Brand hub
Record
When Stanley's British patents lapsed, the Sheffield firm of C. & J. Hampton began building Bailey-pattern planes under the Record name and kept building them long after Stanley's own quality had slipped. A 1960s Record is a better tool than a 1960s Stanley, which makes the brand the sensible choice for anyone buying a plane to work with rather than to shelve.
- founded 1898
- England
- 14 model pages
Record is the answer to the most common practical question in vintage planes: where do I get pre-decline quality without paying pre-war prices? British sellers still price these as ordinary secondhand tools.
Company names over time
The name on a tool is itself a dating clue, because it changed when the company did.
| Name | Used |
|---|---|
| C. & J. Hampton Ltd. | 1898–1972 |
| Record Ridgway Tools Ltd. | 1972–1985 |
| Record Marples / Record Tools | 1985–present |
Timeline
- 1898C. & J. Hampton established in Sheffield.
- 1909The Record trademark is registered.
- 1931Bailey-pattern bench plane production begins, following the expiry of Stanley's British patent protection.
- 1972Merger with Ridgway forms Record Ridgway Tools.
- 1985The Marples name joins the group; the brand passes through several owners afterwards and modern tools carrying it are a different proposition.
Collecting notes
- Record is the value play for users. Post-war Record quality holds up where post-war Stanley quality does not, and the market has not priced that in.
- The 405 combination plane and the 778 rabbet are the models to look for. Both are commonly found complete, unlike their Stanley counterparts.
- Record dating is nothing like as well mapped as Stanley's. There is no equivalent of the twenty-type study, and anyone offering you a precise year for a Record plane is guessing.
- Beech handles rather than rosewood are normal on Record and are not a downgrade or a replacement.
Bench Planes
-
Record No. 03 Bench Plane
An eight-inch smoother, the Record answer to the Stanley No. 3.
-
Record No. 04 Bench Plane
The standard Record smoother and, for anyone buying a plane to use rather than collect, arguably the best value in vintage planes anywhere.
-
Record No. 04-1/2 Bench Plane
The wide smoother.
-
Record No. 05 Bench Plane
The Record jack, and the plane to start with.
-
Record No. 05-1/2 Bench Plane
A wide jack, and the single plane a great many British joiners owned.
-
Record No. 06 Bench Plane
The fore plane size.
-
Record No. 07 Bench Plane
The Record jointer and the most useful long plane on the market secondhand.
-
Record No. 08 Bench Plane
The largest Record bench plane: two feet of sole, the widest iron in the range and enough weight that you will notice it after an hour.
Specialty Planes
-
Record No. 020C Circular Plane
A plane with a springy steel sole that bends to follow a curve, set by a wheel on top.
-
Record No. 071 Router Plane
The Record router plane, functionally the same tool as the Stanley 71 and usually cheaper.
Rabbet & Shoulder Planes
-
Record No. 073 Shoulder Plane
A big, heavy shoulder plane for trimming tenon cheeks and shoulders.
-
Record No. 077 Bullnose Rabbet Plane
A short bullnose rabbet whose nose piece comes off, letting it work into a stopped corner or, with the nose removed, flush into the end of a rabbet.
-
Record No. 778 Duplex Rabbet & Fillister Plane
Record's version of the Stanley 78, and the better tool of the two.
Plow & Combination Planes
-
Record No. 405 Multi-Plane
Record's equivalent of the Stanley 45, and the one you are more likely to find complete in its box.
Sources
- book
Dictionary of American Hand Tools — Alvin Sellens - reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach