that have two or more repetitive grooves, but of different sizes. I even found an incomplete one that someone had cut and shortened the front nose...... so that it would work into a blind stopped groove. I think that it was an 'orphaned' body, minus its fence.
I never did - and still don't - understand why Record never configured the 043/044 blade clamp to be captive on a swiveling pin so that didn't get lost.... even the Quangsheng 043 look-alike has the same type of fixing. It was in production for decades and loosing the clamp was a well-known issue.
So, on my shelf I have a couple of 043s, (plus the 'adapter' I mentioned) and an 044. I've adapted each with a couple of circular cable lugs and short piece of flexible wire about 2 inches (50mm) long under the head of the fixing screw and the depth adjuster screw. It comes off, but has enough slack to hang loose while I sort out the blade before it gets put back.
However..... bits missing on plough planes has always been a problem...... depth-stops, spare fence bars and all sorts of cutters jump ship into the shavings and get lost.
Good luck.
