Making a Rebate Plane

Posted 24 September 2014

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Make yourself a rebate plane to use for your upcoming projects using materials you will probably have readily available. Paul goes into the details of making sure the wedge and blade fit accurately and how to use a chisel as the blade. Used in the picture frames project.

117 Comments

  3. Paul and team,

    Definitely, from two years ago, on Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week.

    This master classes is sparking my inspiration all the time, absolutelly wonderful classes.

    Thanks for your great work an generosity.

    –Óscar

  15. Well paint me blue and call me Bob… Me thinks I’ll be making a plane this Christmas holiday but possibly a beading plane using the same principle. I could make several irons with different beads, or any other variants of moulding irons…
    At least if the shape isn’t to complicated you needn’t shape the underside of the plane to the iron which seems to be the most difficult point in making a moulding plane, right?
    Thanks a lot!
    /Martin

  26. After watching this video I was excited for the first time I thought I could make myself a whole set of hollows and rounds and go even further with a collection of specialty moulding planes but my excitement came crashing down when I saw the prices of iron blanks on LN’s website. On average it would cost me around $400 for the blanks alone, I can buy a set of antique hollow and rounds for the same price. Just when you think your winning you get a reality check.

    Excellent video Paul I thoroughly enjoyed it.

    1. If you know any carpenters who throw out circular saw blades it is amazing how easily a blade blank can be cut out with a zip disc on a small grinder. Doing it carefully means there is little working required after and if you don’t overheat it I have found the edge retention to be very good without any retempering. The bigger the saw blade, the thicker the blank. I made a spokeshave replacement blade for an old stanley I have that had a worn out blade and it works a treat.

    2. I know this is an old post that I’m replying to but you could pick up some tool steel make your own irons and then harden and temper them yourself. A bit of work but it could be really nice in the end.

  27. Absolutely fantabulous and amazing! To think I could have invested all of my hard earned money (and a bit of time) in the “Poor Man’s” brand/line of tools, which give as comparable if not better results than some of my rather pricey high end tools, is, well…….rather humbling and astounding. Most of all it is inspiring as you have shown us that there really is very little holding us back from working in wood. Thank you yet again Mr. Sellers et al !!

  29. Dear Paul,

    This sort of video is exactly what is needed to encourage people to start woodworking. You are single handedly empowering woodworkers around the globe with your “Poor Man” series. I think you should make a special heading in the project series.

    I thank you again for being an excellent teacher and mentor to thousands of people.

  34. I enjoyed watching this, but when the fence was on and the plane set my tummy leaped for joy watching those shavings. It’s a rich man that has an experience of building such a tool and seeing it work. Marvelous.

  35. thanks Paul, really liked that. Have been considering a shoulder plane but hesitating spending the money for it. maybe this would work. I wanted to cut a small cross grain rebate on the inside of tailboards.

  41. Thank you very much Paul,

    It is astonishing how easily you can make a good plane just using just a srcap of wood and old chisel. Your enthusiasm for making things like that is absolutely fantastic to watch! Thank you for sharing that!

  42. Hi Paul, this is the first time I have ever felt the need to put a comment on a video that I have watched! That was the best and at the end of the video when you started to get the shavings slide out of the plane for some reason it made the hair on the back of neck stand on end! And even more I could see your excitement coming through as well. You have got to go on Youtube with this one. Thank you very much I will follow you to the end of the world!

    Stumper

    1. I agree with Stumper. In fact I was going to suggest it myself:

      Please take this video to YouTube it is by far the most inspirational video you have yet produced. I see it’s not just me – reading the comments above you somehow actually brought a smile to people’s faces. Who would have thought that possible watching a woodworking tutorial ?!!!

      Thanks again Paul.

  44. Hi Paul, thanks for the video.

    When I saw this I thought that this technique could be combined with the poor man’s router to make a router plane you could add and remove a chisel from with a wedge.

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9437DFTHpNCNzVUM0V0SlpZaEU/edit?usp=sharing

    It’s a bit tricky to set the depth on but works pretty well other than that.

    I’ve since learned that this is sort of a traditional construction for a Granny’s Tooth plane.

    Thanks for the inspiration.

  46. Great video Paul love the way you did not tell us to go to a high end blade maker to buy an expensive blade before we make the plane.I will have a go at making one.
    Thanks. Tom Moore

  48. Awesome job as always. Seems like this would be a nice carryover to making a moulding plane perhaps?? We’ve done the Small hollow plane when you made the stool, which sort of talks about shaping a making a blade, then the rabbet plane, which looks like with just a little bit more work and combining the skills the from both of these, you could make a set of hollows and rounds or even a full moulding plane ;). I’d love to see an episode on that. There companies that are making nice hollow and round sets of moulding planes out there, but they cost near $1000 for the set. And ebay is a crapshoot of rolling the dice on those types of planes.

