Best Tool for Rebates
- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 6 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
As my woodworking skills are gradually improving, I would like to now try creating rebates but I’m not sure which tool to buy for the job. Being able to create grooves would be an added bonus.
From what I’ve read, my options are:
1) A plough plane
2) A rebate plane
3) Buy the fence accessory for my Veritas Router plane and use thatWhich option would you recommend?
Try the “poor man’s rebate plane” first, introduced by Paul Sellers in a video on this website. It is a reliable tool, and perhaps you can even find a used blade instead of the chisel.
Dieter
For rebates a moving fillister is the tool for the job. I prefer wooden ones with a skewed iron but something like a stanley 78 would also fit the bill. A combination plane (45, 50 and 55) would also suffice and would also cut grooves and some mouldings/beading, the thing is with combination planes is in my opinion they don’t do well across the grain which is where a wooden moving fillister really shows its worth.
Matt
I think what ever tools you have, are the tools to do the rebate. I had to do a few and did a few different methods. 1) moving fillister 2) unfenced wooden rebate plane 3)chisel and unfenced rebate plane. You could use saw, chisel and router plane.
I would recommend against the fence accessory for the Veritas Router plane. The router plane itself is great, and the fence sounds like a good accessory but in three years of owning one I have never used the fence. There are only a few unlikely situations where it would genuinely be useful and better than another alternative.
For about the same price as the fence I recently bought a dedicated 78 style rebate plane secondhand on ebay. It took a little work, but now it cuts rebates well again.
A plough plane is more essential IMO and much more useful than a rebate plane. Depends what you are doing of course,
Maybe you could get some kind of combination plane that would plough grooves, rebate, beading etc but in that case you will be heading to ebay secondhand as they aren’t made any more to my knowledge.
Once you start down the additional plane slope (especially if you get any good deals on ebay), I predict you are going to want dedicated plough, rebate everything etc anyway.
Like David said, the best tool to make a rebate is the one you have and like. That doesn’t mean you can’t want more planes though 🙂
I have just made a picture frame requiring a rebate on the inner edges. I used a refurbished Stanley 78. Cut a beautifully clean and square rebate, to the depth set by the side foot, and controlled by the (modified) fence.
My suggestions would be:
(a) make a longer and deeper wooden fence to attach to the 78’s smallish metal casting
(b) use a gauge to mark lines for width and depth. Even along the grain this helps keep a super clean edge at the start of the cut
(c) As I’m sure you know, commence the rebate gently near the END of the piece and work backwards progressively.The 78 can do cross-grain as it does have a nicker. Not a hugely pleasant experience but it works.
On reflection I might have sought the Record ‘equivalent’ – the 778 – as that has the benefit of two bars to secure the fence versus the 78’s single one.
As to alternatives:
1. I do have a plough plane, but seem to turn to the 78 more often – preferring the wider base for a neat and easy cut.
2. A Stanley 92/93 does a lovely job but needs a fence set up and you need to work down to depth as there isn’t a depth stop like on the 78.The veritas plough plane can do small rebates and now offers beading blades and a wide blade and t&g conversion kit, so it does most of the common functions of a combo plane.
It is about the only modern equivalent of something like the Stanley 45, with the conversion kit.So if you are wary of the used/antique route, you can make do with the plough and with the very nice Veritas skew filletster plane. That plane was based on the Stanley 289, which is a wonderful tool, and offers a couple improvements.
So two specialty planes would meet virtually all your needs.
The record 43 and 44 are worth looking into also for plough planes. Though more limited, the are cheap and do a very good job at what they do.
And, of course, the Stanley 45 gets either love or hate reactions depending on whether you grock the tool. If you limit it to ploughing, beading, and t&g it can work quite well. Once you get past the basic 13 cutters, it is less useful.
I’d stay clear of most of the wooden filletster antiques unless you see fettling and fixing old tools as a hobby.
Some dedicated wooden beaders and rebate planes can be fine.
2. A Stanley 92/93 does a lovely job but needs a fence set up and you need to work down to depth as there isn’t a depth stop like on the 78.
You can cut a small grove with a marking gauge and use the corner of the shoulder plane for a few swipes in the grove produced by the gauge, then gradually square up the plane to cut a rebate.
It does require more attention and you work by eye to a second gauged depth, but for a rebate or two, can be as quick or quicker than the dedicated filletster.
Be careful of the modern versions of the 92/93. They aren’t as well made as the pre-90’s planes. Check they are square before you buy.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.