Reply To: Anyone use/made a front handle on/for the Stanley 78?
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Oddly, most plough planes do have nickers intended to pre-score side grain cuts – the main exceptions being the smaller Record Ploughs, No: 040, 043 and 044. They are usually small spurs fitted in recesses on the skates ahead of the cutter.
Frankly, they are a pain in the sphincter to sharpen, worse is the small screw that holds them and worse still, they are in use next to useless for cutting across the grain – the results are often ragged. You may gather that I don’t like them.
The ideas I gave about dropping a groove with a plough plane to outline a rebate side applies to cutting along the grain. Cutting rebates across the grain – say the ends of boards – is tricky, but can be done, though it is a different technique and requires a few extra tools to acomplish well.
This is how I do it – there are other ways, but this way works for me:
First, mark the depth of the rebate on the board and then on the face, score a vertical knife line where you want the side to be against an accurate square. Next, cut another line about 1mm on the waste side of the first line. Cut down to the side of this with a chisel.
You will use this line to cut against, finishing at the first line later.
Cut across the board with a fine cross-cut saw almost to depth (use a piece of wood as a fence if you prefer). Cut against this second line with a fine-set rebate plane or a shoulder plane for smaller work. When you are down to depth, clean the base of the rebate to remove cut marks then cut down to the finish knife line with a shoulder plane.
Hope this helps.