Thread: rebate plane advice

You're all good - it's an alternative bed you can switch the blade to, so that you can get a cut closer to an edge when you are cutting a rebate that goes not go all the through a piece (ie a stopped rebate, groove or dado).

I've heard it's quite common for people to use an angle grinder or metal bandsaw to knock the whole nose off so you can get right to the edge and not merely close - not for me.

Originally Posted by robyn2839

got given a rebate plane today (anchor) my question is does it use two blades or one ? there seems to be a place at the front that looks like a blade goes in it , thanks in advance.....bob


ps does anyone have one of these that they will part with, thanks in advance

thankyou for your reply ,that explains why the other one I have has had exactly that (the front taken off), took the blade out of it and put it into the front of the new one , so now I will put the blade back ,that's if the Garbo hasn't emptied the bin yet,was a very versatile plane without the front..........bob

Good luck finding a fence; on the odd occasion when they show up on Fleabay etc the asking price is a little absurd. In any case the single rod type fence on the Stanley 78 and its clones (like the Anchor) is a bit rubbish. It’s too short, the rod can flex and in extreme cases can actually unwind if the fence gets a knock. There are longer versions available with two rods of which the Record 778 is the best known; that was a development of the WS and Woden branded planes which took Stanley’s 78 and improved it.

Thing is; you don’t really need a fence. Simply clamp a batten where you want the rebate to be and run the plane along it; a thin batten for wide rebates and a thick batten for narrow rebates.

This is a great tool when set up correctly but is tricky to set up perfectly - for me at least. Mine would not cut a clean rebate at first. I almost gave it up as a dud before discoing a tiny nick in the corner of the blade. Quick rebrand and the feeling of joy when I could at last cut perfect rebates!

I used the fence on my 78 just last week - it's probably 8-10 years since the last time I used it! The most common job I use my 78 for is leveling/refining tenon cheeks (not the shoulders!), where the crude mouth & single-iron are good enough for purpose. The single-rod fence isn't the most brilliant, as the Chief said, but it does the job, you just have to be careful. Once you get the rebate sunk by a mm or two, the fence is pretty much redundant anyway. That is, provided the blade is set properly wrt the side. There are two schools of thought on this: School A (of which I'm a member), says set the corner of the blade a teeny, tiny fraction proud of the sides. This compensates for wear or slight imperfection of the corner of the blade & the tendency to lean a bit on the outside due to the way you hold the plane & helps to keep the side of the rebate vertical.

School B says, have the blade absolutely flush with the sides - these blokes have obviously mastered perfect sharpening technique or something that eludes me....

90% of rebates made in everyday joinery need to be fairly accurate, but don't have to be pretty, so the tear-out you often get with the 78 due to it's construction & a rank set (few folks enjoy sinking rebates a thousandth of an inch at a time!) doesn't usually matter very much. In some cases it does, so the double-iron rebate was invented. They exist in wooden versions but most people (like myself) have only experienced the metal versions, made in goodly numbers by Stanley & copied by Record et al. These are #10 & #10 1/2 'carriage-makers' rebate planes (I presume carriage makers needed to make lots of rebates that would be visible). A double-iron plane when set up correctly, can plane cranky or opposing grain much more cleanly.

Before you rush out & buy a 10 or its little brother, be aware that they can be temperamental beasts (particularly the 10 1/2) & need very careful setting up to perform at their best. In addition, the thin section of the sidewalls over the escapement is rather fragile & prone to breakage from dropping (or being hurled across the room in a temper tantrum? ).

Cheers,

I've been using my 78 recently to rebate the lip of the top panel inserts for some box lids. I found it worked best for me to install the nicker and align the edge of the blade with that. I started the cuts with the nicker set in my knife line and it continued to help restrain my natural tendency to wander out from the shoulder.

I've only ever used my 10 1/2 once or twice to sink the rebates in old door jambs deeper to fit thicker doors.

I bought a fence and rod from here a few years ago. All worked out. STANLEY | PRODUCTS | HAND TOOLS | Planes | Planes accessories | Kit 15: 78 Fence

I made a fence for mine once I worked out how much it would cost to buy one and how hard they were to find on ebay or similar. Mine was also missing the depth stop which I think is more useful than the fence. Not perfect but it has worked for what i wanted it for. I had some offcuts lying around for both, it certainly wasnt time effective for what I needed it for, more the satisfaction of making something more useful. I cant remember if the rod is 1/4' or M6 thread, the steel was the end of a tent peg. Keep in mind also if you are buying extra parts that Carbatec sell a new version of something like this for $125. Carbatec #778 Duplex Rabbet Plane | Carbatec . Buying a replacement fence and depth stop new was more than this from memory. If not, very close....

20210630_123609.jpg