Clifton 420 Plane Review By: I.Ball
Category: Shoulder Planes
Extra Info: What is a Shoulder Plane? Shoulder Plane Videos
Manufacturer: Clifton
Plane Type: Shoulder Rebate
Model No: 420
This Clifton shoulder plane review is of the current Clifton
420 plane manufactured by Thomas Flinn & Co, Sheffield, England.
The plane had previously been made by a tool company called Clico (Sheffield)
Tooling Ltd until 2014 when Thomas Flinn and Co took on the Clifton
tools part of the business.
The Thomas Flinn version of the 420 is made in almost identical circumstances
to the Clico version including being made by the same skilled personnel:
"We will still be using the same great production staff to manufacture
the Clifton planes, so the knowledge and expertise will continue as before".
Please see the
old Clifton 420 plane review
for more information about
the Clico (Sheffield) Tooling Ltd Clifton shoulder plane number
420 (virtually identical other than the box).
Note: the photos currently shown on this review are of the old Clifton
420 plane with the blue box.
The Clifton plane 420 is an 8" (200mm) adjustable shoulder rebate
plane with a fixed nose / mouth.
The one-piece plane body is constructed from quality grey cast iron
with the sides and sole being precision ground flat and square with
each other.
The plane can be used left or right handed and can be laid perfectly
flat and used on either of its sides to trim rebates, shoulder lines
and tenons.
The plane has curved areas on top of the plane offering added comfort.
The Clifton 420 shoulder rebate plane is equipped with a blade adjusting mechanism.
The blade adjuster control is located at the rear of the plane in the form of
a knurled nut. The adjuster is used to control the depth at which the blade
will cut.
The plane is fitted with a shouldered high carbon Clifton 420 plane blade. The
cutting edge is 3/4" (19mm) wide with a bevel edge. The top of the blade has a
slot to allow the blade adjuster to locate with the blade. The blade sits in
the plane with the bevel edge side facing upwards.
The blade is held firmly in place with the use of the securing cap / lever cap.
The cap locks the blade in place by locating the securing cap into the two
notches in the plane body and then turning until tight the knurled securing
wheel located on the underside of the securing cap. The securing cap is constructed
with unbreakable malleable iron.
The plane is presented in a brown Clifton cardboard box with the Clifton logo
on it.
The Clifton 420 shoulder plane is based on the
Record 042 shoulder plane
which was produced by Record in the 1930's - 1970's.
* Important: please refer to the 'disclaimer' at the foot of this review.
* Wearing safety clothing and eye protection is usually a good idea to help protect against injury.
- The blade(s)/cutter(s) is very sharp, take suitable precautions when using/handling/storing
the plane/cutter(s) to prevent injury.
- Failure to loosen parts when making adjustments to the plane can result in damage
to the plane such as cross-threading screw threads. Never force a part to move.
- Overtightening parts can cause damage to the plane and the plane threads.
Body: grey cast iron
Lever cap: unbreakable malleable iron
Plane finish: bright ground
Clifton 420 Plane Blade / Cutter
Material: High Quality Oil Hardened Tool Steel
Hardness: 59-61 Rockwell C
Cutting Edge Grind (Primary): 25 degrees
Cutting Edge Grind (Secondary): 30 degrees
Width (bottom): 19mm (3/4 inch)
Top Of Blade Shape: Squared, with open window slot
Clifton 420 Plane Markings
"Clifton, England" - located on both the right and left hand side towards the front inside the meshed oval.
"420" - located on one side towards the back.
Width: 19mm (3/4 inch)
Length: 200mm (8 inch)
Weight: 1100g (2 1/2lb)
2014 - Today
Clifton 420 rabbet plane
Clifton 420 shoulder rabbet plane
....
Do you have a question/answer or something to share about this tool?
Please Contact Us
- Thomas Flinn & Co.
(i) Please always refer to and follow the manufacturer's instructions / guidelines /
safety notices / cautions and similar notices as the manufacturer's instructions
may contain important information on safety, personal safety and the good health of your tool,
something to which this review's scope does not guarantee to extend to.
(ii) This review may give warning(s) / advisory notes / cautions / guidelines given
in good faith however any such information should not be solely relied upon and should not be seen
as the exhaustive list of warnings / advisory notes / cautions / guidelines.
Refer to disclaimer note (i) for information on safety, as well as the
good health of your tool.
In addition refer to good safety practices for the safety of you and others. Refer to good practices
for the good health of your tool and property.
(iii) The details here are given in good faith, there is scope for error and shouldn't
be fully relied upon, please be aware the details may also become out of date due to manufacturer
changes to the product, please confirm any details for yourself by performing additional
research from reliable sources.
Enjoy viewing the encyclopedia of tools.
If you are inspired by our content or use info such as dates, sizes,
details from FindMyTool.co.uk
please kindly give credit where credit is due via giving a nod in a video
or a link to this website.
Please see our terms if using more than a few dates
or details.
"Just stumbled across your website and an absolute treasure trove of information.
I was recently given an old Stanley 110 block plane and wanted to know more about it.
Your website told me everything I needed to know.
But there is so much more to read. I forsee me spending a lot of time just reading
page after page. I can appreciate how much time this will have taken to put together.
I just wanted to let you know that your hard work is appreciated."