Thread: Make a smooth edged rebate

Nice and easy job for a router in a table.

Side A is the router cutter, 10mm is the height of router bit above table

Hi Dengy

I plane all my rebates with either a rebate (filester) plane or a plough plane. Then I finish the last mm with a shoulder plane.

Regards from Perth

Derek

A router cutter will give the best finish... for a machine joint. Depending which way you have the bit one edge will have "scallops" and the other "swirls". Scallops give the better finish for gluing, but neither are really optimal.

Personally I would use the router to remove the waste but then finish off with a hand plane; either a rebate, shoulder or a plough but if you don't have access to one of those then just use a sharp router and be carefull.

I would do it on a table saw ... cut A with the board on edge and width the 6mm and height to 10mm ... and then the other cut with the board flat and the cut width of 10mm less the thickness of the blade and height to slightly less than 6mm

As long as you have a reasonable blade it will be fine for gluing.

Rob

What rwbuild said. Use a solid carbide spiral bit for best results. Downcut would be best, but upcut should be very nearly as good. 6mm x 10mm is a big bite in one pass, but two passes should be OK.

Thanks for all the contributors with ideas and suggestions. For some unknown reason I was fixated on having the board lying flat. As you have pointed out, the easiest way is to have the board on edge and put it against the router table fence and run it past a straight bit 10mm high, and progressively move the fence to make a deeper cut with each pass.

Why not use a surface planing bit? They machine a smooth surface in two planes. You can keep your board flat
CARB-I-TOOL - Router Bit and Accessories Catalogue - NOVEMBER 2015

Remove the waste with your machinery. Either will do. Once the rebate is cut to size, or slightly undersized, use a shoulder plane to remove the machine marks. It is the perfect tool. Literally made for this application.