Initial comments on Indian Made #6 *LINK*
Christopher Fitch @ Memphis
>I just received an Indian made #6 plane from Hartville Tool (link below). I ordered this plane for my brother. The plan is twofold:
1) Provide my brother with a jointer-ish plane that can double as a jack or panel plane. The #6 fits that...
2) Investigate the quality of these planes for tuning purposes vs. an older Stanley and investigate their performance after tuning.
Now I could have chosen the #7 they sell but I went with the #6 since it's $15 cheaper and it can serve more than one purpose. Also, my brother is more of a power-tool user and I think a #6 would be a good compliment.
I plan on providing a more detailed post about the entire process(with pictures) but I wanted to dump some impressions early on. I only opened the box and looked at the plane. Since it's packed in a plastic bag and is covered in grease, it's easy to look without touching.
Some impressions:
1) it does have Indian rosewood handles.
2) The screws I can see are brass except for the screw for the lever cap. The y-lever adjuster knob is brass
3) Given how much protective grease this is packed in, I doubt it will rust sitting on a shelf.
4) I have a Record 05 (pre-sale of Sheffield Factory) and this plane is a twin in construction (except for the size of course). The lever cap is exactly the same except it has NO logo; it's just plain chrome. Also, the packing of the plane (greased inside a plastic bag) reminds me of how Record was packing planes right up to the end. My Record 778 and 020C were packed the same way.
5) For $45, I don't think it's a bad deal.
Now obviously I can't check the important things just yet: The frog and mating surfaces and the sole and mouth. However, it looks fine so far. Also, the box label is marked Smooth Plane with a length of 18" (oops).
I would not be surprised if this plane was made by old Record machines. This company could be one that bought the old Record factory equipment from the auction, carted the stuff over to India, set it up with some mods, and started producing Record planes except with no logo, Rosewood handles instead of plastic, and black (instead of blue) paint.
I'll post more in the future...
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11757?PHPSESSID=0e57197e4a633feacf82942b19de91f2