Thread: A different way of rebating (two-step)

Hi all,

I thought I would share something I have been trying. I am sure - if this be thought useful - it could only be reinventing the wheel. However I have never come across it in many videos and tutorials and in particular despite wide reading on setting up and using a Stanley 78 which has been a bugbear of mine.

A trouble I have never seen a foolproof resolution for - other than great care and constant checking as you go and adjusting - is getting a clean, 90 degree rebate using a filister or rebate plane and solving the problem of the wall "stepping out". Yes I have read over and over that you have the blade protruding a hair to avoid it, but doing so I have struggled with. I also found I am either constantly stopping and checking or going too long and only then noticing the problem.

I have also found myself frankly dreading grabbing the Stanley 78, especially since using the Veritas plow plane a little. The blade depth adjustment is very fiddly it feels.

There is also a practical / quality of life point. Nicking yourself with that protruding blade is pretty easy!

The other problem is losing your "squareness" at the bottom of the rebate. A function of this is the size of your fence, amount of reference surface available, but also your sensitivity as you go. A problem is that taking a nice deep cut to get into rebate means a fair amount of force is needed which you need to counteract by pressing firmly with the fence. All the force at least makes a beginner liable to accidently tilt and then start cutting out of square.

I don't seem to be alone with this. I noticed a video from Renaissance Woodworker discussing how a larger wooden plane with a fence can be superior. It made me despair in terms of whether I should be fussing around with larger sub-fences etc, or better technique.

I recently practiced up with the Veritas plow plane which is a joy to use and have successfully tried this following method - of essentially doing a quick two-step process instead of a single one that seems to be quicker for me when it suits. Essentially - groove out the inner shoulder of the rebate with a plow - with whatever narrow blade is handy suits - and then in a second stage wipe out the rest with whatever plane is handy, getting the rest down to your groove. It is easiest to see in photos.

(Excuse the rough piece of scrap!)

First step is load your plow plane with a narrow blade, mark out, and then match up the outside of your plow plane blade with the shoulder of the intended rebate:

Rebate 1.jpg

Rebate 2.jpg

Then plow away. With a very narrow blade you don't need to push hard, even when taking an aggressive cut, making it easy to keep the fence square even at the start and end of the cut, which is the danger zone (when less of the fence is contacting the work piece).

Rebate 3.jpg

You are guaranteed to avoid the "stepping out" that plagues using a fillester like a Stanley 78 because you have a wall on the left and right side.

Rebate 4.jpg

Then just attack the rest of the waste with whatever plane you have handy. It does not need to be a block plane, rebate plane or anything with the blade at the side because you have a little gap where the side of the mouth can project over. For this I used a Stanley No 3.

Rebate 5.jpg

You can belt it with a fairly deep cut, and use your first few passes to ensure your blade is projecting at 90 degrees. Now what makes this a breeze is that once you are down a little, the side of your plane references off the shoulder you have already made. If the wings are not 90 degrees to the cut you may need to adjust a little.

Rebate 6.jpg

Near the bottom it can be hard to see when you've hit the bottom. Touching the surface lets you tell if there's a bump. But if you're using a bench plane with an easy adjust, it's easy to dial back your cut when you're close (unlike the Stanley 78 which can be fiddling with the lever). This seems to be a distinct advantage.

Rebate 7.jpg

Rebate 8.jpg

I used a shockingly poor piece of scrap for the photos which makes it look a bit skewiff but it is bang on, first go.

I don't know whether rebates are one of those things that solve themselves with a bit of practice. But this method for me feels like it guarantees the result with far less likelihood for errors that need correction so I thought I would share. While it is two steps, each step is very quick and easy - especially the cleanup of the waste in the second step where you can really just honk away until you're close to the bottom.

Chris