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4 January 2018 at 7:34 pm #428464
Paul suggested a long time ago, that someone should replicate his Prestons. Why don’t they ask anyone BEFORE production? They must be investing a lot of money on these enterprises.
I see the Preston 2500’s were shown with TWO fences. Definitely trying to be a ‘Plough-Plane-and-Router’ in one. You can’t use TWO fences that well. You’d never get them tight-enough and still be able move the plane forward. So your groove would be wider than the cutter, and wonky. You press ONE Fence against your reference face, and go.
Preston’s 2500’s also had a throat-closing device (shoe) to close the throat. What a lot of engineering. But they had screw-holes for the Wooden Sole which closed that. At least Walke-Moore saw the futility of the ‘shoe’ business and omit it altogether. But using cast brass which leaves marks? I’m no genius, not even an Engineer, but I wouldn’t make that.
4 January 2018 at 4:29 pm #428308Had a look at the Quangsheng. Not impressed.
1) Thumbscrew wrong side of pillar.
2) Pinch adjustment only.
3) No depth-stop.
4) No screw-holes for adding a wider, wooden sole.
5) Base in two halves with no advantage.Overpriced for a copy of small 271/722. Not as functional as vintage 71/71 1/2/071.
Why re-invent the wheel? Preston Routers were excellent. Copy those.
With today’s CAD-designing & CNC-milling we’re not talking foundry casting.(And perhaps consider a decent wooden storage box, with compartments for cutters)
2 January 2018 at 7:39 pm #426482Hi Larry,
That’s my point exactly!
We need to dispel this myth that all those bits are needed.
You never saw a wooden “Old Woman’s Tooth” router with ‘bits’ on it!Searching Sold Routers on eBay, I saw someone bought a Record 071 with a broken gauge-clamp; £23.
Ideal. Wish I’d seen it. File off the old remnants of casting and still have good Router.I’ll look-into that Depth-stop idea.
I WAS thinking I’d drop a brass tube over the threaded stem to limit downward travel of the knurled adjusting-nut.2 January 2018 at 7:17 pm #426459Are you looking at Rare/Mint/Boxed ? They are £100-£180.
You can get good/used for £80.I got a my new/old stock for £90 (no box). It has one iron but that’s all I need.
2 January 2018 at 5:24 pm #426359I’ve seen Paul measuring shoulder depth on tenons using his Rabone Square. Sometimes using a second router set to final depth, when finishing tenons. So they’re accurately centred. Never relying on the router’s built-in depth-gauge.
2 January 2018 at 3:30 pm #426261If $140 gets you a full-sized one, then I see your point. They’re listed here at $200 (£146 GBP).
I think you’re looking at the little ‘dolls’s house’ ones, not much more than a Stanley 271. $140 for those is steep.I’d like to hear what others think about all the attachments being necessary.
Has anyone actually used them?2 January 2018 at 1:31 pm #426186Most people mistakenly want to find the full set of ‘bells & whistles’ with each one.
Before they own one, they feel they might be losing functionality if they don’t have them.
There’s a good reason for missing fences/gauges/shoes. They were never any use.
It was a sales gimmick. Everyone took them off. Most got lost.
Ever seen Paul using any of that?The ‘fence’ is 1″ in length. Wouldn’t keep you straight.
The ‘guide’ doesn’t prevent you veering to the sides.
It’s not a good plough-plane.
It is an excellent router – without all that ‘stuff’.
A smooth-running sole is ruined with lateral groves against the direction of travel.
The ‘depth-stop’ isn’t a stop of any kind. Its a poor visual aid.
Closing the throat with a ‘shoe’ is unnecessary. A wooden sole & two screws did that.
Calling it ‘open’ is misleading. Your view’s obscured by the bracket & bridge.
If you want an open throat, turn the iron around. It’s as open as you’ll ever need.They never were cheap. Even in the 1920’s. That’s why people went to all the trouble of casting their own copies in bronze. Who would do that for a tool today? I think Paul said his cost him a weeks’ wages fifty years ago. £76 today doesn’t seem too bad in comparison.
Premium prices are for all cutters, original boxes, instructions… because it’s a collector’s investment. Any woodworker worth his salt makes a wooden box. If you want a router for woodworking, they’re a lot cheaper. When I sold one last year, one buyer said “I only want NEW. Boxed. Under £35”. They’re 50-120 years old. If you’re popping back to 1923, get me a couple!
2 December 2017 at 4:12 am #390769Paul said; you can’t substitute these [Thorex] for Traditional Mallets … I’ve used them since I was a boy”.
He showed us how to make our own traditional wooden mallet, but strangely NEVER uses a mallet again after that. Thorex is promoted, carefully photographed, detailed in the blog. It’s Product Placement. No wonder Keith and others want to buy THAT VERY SAME ONE. Even the “correct” weight! That hammer won’t make Keith, or anyone-else, a better woodworker. Its a hammer. -
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