Which side rabbet plane?

[woden]

I'm looking to purchase a secondhand side rabbet plane. There seem to be three different types coming up on ebay every so often so I've been pondering which model to go for.

The Stanley #79 seems to be fairly common and cheap but has the flaw in its design that you have to trail one of the blades when it's not cutting unless you back it off. Stanley's #98 and #99 solve this problem as there's a separate plane for each blade but these come up less frequently and are more expensive, especially for a pair. The third type is Record's #2506 which, from what I've read, is a simplified version of one of Preston's designs. This seems to have the shortcomings of the others well and truly sorted. The blades overlap and protrude on different sides of the body so no dragging/backing off hassles. Then there's the fact that like the 79 one plane is all that's needed unlike Stanley's other offering.

So it seems to me that the Record #2506 is the best of the bunch. What do you guys think?

Strangely Lie Nielsen opted to reproduce the Stanley #98 and #99 instead of Record's #2506. I don't know whether this indicates that there's some flaw in the latter's design or just that LN felt they could make more money flogging two planes instead of one.

 

[Shrubby]

Hello Woden
I use a #79 and the trailing blade isn't really the problem.The 2 problems I found were quality issues - short poorly ground blades with the all important corner rounded and a pressed steel fence not square with a ragged bottom edge.Both overcome with some fettling.The longer blades on the others are much easier to sharpen and the Preston/record is one I prefer.
Shrubby

 

[woden]

Hi, Schrubby. I wonder if the age of the #79 has a large part to play in the quality of the parts. Maybe the very old ones - like Stanley's bench planes - are better made. Do you have any idea of the vintage of yours?

Hadn't realised that the blades on the Record version were much longer - suppose that makes them easier to fit into a jig like the Veritas honing guide. I think the Record and Stanley 98 and 99 have cast depth stops, though whether that affects their quality much, I don't know.

 

[Joel Moskowitz]

They all work. The prestons with the adjusters are the coolest. THe records and sargents are fine. The Stanley 98/99 are interesting and the 79 is a workhorse. For stanely get an older one. quality on the newones isn't great - correctable but why stress. Get a model with a fence. Very usefull on occasion and makes the tool easier to control.

 

[Jarviser]

I use the Recdord 2506 for tweaking grooves for sliding lids, but you must have the fence to go with it, else it cuts deeper and deeper. A fence from an 078 can be fettled to fit fairly well.
Main problem is cutting your hand when you forget there's another blade looking right up at you.

 

[Shrubby]

I would guess the stanley is 70's to 80's it has an orange cardboard box.The blades are difficult to deal with because they really are to short for a veritas guide.
The record seems a good choice as there are a few around and prices seem reasonable - I've got on on my to buy list

 

[woden]

...THe records and sargents are fine. ...

You wouldn't happen to have a link to an image of a Sargent, I'm interested. Are they similar to the Record design?

I think I'll go for the Record but I'll try to get one that's been little used. If the blades are as long as possible I imagine it'll reduce even further the difficulty in sharpening the things. The Stanley 98 and 99 would be nice to have as they're most pleasing on the eye - careful, nearly succumbed to a collectorish thought :shock: - but to get two would be pricey when compared to the rest.

Just wondering, they're often called side snips on ebay.co.uk - is this the UK terminology as opposed to the American side rabbet?

 

[Joel Moskowitz]

...THe records and sargents are fine. ...

You wouldn't happen to have a link to an image of a Sargent, I'm interested. Are they similar to the Record design?

I think I'll go for the Record but I'll try to get one that's been little used. If the blades are as long as possible I imagine it'll reduce even further the difficulty in sharpening the things. The Stanley 98 and 99 would be nice to have as they're most pleasing on the eye - careful, nearly succumbed to a collectorish thought :shock: - but to get two would be pricey when compared to the rest.

Just wondering, they're often called side snips on ebay.co.uk - is this the UK terminology as opposed to the American side rabbet?

I don't have a link to a Sarget but apparently the record was a sargent clone - not a simplified version of the preston (as I originally thought- it's an error in my side rabbit article) personally I think the adjustable preston is by far the prettiest with really elegant casting detail. - it's also the model I actually use.

I have never hear the term "side snips" so I guess that's a UK term