Axminster Rider No. 80 Scraper Plane

Only received the scraper today, fantastically presented in a nice box and with instructions. A standard far above what you expect within the price range. The first thing I noticed was how small the blade is, much smaller than I've previously seen in a cabinet scraper and it didn’t protrude above the body. However it is thick and as you get your edge with a file and burnisher I don’t think I'll be wearing it out any time soon. Without adjusting anything except to show a little bit of the blade and give it a little flex I gave it a try on some ash. Unfortunately the grain was excellent and no knots so I didn’t get to challenge its capabilities but I got beautiful curls from the get go. So far I'm very pleased indeed with my purchase though I will go through the usual processes of flattening the sole and preparing the blade before putting it into full service.I’ve now had it for four months and it just keeps giving. It’s very rare now that I use sandpaper for finishing, and it generally is either my #4 plane or more often my cabinet scraper. I was most surprised how easy it is to get the hang of of using this cabinet scraper. It’s far easier than a card scraper where you have to hold it at a certain angle and put the bend in the tool using your thumbs. All the angles are done for you in the #80, with you only adjusting the amount of bend in the metal which is done by a single screw. It seldom needs sharpening, where you might hone a plane blade two or three times a day on a bigger job, the Axminster #80 can last weeks, I use when my curls are starting to get tatty as an indicator it needs attention.I would recommend this to woodworkers of all levels, you won’t be disappointed.

I'd not used one before so I learned how to sharpen it on YouTube. Not like sharpening a plane at all. Once you've made the burr then it works well.

This arrived early and is as advertised. Good value.