Record Spokeshave differences

[TRITON]

I picked up a record spokeshave the other day on ebay for a couple of quid- not a super bargain, it doesnt have an iron or cap, Type A151 curved sole.
Intending on buying another, flat sole and swopping the bits over as needed.
But it got me to thinking. The type i have is curved A151, and i see on ebay there is a record A151 flat sole. But there are others. You have an 0151, No51, A063, A065.
Does anyone know what the differences are ?.

 

[fleyh]

Differences between 0151 and A151 described here: Record Spokeshave - 0151 / 0151R - Review
- The Record 0151 spokeshave body is made from grey iron with a blue japanning finish.
- The Record A151 spokeshave body is made from malleable iron with a red finish.

I have seen few Record No(0/A)151s with round-ish looking sole which (I assume) started as a flat sole. The metal is probaly too soft and gets rounded overtime. It is very easy to flatten it back on a sharpening stone.

- A063 is like 151 but does not have those knurled knobs and is called "non adjustable". I find this kind of spokeshave easier to adjust by knocking various parts of spokeshave on a bench or with a small hammer, just like "non adjustable" hand planes. To me 151 models are more cumbersome to adjust because those adjustment knobs get in the may more than they help.

- A065 is a Chamfer spokeshave
You may find a bit more information here: Old Spokeshaves - scroll down to Record

My personal favourite (of non specialised spokeshaves) is Stanley No53/54 with adjustable mouth. It does not have those annoying height adjustment knobs, so it takes just a couple a couple of seconds to set the required blade height. Adjustable mouth makes it more adaptable to various grain types.