The Record 74 is an excellent little vice, it weights 26lbs , has 4 inch jaws and opens to about 4 ½ inches.
It was pitched as an inexpensive[1] vice for the amateur mechanic or the woodworker who has an occasional need to do a bit of metalwork (where the fact it can be popped into...
The Record 74 is an excellent little vice, it weights 26lbs , has 4 inch jaws and opens to about 4 ½ inches.
It was pitched as...
The Record 74 Auto Vice still show up for sale fairly regularly in the UK. This one was a bit grotty cosmetically but in good mechanical condition:
The only minor issue was that at some point the pin that retains the washer/spring used to hold the handle against the moveable jaw had broken and...
The Record 74 Auto Vice still show up for sale fairly regularly in the UK. This one was a bit grotty cosmetically but in good...
Here is a short summary of the history of the Record 52 ½ vice. You can read more about this vice here and information on the other vices mentioned can be found here.
1877-1910
The earliest quick release vices were know as "instantaneous grip" vices.
Wilson Riley and and an unknown inventor working for...
Here is a short summary of the history of the Record 52 ½ vice. You can read more about this vice here and information on the...
Record 52 ½ vices have been an essential tool for woodworkers all over the world for more than a century. They have arguably never been bettered in design nor quality - you can read about their long history below.
The first model (1910)
C&J Hampton registered the ‘record’ trademark in 1909. Trade listings from...
Record 52 ½ vices have been an essential tool for woodworkers all over the world for more than a century. They have arguably never been bettered...
Welcome to the first part of this potted history of the quick-release woodworking vice, a history that will culminate with the venerable and arguably never-bettered Record 52 1/2 vice.
We have much to thank a chap called Joseph Parkinson for. Parkinson did for vices what Leonard Bailey did for bench planes: he pioneered a...
Welcome to the first part of this potted history of the quick-release woodworking vice, a history that will culminate with the venerable and arguably never-bettered...
Leonard Bailey’s eponymous plane design was so good that bar a few minor tweaks by J A Traut in the early 1900s[1] it has remained pretty much unaltered since he invented it over 140 years ago. Needless to say this did not prevent various plane manufacturers, all of whom were producing basically identical...
Leonard Bailey’s eponymous plane design was so good that bar a few minor tweaks by J A Traut in the early 1900s[1] it...
Following the previous articles about iron, steel and plane cutters it may be tempting to view laminated cutters as an historical curiosity from a forgotten era of wooden planes, wrought iron and crucible steel. However companies like Record and Stanley chose to use laminated irons in their metal planes right up until the 1950s.
What...
Following the previous articles about iron, steel and plane cutters it may be tempting to view laminated cutters as an historical curiosity from a forgotten...
This post describes how to refurbish a bench plane.
To show what can be done with even the most unpromising looking specimen, here is the worst example I purchased:
…it was made at some point between WWII and the mid-1950s and, as you can see from the photo of it dismantled, it has been painted...
This post describes how to refurbish a bench plane.
To show what can be done with even the most unpromising looking specimen, here is the...
As we already found out there are no very old Record bench planes – production started in 1931 – and there are lots of them about, so ebay descriptions of “antique” Record bench planes are something of a misnomer. While the older models might reasonably be referred to as vintage, in the sense of something from the...
As we already found out there are no very old Record bench planes – production started in 1931 – and there are lots of them about, so...
Old Record bench planes show up on ebay on an almost daily basis and are frequently described by optimistic sellers as “Vintage”, but how old are they really?
To answer the question I have looked at the circumstances that prompted Record to start producing hand planes and in a subsequent post I will look at...
Old Record bench planes show up on ebay on an almost daily basis and are frequently described by optimistic sellers as “Vintage”, but how old...
As I mentioned earlier, my foray into buying used bench planes on ebay is inspired by Paul Sellars, a British woodworker who talks eloquently about the value still to be found in old hand-planes and other tools. He puts his money where his mouth is too, by routinely using an old Stanley 04 he bought...
As I mentioned earlier, my foray into buying used bench planes on ebay is inspired by Paul Sellars, a British woodworker who talks eloquently about...
The plan was to acquire hand tools as I needed them and since I had to remove about 5 mm from the top of my bench vice jaws which, per the instructions from the vice manufacturer, I had left slightly proud of the top so they could be planed flush after installation, the starting point...
The plan was to acquire hand tools as I needed them and since I had to remove about 5 mm from the top of my...
