The Ryder No.4 smoother is a good starting point for those new to woodworking. A No.4 is a handy size and weight for finishing and final smoothing as well a general-purpose plane. The cap iron and other quality fittings on the planes are solid brass, an ideal material for moving parts. The main casting is ductile iron chosen for its high strength and impact resistance. It has an adjustable frog, depth and lateral blade control, and Indian hardwood handles. The sole is 245mm long with a 50mm wide blade. The sole of the plane is flat and accurate.

The Ryder No. 5 1/2, compared to the No. 5, its longer length and wider blade make a better choice for flattening boards and truing panels. The extra mass gives it more heft, a great help when doing the initial surface preparation on a board. At the same time, being slightly lighter and shorter than its larger cousin, it is more manageable, and yet equally as good for fore-plane work.

Creating barley twists, spirals and flutes has always represented a problem for the woodturner. The Spiralling System (330H) not only overcomes many of these difficulties, but also allows the turner’s imagination to run wild as he enters a new field of decoration. Based on the same principle as the texturing tool, it is simple to use even in the hands of a novice - but still comes with instructions and ideas on further use. The built-in rest allows the work to be approached at a variety of angles - graduations on the rest ensure repeatability. The degree of off-set determines the pitch of the spiral. Another variation is introduced with the addition of three different cutters which can also be used for texturing. From these the turner can either produce amongst other works fine spirals on the stem of a delicate goblet, chequered designs, rope effect twists, heavy patterns on boxes, spindles or candlesticks as well as around the base. The 330H and 330S come with four cutters whilst the 320H and 320S are the same tool but with a single cutter (see table). It is also possible to up-grade a texturing tool to create spirals by the purchase of the tool rest (360) and an appropriate cutter. The Spiralling and Texturing tools are shown to full effect in the Robert Sorby Focus on Decorative Techniques DVD (RSDVDDT). If your requirement is for finer spirals we also have a micro spiralling tool (ref 370A). Also available unhandled for the Sovereign System.