Welcome to my web pages on Record Hand Tools, A History. I have been collecting Record Tools for about 40 years and these are my observations on the history of C & J. Hampton, Record Tools and how to date Record Hand Planes. I started my apprenticeship in 1966 as a carpenter and joiner, journeyman. The first Record Tools I was given to by an old joureyman carpenter. A Record 05 Jack Plane and a 044 Plough Plane then over my apprenticeship I bought an 0220, 09½, block planes and a No. 06 Fore or jointer plane. This was the start of my collection. I was very lucky to obtain all my grandfather's and my father's tools and it took many years for me to get them all to Australia. I moved to Australia from Ireland on the 20th January 1975 and every time I returned to Ireland I would fill a case of tools to get them back to Australia.

With my record tool collection I found most of my Record Tools at Markets, Garage sales, Auction rooms and on eBay.There were also many other contributions made by interested donors and friend's. My first Record Tools catalogue was about 1967 - Catalogue No. 17 1965 - in a hardware shop in Oldcastle, Co Meath, Ireland.

The Record Tools on this site are from The Lynch Collection (Australia) and The Harrison Collection (U.K) and four Rare Record Hand Planes from The Hawley Collection Trust (U.K.)

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Leslie Harrison (UK) for his kind permission to re-print part of the introduction from his book 'Record Tools, a re-print of Record Tools catalogue No 15 1938 with a guide for Record plane collectors' Published 2003, and for sending me the original draft for his book. Mr Leslie Harrison has been collecting and researching Record planes for about 35 years. He has a definitive collection of Record Tools and is acknowledged as the leading authority on Record Tools. I would not have been able to construct this web site but for his help. You can get a copy of Mr Leslie Harrison's book 'Record Tools' ISBN 0904638146, from Classic Hand Tools. www.classichandtools.co.uk

I would like to expess my gratitude to my son Sam for all his hard work in desiging this Web Site.

You can contact me at david@recordhandplanes.com

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