Thread: Rebates - Shoulder Plane or what?

Mike,

If there is a large quantity, perhaps someone who has power tools could do it for you.

It could be done using hand planes but I doubt if one single plane could do the lot.

If you're after a cheapish option, you could look at a Stanley #78 filletster & rabbet plane. It will cut a groove, although you might need an auxiliary fence if the mounted one doesn't give you enough offset from the edge - or you might need to remove the fence altogether if the depth wont allow it. You can then rabbet the rest away using the same plane. You also get the advantage of being able to mount the blade in the bullnose position.

Top me, this screams router. Not a router plane (although it would work too, maybe) but an electric animal along with the judicious use of a few guides and fences.

Especially where the difficult woods come into play. All these nice fillester and shoulder and rabbet planes work from ok to great on nice straight grained wood, they become a nightmare on difficult grain. DAMHIKT.

Like Mr. Woodborer says up there, if you can't do it yourself, find someone who has the tools and can do it for you. Maybe someone here can help you out?

Heck, if yer looking at an LN, no reason why you couldn't buy a cheapo router, use it a few times then flog it off again. No problems finding somewhere to keep it, costs less up front and gets the job done.

Panel raising wasn't always done with a router you know

Hi Guys,

thanks for the input. Part of the issue here is being able to do this without reference to power tools. I found this technique http://www.shavings.net/RAISED_PANELS.HTM

On the web. Is it a reasonable technique? It basically says "plough a groove" then use a smoothing or jack plane to come down to it.

I know this could happen with a router, but that takes up room in the boat and then doesn't work when the power is 110volts .....

So back to hand planes, how do I do this best and with which planes.

Thanks
Mike

Mike

What you are asking is easily done with the right hand planes (after all, they were around long before a powered router!). If you were to get just one plane, my money would go on either a Stanley #50 or a Record #044. These are very similar "combination" planes that are used for cutting rebates. With a suitable long fence (longer than the #78, which would otherwise be a possible candidate), the wider blades with cut 1" wide rebates easily, and the fence (and depth stop) will enable you to widen this across the board.

There are a few flies in the ointment, however, the first being that these planes are best for cuting with the grain, not across the grain. For the latter you ideally want a skew plane, such as a #140.

Note that it is possible to use an ordinary bench plane as well, just that this will not cut up into the wall. If you go down this road, then you need to clean up this area with a shoulder plane or chisel.

Got to go for my medication now. Sing out if you want more details.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by silentC

Panel raising wasn't always done with a router you know

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Derek,

thanks for your (as always) informative post. I already have a smoothing and a jack plane, I'm trying to kill a couple of birds with one stone here. Firstly there is the issue of fielding panels and secondly of cutting standard rebates. It seems to me that the skew block plane will do a great job across the grain but is limited in its ability to manage wider cuts or to cut standard rebates.

As far as the Record and the Stanley are concerned they are probably a bit too specialised for a ham fist like me.

A shoulder plane appears to be a good compromise. How well will a good shoulder plane cut a rebate and tidy a shoulder across the grain? I thought that it was a core part of their job.

Regards

Mike

Originally Posted by Derekcohen

Got to go for my medication now.

Geez, remind me to ask if you've taken it when I make an appointment won't ya. :eek: :eek:

How well will a good shoulder plane cut a rebate and tidy a shoulder across the grain?

Mike

I'm afraid that you are confusing a shoulder plane with a rebate plane. The shoulder plane is for trimming the shoulders of tenons, which is not a recessed cut. The rebate plane cuts grooves with the grain (it would be a dado plane it it does so across the grain), but this type of plane differs from the shoulder plane in that it can make these cuts with precision because it is held in place with fences that limit the depth and width it will move.

Regards from Perth

Derek

remind me to ask if you've taken (medication) when I make an appointment won't ya.

Outback

That's the only way I will.

Regards from Perth

Derek

YOU HAVE ENTERED THE TWILIGHT ZONE.......... where now is yesterday and tommorrow is well buggered.
I'm afraid Derek you have now entered the realm of masochism.
I love my handtools dearly and many time they are a timesaver......but this type of work is on the shortlist of why Every single woodworker needs a router

I'm with you there e.mac.

I'm trying to stick to hand tools, at for cost reasons but also for the lack noise at night. BUT! After soem investigation I realsied that fussing around with dado,rabbet and combo planes for simple grooves was not worth the effort. Also, given my reading they apparently dont produce as good results across the grain. One of the few times.

So I've now got a cheapie little Ozito router. Can it cut mortices and tenons? No can I use it in a table? No, Can I use it as a jointer? No, Can I cut raised panels? No

But I can cut dadoes and grooves? You betcha and I reckon they make up a vast majority of routing tasks..

Hi Derek & Others,

not sure what I've started here. What I do know is that I have 8 fingers and two thumbs. I'd like to retain all of them and I know that I am therefore a bad mix with a router, power saw....

Thanks for the education about the difference between a rebate and a dado plane. My question is this: I'm looking for a compromise tool to do a number of jobs. I take the point about fences to align and limit the tool. From a compromise point of view I'm looking for the tool that will, inter alia, allow me to cut down what may be a rebate or a dado and allow me to then use a "normal" plane to take the rest back (or not if I just want a rebate/dado). I can construct a fence by clamping timber guides, sawing the sides of the cut etc. A specialist rebate/dado plane appears too little of a compromise to me.

What is the best compromise tool?

Many thanks

Mike