Record 050 Question

With the dedicated depth-stop in place, the whole thing should be square and even so that the depth stop plate is exactly in line with the sole……. simple as that, I’m afraid.

This means that the retaining hole needs to be at right angles to the horizontal line of the sole. When fully retracted, the body of the depth stop should be a linear and snug fit in the meeting recess where the skate section joins the body-casting. It is usual to fit the stop with the longer sole-section trailing behind and the short section to the front, though this is a matter of choice – it will work either way round and depends very much on the wight distribution of your hands.

From my own Record 050, the hole diameter is 7/32 inch (5.56 mm), a drill or rod of metal of this diameter placed in the hole and protruding below the sole will allow you to see and measure its squareness in both directions. With both the sole sections fitted and spaced a couple of inches apart, you can check for squareness across both sections of the sole this way.

Record’s quality control when these planes were made was usually very good – it’s worth finding out what the problem is.

Also, there is another hole for a depth stop on the opposite side of the moving skate, by the handle near the front, intended to accept a longer and slightly different depth stop. It is worth checking that this one is true as well. It is the same size as the normal stop.

This one was for housing a levelling-stop used in conjunction with a beading iron, specifically when making T&G boards that required a bead on the front edge behind the tongue. In reality, they were rarely used and are frequently missing…………..

Or you could get a piece of wood (or aluminium box profile) that is the depth you want, and screw it to the plane using the depth guide rod hole for the mounting screw. (Similar to putting a longer wooden straight edge on a power router side fence.) I don’t have one of these, so I am not sure about clearance and space availability etc, so this may not work.

Shame, despite all the quality issues, you must have a one-off there!
…… in comparison, the Record 050 is a better plane than the Stanley 50, but that’s a matter of personal opinion.

A reputable dealer ought to take it back……. perhaps.
But it is, after all, at least 50 years old, maybe more – I think that the plastic wallet was introduced in the mid 1960s. They finished production of this and other tools in the late ’60s / early ’70s.

In any case, without ‘adjusting’ the existing depth-stop (which is what i would do) it will work perfectly well without it – you just estimate when to stop, or if you need accuracy, use a digital depth stop, sold for measuring tyre-treads.

Good luck.

I can’t tell if the shoe portion is cast metal or mild steel. I also can’t tell which version of 050 you have, but here are two things to consider.

I bought an 043 years ago that had a bent shoe and it just took a few whacks with a hammer while the post was in a vise to realign things. In your case, if the hole isn’t plumb, I’d just match the angle with the shoe.
With mild steel, you might loosen the press fit ( I think that’s all they are, is press fit and peened a little) , but you can re-peen it or silver solder it if you have those skills. A little polishing after and it would be pretty hard to tell.
I looked at EBay, and there are a couple for sale right now for an 050c if things go south in the attempt

Alternatively, set your shoe aside for archival purposes and make a replacement to use. It’s not hard to make one from hardware available in a good hardware store for only a couple dollars.

The shoe can be mild steel, brass, or aluminum bar cut to length. Something like 3/16” ( 6 or 6.5 mm) thick and the width of your shoe will do nicely. Cut and shape it to taste with a hacksaw and files.

The secret of attaching the post is using a machinist dowel pin. There are hard steel pins that can be bought slightly oversized so they form a very solid attachment just by hammering them into the hole. One end is tapered slightly to hep you get them started. These are available in God’s UNC or heathen metric, in several sizes so use what you can find. For the remainder of this post I’ll reference UNC/ imperial. . I bet that’s what the original is.
All of ther 5 closest hardware stores near me stock them . The local orange box store stocks a few in those Hillman hardware boxes most stores use to sell odd hardware. And they can be bought individually for about one sawbuck ea. They are cheaper in bulk. I have a plastic storage box full of them I use for jigs and such.

The attached picture shows them from Grainger. Find a pin that fits in your plane’s hole. For a quarter inch hole in soft metals I buy .252 pins, or 2 thousandths (sometimes called .002 series) oversized. This size also works well in the denser hardwoods like African Blackwood or Cocobolo and their ilk. They are also available undersize for easy temporary fits.

All that’s left is to align the hole to Match your plane. The easiest way, of course, is to use a drill press/ pillar drill and take your time with setup and shims.
Lacking such a tool, a hardened bushing tool like a Gator tools V block or a doweling jig will work. Use what you have and shim appropriately.

Drive the pin in the hole tapered end first. If you drive it past the taper a little you can sand, or grind the excess on coarse diamond plate for a neat job. The pins are hard tool steel, so they dull a file easily. A dremel tool will make quick work of it. The resulting connection will be as solid as the connection on your existing depth gauge . It might even be how Record made it.

A picture I attach is of a spar gauge I made 25 years ago from 1/4” aluminum. The 3/16” ( .002” oversized ) pin is as solid as the day I drove it in the hole.
And I post a 1/4” pin being measured in my calipers.