Edward Preston Side Rebate Plane Review By: I.Ball
Category: Old Side Rabbet Planes
Manufacturer: Edward Preston
Plane Type: Side Rebate
Model No: Small
The Edward Preston side rebate plane, also referred to as the Edward
Preston side rabbet plane, wasn't given a model number however for
the purpose of ease of reference we will refer to this plane as the
Edward Preston 2506 plane.
The reason for giving the plane this reference is due to the making
of this plane was taken on by Record in the 1930's who rebranded it
and gave it the model number 2506.
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
2506 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 2506 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.
Both blades are secured with a single bridging clamp piece. The clamp
is secured / removed by turning the thumb screw located on top of the
clamp.
The Preston 2506 was fitted with a Rosewood knob, offering the user
a good means of gripping and controlling the plane to help ensure
good results.
Like the
Record 2506,
the Edward Preston 2506 was not equipped with
a depth stop (note: the
Record 2506S
was equipped with a depth stop).
The 2506 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 2506 was a scaled down, revised version of the earlier
Edward Preston large side rebate plane 1369.
The design of the 2506
was slightly less intricate than the large Preston side rebate plane
and as such a more affordable version.
The Edward Preston 2506 was produced to compete with the
Stanley 98 and 99 planes.
The Preston 2506 combined the Stanley 98 and 99 planes
into one and in doing so made a lower cost 2-in-1 tool.
Body:
cast iron
Blade:
best steel
Plane finish:
nickel plate
"E. Preston & Sons, Birm. Eng." (+ Edward Preston cherry trade mark) - found on each blade.
"EP" (+ Edward Preston cherry trade mark) - found on the rear of the plane
? - 1934
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