Thread: What type of plane for rebates

Mark

Thanks for the link, but.................. your wallet must be substantially more capacious than my own, $180!

I'll pursue the Epay route @ a rumoured $US20.

Thanks for posting tho.

A 78 is handy, havent look back since I got mine, I would love the record equivalent (?79) as there are two spurs for the fence. If you can get your hands on one of those, you are doing very well, a much better plane.

Once you have one you will not know what you did without it. I was recently working on a few tool rests for my grinder and cut all the rebates with a 78 instead of a router.

Much easier to finetune a rebate with a 78 than adjusting a router fence and much safer when using short lengths of timber than a freehand router or even a table.

I wouldnt throw your router away, they are extremely useful especially for cutting a lot of rebates quickly, making mouldings (moulding planes can be a PITA to sharpen) or cutting groooves for sliding dovetails as Jake recently showed us.

Balance is the key to woodworking, picking the right tool for the job. For some jobs it maybe the 78, for others a router.

regards

Marios

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Better than the Stanley #78 is the Record #778, which has a more stable fence and a better blade adjustment system. Harder to find.

Carba-Tec have a new Record 778 for $136.00 (refer link).

http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/ind...=130_6800_6860

Are these new ones any good, or is it the same old story that the old ones are much better, and presumably cheaper?

Regards,
Mirboo.

Hi Mirboo,

I have no problems whatever with something that isn't expensive - but for $136 what are the chances that this plane is going to be up to the mark? How much engineering, quality material, good (or better) machining, quality control, etc can one get for that price?

I'd guess that an older one, with some TLC would be a much better bet.

Cheers!

What is wrong with you dark-siders? Why not just install your dado set, and cut the rebate with it? Why sweat with a plane to do the job, especially when you are having all this hot weather down south?

If you don't own a dado set, just make a few passes with your table-saw blade. It will still be much easier and quicker than planing it.

Rocker

I agree with most here. The 78 or the 778 (Record) are the way to go.

Originally Posted by Rocker

If you don't own a dado set, just make a few passes with your table-saw blade. It will still be much easier and quicker than planing it.

Rocker

Not really mate. Using the dado set will take say 5 minutes to set up, bugger about with the fence etc. Multiple passes with a standard TS blade is probably much quicker but not when you have a longish length and you need to wheel the saw table out of the small shed to cope with the stock.

You are, however, absolutely correct about the weather down here. A steel dog box gets rather warmish mid afternoon. I feel like that Pommie chap in 'Bridge over the River Kwai'. This is an excuse to drink beer and the #78 is an excuse to buy another toy, errrr, sorry - tool.

Not sure what size rebates you are after but for cabinet backs I try to keep to a standard size. Then simply purchase a $30 GMC mini router and have it (semi-) permanently set up. Occasionally I have to adjust the set-up or use the router for something else (I have three others so this is not often) but a simple set-up jig gets it back to spec in no time at all.

Admittedly not the satisfaction of hand planing but it depends upon your objectives, often I just want to make a basic cabinet and get it done quickly and effectively (when it's for the in-laws for example ).

Cheers,

Good idea Silkwood, and another reason to get another toy, err tool,

You're right about cutting a standard rebate. I always use ply for the backing, so I wouldn't need to change the baby router often.