six-point socket II
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- Joined
- Jun 26, 2016
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Rali planes have been mentioned only a couple of times on here so far, although these have been around for quite some time.
Rali = innovative (hand-) tools made by SAMVAZ AG Switzerland = Inventor and manufacturer of the TERSA cutterblock/ planer head.
I'm by no means an expert on planes and hand planing - there are FOG users who have far more experience with hand planes and the use of them & use them on a way more regular base than I do.
That out of the way, let's talk about the Rali 220 Evolution and my reason for getting one in first place.
On a project two summers ago I used one of my Lie-Nielsen planes (back then it was in fact my only one) for the first time when I fitted trim. Long story short, obviously it worked like a charm and even though it was an outdoor project, which is now well into it's second winter, I'm very pleased with the result/ what I did there.
One thing that "bothered" me was the fact that for sentimental reasons I hang dearly onto that very Lie-Nielsen plane and "baby" it to some extent. Probably not very rational, but hey, that's me. The fact that these days, the tool itself couldn't even be easily replaced if damaged/lost/stolen due to supply constraints, makes matters even worse for me. I love using it but at the same time I wanted to have another option.
I do have some European/German style wooden planes also, but wanted something more versatile.
Now let's be clear that when I talk about a "site" or "beater" plane, what I mean is a tool that can be easily/instantly replaced from multiple different sources if needed and that I don't particularly hang onto. Which I would also place into someone else's hands without supervision or worries. This does not mean that I generally treat it any different than the rest of my tools.
That also out of the way, here's the Rali 220 Evolution (and Rali Press face clamp).
[attachimg=1]
Close-up.
[attachimg=2]
The Rali 220 Evolution features replaceable blades. That for one means no sharpening and in addition any kind of "whoopsie" will not result in a badly damaged blade that then would further need a lot of time consuming extra attention/care & repair. Here you simply swap the blade and are good to go in seconds. Spare blades can be stored in the handle of the plane along with the key to adjust the planes mouth.
[attachimg=3]
The red lever is used to adjust cutting depth and to bring the blade into it's "parking position".
[attachimg=4]
The sole. By loosening the first two screws (with the included key or corresponding Torx driver) the plane's mouth can be adjusted.
[attachimg=5]
Very first try on a small piece of Douglas fir.
[attachimg=6]
[attachimg=7]
And then one last picture, actual project use. In this case needed to make amendments to an existing wooden substructure of a drywalled ceiling. One of the "two by four" I needed to insert, to support a patch, would not level/align to the existing substructure/ceiling without adjustment. I love using a plane for such work because its accurate, quick & clean.
[attachimg=8]
To me the Rali 220 Evolution is the epitome of a rugged, versatile hand plane. Well built, easy to adjust and great to use. Exactly what you want in a "no-nonsense" tool.
It comes with double sided blade installed (and a couple of spares) - Rali does offer a carbide variant of the blade, sold separately which is supposed to last longer. I haven't tried them yet, as I said in the intro, I'm more of an occasional hand plane user and therefore the included, regular, blades with last quite a bit before I need to re-order them, or go for the carbide type to try them as well.
The plane is quite heavy, weighing approx. 1.2kg.
If you consider buying one, be sure to check exactly which model is offered. There a multiple generations/variants. If it says "monobloc" the mouth is not adjustable (hence quite a bit cheaper) and if it says "Zimmermann" (Carpenter) the mouth is again not adjustable, but the sole features an additional groove/rabbet for chamfering/beveling. The Evolution N is the newest variant, it features nickel plated sides instead of the black ones.
Since the original website is not available in english, I link to a vendor from Canada - who I'm not affiliated with in any way:
https://tersaknives.com/collections/rali-hand-planes
Kind regards,
Oliver
Rali = innovative (hand-) tools made by SAMVAZ AG Switzerland = Inventor and manufacturer of the TERSA cutterblock/ planer head.
I'm by no means an expert on planes and hand planing - there are FOG users who have far more experience with hand planes and the use of them & use them on a way more regular base than I do.
That out of the way, let's talk about the Rali 220 Evolution and my reason for getting one in first place.
On a project two summers ago I used one of my Lie-Nielsen planes (back then it was in fact my only one) for the first time when I fitted trim. Long story short, obviously it worked like a charm and even though it was an outdoor project, which is now well into it's second winter, I'm very pleased with the result/ what I did there.
One thing that "bothered" me was the fact that for sentimental reasons I hang dearly onto that very Lie-Nielsen plane and "baby" it to some extent. Probably not very rational, but hey, that's me. The fact that these days, the tool itself couldn't even be easily replaced if damaged/lost/stolen due to supply constraints, makes matters even worse for me. I love using it but at the same time I wanted to have another option.
I do have some European/German style wooden planes also, but wanted something more versatile.
Now let's be clear that when I talk about a "site" or "beater" plane, what I mean is a tool that can be easily/instantly replaced from multiple different sources if needed and that I don't particularly hang onto. Which I would also place into someone else's hands without supervision or worries. This does not mean that I generally treat it any different than the rest of my tools.
That also out of the way, here's the Rali 220 Evolution (and Rali Press face clamp).
[attachimg=1]
Close-up.
[attachimg=2]
The Rali 220 Evolution features replaceable blades. That for one means no sharpening and in addition any kind of "whoopsie" will not result in a badly damaged blade that then would further need a lot of time consuming extra attention/care & repair. Here you simply swap the blade and are good to go in seconds. Spare blades can be stored in the handle of the plane along with the key to adjust the planes mouth.
[attachimg=3]
The red lever is used to adjust cutting depth and to bring the blade into it's "parking position".
[attachimg=4]
The sole. By loosening the first two screws (with the included key or corresponding Torx driver) the plane's mouth can be adjusted.
[attachimg=5]
Very first try on a small piece of Douglas fir.
[attachimg=6]
[attachimg=7]
And then one last picture, actual project use. In this case needed to make amendments to an existing wooden substructure of a drywalled ceiling. One of the "two by four" I needed to insert, to support a patch, would not level/align to the existing substructure/ceiling without adjustment. I love using a plane for such work because its accurate, quick & clean.
[attachimg=8]
To me the Rali 220 Evolution is the epitome of a rugged, versatile hand plane. Well built, easy to adjust and great to use. Exactly what you want in a "no-nonsense" tool.
It comes with double sided blade installed (and a couple of spares) - Rali does offer a carbide variant of the blade, sold separately which is supposed to last longer. I haven't tried them yet, as I said in the intro, I'm more of an occasional hand plane user and therefore the included, regular, blades with last quite a bit before I need to re-order them, or go for the carbide type to try them as well.
The plane is quite heavy, weighing approx. 1.2kg.
If you consider buying one, be sure to check exactly which model is offered. There a multiple generations/variants. If it says "monobloc" the mouth is not adjustable (hence quite a bit cheaper) and if it says "Zimmermann" (Carpenter) the mouth is again not adjustable, but the sole features an additional groove/rabbet for chamfering/beveling. The Evolution N is the newest variant, it features nickel plated sides instead of the black ones.
Since the original website is not available in english, I link to a vendor from Canada - who I'm not affiliated with in any way:
https://tersaknives.com/collections/rali-hand-planes
Kind regards,
Oliver
