Edward Preston Large Side Rebate Plane Review By: I.Ball
Category: Old Side Rabbet Planes
Manufacturer: Edward Preston
Plane Type: Side Rebate
Model No: Large
The Edward Preston large side rebate plane 1369, also referred to as
the Edward Preston side rabbet plane, has an elaborate, innovative
design which at the time of its invention at the start of the 1900's
was a patented design.
The Edward Preston 1369 design looked at the
competitors
Stanley 98 and 99 planes
and combined the functionality
to produce one plane. This innovate design proved over time to be a
huge success, the design in a similar form was produced throughout the
20th century and is produced today in the similar form of the
Veritas side rabbet plane.
This specialist plane is designed to assist cabinet makers in accurately
trimming dados, grooves, moulds and similar tasks. The tool is particularly
useful when precision fitting is required such as when a dado or groove
needs to be widened very slightly in order to precisely house a corresponding
part.
It may be the case that a glass shelf or polished shelf is too
thick to fit in the corresponding grooves, rather than adjusting / changing
the shelves, it is much easier to alter the grooves, for this task the
Edward Preston 1369 is ideal.
This specialist plane has two skewed cutters set at a very low angle.
The plane is set with a blade on each side so it can be used in a left
or right handed situation. The nose of the 1369 can also be removed to
allow trimming right into a corner of a piece of work such as on a stop
groove.
The cutters are set in the plane with their bevel edges facing upwards.
The cutters must be kept very sharp to ensure the best results. When
sharpening, it is only the forward cutting edge bevel which needs sharpening
(not the sides).
It is important the tip of the blade doesn't protrude
beyond the skate, if it does protrude, it will need filing back. Care
must also be taken when sharpening the blades to ensure the cutting
edge of each blade mirrors the plane mouth(s) profile.
The 1369 was equipped with individual blade depth adjusters, a unique
feature of all the main side rebate planes. The depth adjusters allow
the blades to accurately moved forwards or backwards to the required
position by turning each corresponding knurled depth adjuster nut.
Both blades are secured with a single bridging clamp piece. The clamp
is secured / removed by turning the knurled nut located on top of the
clamp.
The Edward Preston 1369 was fitted with a curvaceous rear handle, offering
the user a good comfortable grip to help control the plane.
The plane wasn't fitted with a depth stop.
The 1369 rebate plane and its parts were finished with a nickel plating.
This finish was designed to give the plane a bright, shiny look while
having the function of helping protect the plane from rust. The nickel
plating can be prone to coming off with time, usually it is small partial
loss.
The Edward Preston 1369 is seen today as a large side rebate as all
subsequent side rebate planes of this type were produced in a smaller
size. This scaling down to a smaller size was first introduced in the
form of the
Edward Preston 2506 side rebate plane.
Body:
cast iron
Blade:
best steel
Plane finish:
nickel plate
"E. Preston & Sons, Birm. Eng." (+ Edward Preston cherry trade mark)mark - found on each blade.
"Preston EP" (+ Edward Preston cherry trade mark) - found on each blade.
"Preston England, EP" (+ Edward Preston cherry trade mark) - found on top of the lever cap
"Patent" - found on top of the front nose
1900's - 1934
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