Thread: Rebate plane Record

Originally Posted by Vann

The Veritas skew rabbet plane beats them all - if you can afford one .

Cheers, Vann.

How much better is the Veritas one? I've looked at it, drooled over it but not yet been able to purchase one. Does it perform as good as it looks? Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used different rebate planes and then upgraded to the Veritas one.

Tiger. Bear in mind, if your looking at purchasing a skew rabbet, you ideally need a left and right hand version.

Not an issue if your just working your rebates cross grain.

The plane is available in left- and right-hand versions. You may need only the version that suits your dominant hand, though they are in fact complementary, since having both lets you accommodate any grain direction. Veritas® Skew Rabbet Plane - Lee Valley Tools

I own the RH skew rabbit that I recently purchased on the forum,i have used it to cut 5mmx3mm rebates on the top and bottom of insert panels on box lids and 3 times to plane lengths on a 12 degree bevel that I then cut on a mitre saw to form the perimeter of the box lid . the plane works very well , it is a Ferrari of a plane with many adjustments that require very accurate setting, clamping your workpiece is a challenge,and with grain direction problems LH one would be handy but totally out of my budget, I will in future cut the bevel on the band saw and use the plane to clean up , cant knock it but it has a learning curve, Rossco

Originally Posted by planemaker

Tiger. Bear in mind, if your looking at purchasing a skew rabbet, you ideally need a left and right hand version.

Not an issue if your just working your rebates cross grain.

The plane is available in left- and right-hand versions. You may need only the version that suits your dominant hand, though they are in fact complementary, since having both lets you accommodate any grain direction. Veritas® Skew Rabbet Plane - Lee Valley Tools

Having to get a LH one would totally rule me out of contention, be looking at over $700. I have noticed thought that with a sharp blade my 78 doesn't do too badly and when it does leave a less than perfect job my shoulder plane cleans it right up.

Tiger. Does your 078 have the spur.

Originally Posted by planemaker

Tiger. Does your 078 have the spur.

Yes it does, I only use it cross grain.

Thanks Tiger. I asked because I had spares available.

Originally Posted by planemaker

Thanks Tiger. I asked because I had spares available.

Thanks planemaker for the thought.

With nothing better to do, I decided to make a rebate in a bit of camphor laurel. About 9/16 inch. I used my record no 78 and the result is excellent. All edges nice and clean.And very quick. I use a cutting gauge to scribe lines on the surface before I start, to help get clean edges. I might get a better result with another plane but I am more than happy with this one. Not only that, but the plane has a history. I bought another 78 minus the fence and depth stop. Then I went to EBAY looking for the missing bits. But before I found them I can across a complete plane, fence depth stop and nicker, in excellent condition for about the same price as getting the missing parts. So I sold the first plane and bought the complete one. Now I enjoy hunting for tools so all this was a bit of fun for me.

I sometimes wonder whether we get a bit carried away with these things, a bit pedantic, fussy or silly. Generations of craftsmen made extraordinary items with these tools and tools that were less sophisticated. My 78 rebate plane cuts rebates and if there is a problem it is not with the plane. Suppose a cabinet maker from 1850 or 1750 could see my workshop and the tools that I have. What would they say? I suppose that their eyes would light up with the wonder of it. If they then found that I blamed my tools for anything then I would be in danger of a good slapping around the ears. That is not to say that some tools are just badly made, either hard or impossible to use.

Also on the original issue of the misbehaving plane and the problem rebates. One possibility is not guiding the plane correctly. I am right-handed. So my right hand pushes the plane forward. The left hand is responsible for providing pressure on the outside of the plane to keep the fence running along the edge of the board being rebated. If I forget this then the wall of the rebate will be stepped or sloped.

Did a bit more playing around with the Record rebate plane, while it works well for long grain work, it's not great with cross grain on softwoods like Pine. Anyone here use the 78 exclusively on cross-cut work? I get some decent results when I rough out the rebate with the 78 but then I have to clean up the finish with another plane, usually a shoulder plane.

Originally Posted by Tiger

... Anyone here use the 78 exclusively on cross-cut work? I get some decent results when I rough out the rebate with the 78 but then I have to clean up the finish with another plane, usually a shoulder plane.

I guess I use my 78 almost exclusively for cross-grain work these days, Tiger, since it's my go-to tool for fine-fitting tenons. It does a pretty good job for me, as long as the blade is kept really sharp. I'm just cutting the cheeks, not the shoulder, so I don't need the nicker & I keep the blade flush on the left side so it won't catch. The surface I get in most woods isn't exactly ready to French polish, but certainly adequate for a tenon. Wouldn't take a lot of sanding to make the surface presentable, though.

Cheers,

I like my no 78. I have not tried it across the grain, but I will. I use a chisel for cross grain rebates and my router plane for the checks of tenons. I find using the router plane a a whole lot of fun and it ensures the cheeks are parallel to the board. I had a Stanley router plane but now I use a Veritas version which is a much easier tool to work with. As for the shoulders of tenons, I use a marking knife to mark the shoulders and if they need any adjustment I just trim the shoulders to the marked line with a wide chisel. Works for me.

Originally Posted by IanW

It does a pretty good job for me, as long as the blade is kept really sharp.

Cheers,

That's the operative thing, but it seems to require a lot of upkeep to be sharp, ie it doesn't stay sharp for long, mind you I don't use it very often.

Hi Tiger; the following information may be of assistance.

Stewie;

http://www.wwa.org.za/Stanely78-TuningAdjusting.pdf

When sharpening the iron, follow the usual procedure of flattening the back
behind the cutting edge to a fine finish.
Then ensure the cutting edge is close to 90º to the longer
axis of the blade, otherwise it will be difficult to set the blade properly. Errors are more
likely on a used blade. Use a square to check the blade and correct any significant errors
by regrinding. Small errors can be corrected on the oilstone. Sharpen and hone the iron.
Also pay attention to the right hand side edge. Make sure the corner is sharp and well
defined – this is important for the plane to make a clean, vertical side to the cut. The right
edge should be slightly relieved so that there is a sharp edge defined so as to cut/scrape
the side of the cut. Depending on the use, you may want to do the same to the left hand

side as well. However, you must remove only the minimum of metal, Do not reduce the
width of the blade if at all possible, as the blade needs to be wider than the sole, so that
the plane can cut up to the edge on the left hand side as well, if required.


The spur or nicker is intended mainly for cross-grain use to sever the wood fibres. It may
be of help when planing difficult grain with working with the grain. If this is the case, you
are likely to experience other problems such as tear-out as well. One way to deal with
tear-out is to reduce the width of the mouth (the gap between the edge of the cutter and
the sole) by putting a shim between the bed and the iron. This moves the cutting edge
closer to the front of the mouth. Sharpen the spur only on the inside, so that the outside
remains lined up with the edge of the sole. Careful bending can allow some fine-tuning of
the alignment of the two to be done.


Once sharp, the iron is set so that the edge is parallel with the sole and the right hand
side is aligned with the outside of the sole, just projecting so the corner takes enough of
a cut to keep the cut at right angles. If needed, slack off the cap iron thumbscrew slightly
to make the blade easier to move with the adjusting lever, and then tighten it up to stop the blade moving while cutting.