Record
Record No. 073 Shoulder Plane
A big, heavy shoulder plane for trimming tenon cheeks and shoulders. Widely considered the best production shoulder plane of its era, and still expensive because users rather than collectors want it.
- 1931–present
- Rabbet & Shoulder Plane
- medium confidence
| Model | No. 073 |
|---|---|
| Production | 1931–present |
| Sole length | 8-1/4" |
| Cutter width | 1-1/4" |
| Body | cast iron, machined sides |
| Notable feature | iron bedded bevel up at a low angle, full width of the sole |
How to identify it
- Substantial rectangular body with sides machined square to the sole and an iron running the full width.
- Wider and heavier than the common 042 and 041 sizes.
- Marked RECORD.
Buying and using
The critical checks are that the sides are genuinely square to the sole and the sole is flat. Everything else is cosmetic. A 073 that has been dropped and is out of square cannot do the one job it exists for.
Other makers' answer to the same problem
These share a design lineage rather than a size. Each is its own tool with its own dimensions, and no parts interchange.
- Stanley No. 92 Shoulder Rabbet Plane — Stanley
- Stanley No. 93 Shoulder Rabbet Plane — Stanley
- Stanley No. 94 Shoulder Rabbet Plane — Stanley
What it is worth
- user / incomplete $15–$40
- complete, honest wear $45–$110
- excellent, boxed $120–$260
Sources
- book
Dictionary of American Hand Tools — Alvin Sellens - reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach
Others in this family
-
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.
-
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. 405 Multi-Plane
Record's equivalent of the Stanley 45, and the one you are more likely to find complete in its box.
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Record No. 778 Duplex Rabbet & Fillister Plane
Record's version of the Stanley 78, and the better tool of the two.