IRWINRecord Smoothing Plane 9-3/4-inch - 2-inch (50mm) Plastic Handle

Did sharpen the iron and planes nicely.

The Irwin Record SP4 Smoothing Plane (IRSP4) required about 3 hours of "tuning" out of the box before it would perform adequately.The sole needed polishing using progressively finer sandpaper glued onto a flat granite to flatten the sole, which required about 2 of the 3 hours.The opening in the sole for the cutter had to be filed to a square shape as it arrived with casting "flash" partially obstructing the opening.The original cutting iron edge appeared to be made using an end mill type of cutter as it exhibited serration. Removal of this serration required a considerable amount of honing using progressively finer wet stones (I used 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000 grit stones in sequence).The chip breaker required honing so that the edge contacting the cutting iron would be adequately flat.The cap which secures the cutting iron/chip breaker assembly to the frog did not require any work. The screw which tightens the assembly to the "frog" on the Irwin Record SP4 is, in my opinion at least, preferable to the "flip" levers typically used on competitive planes because it enables ready adjustment of the clamping force.The "frog" of the plane arrived well machined, as did the mating surfaces on the sole, providing acceptable perpendicularity for the cutting iron/chip breaker assembly.The IRSP4 plane does not provide a "fore/aft" positioning screw for the frog as do other competitive planes. Instead, the frog position is "eyeballed" and then secured with the usual two top screws. This is not an issue in my opinion because typically there is excess "slop" in these "fore/aft" adjustment screw assemblies on competitive planes I have used. I have ended up "eyeballing" the frog "fore/aft" position prior to tightening the two top frog securing screws anyway on these competing planes, and the "fore/aft" position adjustment screws just get in the way.The IRSP4 lateral adjustment lever for the cutting iron/chip breaker assembly functions well.With the effort I expended, the IRSP4 is performing acceptably.The IRSP4 lacks the "flip lock" feature for the cap and the frog "fore/aft" positioning features of competing Size 4 planes. However, the castings for the cap, frog, and sole on IRSP4 appear to be heavier and better made than those of competing "big box" store planes in the $30-$50 price class. Apparently, decisions were made by the Irwin Record folks to allocate cost towards superior castings rather than features.

The original. A little tune up and it's an awesome plane.

It has a storied name, but is cheaply and hurriedly made. It actually works, and of course one needs to sharpen it properly, but that's true of all planes.

There's a cutout in the frog for the chip breaker screw, but that cutout is too far from the mouth, so you can't extend the blade unless you back the chip breaker off so much that it is no longer effective. In order for the chip breaker screw to fit into the frog, the chip breaker ends up being about 1/2" away from the mouth and the tip of the plane iron. Maybe I somehow just got a bad chip breaker.Beyond that, it did need a lot of tuning/sharpening but seems solid. The main problem is just that the chip breaker is basically useless and therefore the plane causes a lot of tearout and chattering. Maybe it's fine for a scrub plane, but it will not produce a smooth surface.

Lama un po morbida ma per il prezzo top

Rabot avec des choix d'économie (poignées en plastique, pas de vis de réglage de l'avancée du chariot, presseur peint...) bien choisies pour avoir plutôt une base plutôt de bonne qualité avec une géométrie et une finition plutôt correcte. En tout cas bien meilleure que pour les rabots d'autres marques économiques. Et vous pouvez polir le presseur et remplacer les poignées. Il existe une version avec des poignées en bois, presseur poli et vis de réglage de l'avancée du chariot mais beaucoup plus cher.

Great value and did what I required of it to plane some doors down to fit non standard door frames in an older terraced property.You will not get a master craftsman finish by any stretch and you do get what you pay for however it is fit for certain purposes and provides adequate finishes to appropriate tasks.Easy to set and use.

Bin sehr zufrieden mit dem Hobel. Die Feineinstellung ist genau und einfach zu bedienen. Einzig das Gewicht des Hobels ist gewöhnungsbedürftig - Aber noch zu vertreten.

Klar braucht der Hobel nach dem auspacken ein wenig Fürsorge, aber weit weniger als ein 20€ hobel.Sohle und frosch sind soweit ziemlich plan gewesen was wenig Nacharbeit bedurfte, das hobeleisen und der spahnbrecher waren auch gut und waren nach wenigen Minuten scharf und einsatzbereit.Alles in allem ein guter hobel, wenn man weiß was zu tun ist.Einziges wirkliches Manko, die Griffe sind aus Plastik und für mich zu klein, aber da lässt sich selbst was machen. Der frosch lässt sich auch leider nicht mittels schraube in zusammengebauten Zustand verstellen, obwohl alles dafür vorhanden wäre wies scheint.