  49. Quite superb – I agree with an earlier comment – come on Paul, get a TV slot – you would change so many peoples lives, as you have mine. 6 Months ago I would not have believed I could do what I now can, and I’ve lost 3 stone into the bargain because I am now active, with an interest and don’t spend my retirement time looking at and practising cooking programmes! I now use wood! What an enjoyment!!

  58. I just got around to watching this fantastic video. I just couldn’t help but smile when those shavings started peeling out. The only problem now is that it is too cold in my Colorado garage to make one! I have to wait till Spring.

    Thanks, Paul.

  64. awesome!!, i had seen others make a rabbet but not as pristine as yours, even though its in pine!, and your explanation is unmatched. The best teacher is Paul Sellers.

  65. I made this plane and it worked great. The only problem is I followed you chisel sharpening video and got the chisel a little too sharp. When making the plane my thumb got in the way and I had to make a trip to the doctors office for a glue job.

    1. I once slipped and jabbed a chisel quite hard into my thumb. Looked worse than it felt lol

      Another time I was sharpening all my chisels and putting them to the side once I sharpened them. One of them fell and slashed the side of my foot. The scar is still there after all these months.

  66. I would add a fence on the side too. A large flathead screw that is filed sharp might make a working nicker? If not you could inlay a spear pointed piece of steel on the side and hold it down with two screws on the sides or make a slot in the middle of the steel and put a screw through it. It would be easily lifted up when cutting with the grain. I would call this tool the economical man’s fillister plane!

      1. Indeed, I have done that and those little blades keep a very good egde, for very long. I made a kebiki (marking gauge) with that blade and haven’t so far been in the need for resharpening it.

  67. Outstanding video Paul, I’m goint to make one Rebate and then a Filister plane with this same technique, but instead of using a chisel, i will try to cut in half the replacement blade of a #4 plane.

  71. hey paul, its me arnold the old time plumber , would you belived I just followed you and made one of those planes and you nwhat?>? it works perfectly thanks again paul. this wood working is making me very happy.

  72. Superb..!!! i have to agree with all the other comments, this is just priceless,
    i was thrilled to see how well it worked , cant wait to make one,
    Keep up the good work to paul and all the team… thank you..

  75. This is fabulous, Paul! Watching those spiral curls of shaving peel off the plane is inspiring!

    I like the idea that you can make short planes, long planes, whatever special size you need. Pine is easy to work while I’m learning, later on a harder wood will leave tools for later generations.

    Tom

  76. I firmly believe this is your best video Paul. Such a wonderful topic, making something few would imagine could be so easily created in the shop. But the best thing about this video is how infectious Paul ‘s excitement is.

    This was the perfect combination of informative, inspirational and entertaining.

  78. Thanks so much for this Paul. I went at it hap hazardly because to be honest I didn’t think I could pull it off but to my amazement it worked beautifully and I had a smile so large I thought my head would split in two. Now I think I’ll make another only I’ll do a better job on it’s appearance. and maybe add a depth gauge.

    Thanks again,
    Peter

  82. Once again, Paul shows what a master he really is. I watched this today and just had to attempt one myself. It wasn’t quite as good but works quite well and I know I will make another with even better results…thanks so much for the fantastic instruction and the inspiration.

  85. Thank you Paul I made my first rebate plane it took a lot of refining but i finaly got it to work. there is a little more refining to do with the wast port . Need to do some sharpining to . thanks so very much Bob

  93. I love this plane. However, I do not like planning against the grain. My first plane was “right handed” by which I mean the blade was on the right side of the plane. Because Paul made it so easy to make these planes, I also made a “left handed” plane which I use when the grain is going against me when I use the “right handed” plane. You can use the same chisel blade or buy a second chisel and use its blade. I did the latter because the wedge does not fit tight without a blade and I did not want to lose the wedge.

  95. Well, I made my plane, and got it to where it cuts a pretty decent rebate. Takes considerable fiddling to get the depth of cut shallow enough. (around 1/64″ or less at a pass.) Cutting a 1/4″ rebate with a 1/2″ sharp chisel, bevel-down to the 45 degree bedding side of the recess. Problem I’m having is that my shavings seem to want to come off in a tight roll rather than the pigtail spiral that Paul gets on the video. I’ve fiddled with the curved cut-out on the end of the wedge to the point that I may need to make a new wedge. Noticed that the end of that taper is very fractious. Should the wedge be made of a harder wood than the pine plane body to help? Wondering if the face of that shaving-ejector be square to the cutter edge, or skewed to the outside to form the pigtail shavings? Any ideas appreciated. Mike

  96. About 32 minutes into the video Paul demonstrates the scooped feather edge taper that should cleanly eject the shaving out the side. He used pine.

    If the very tip seems fragile, you can make a steeper secondary bevel in the last 1/8” or so and the shavings will still eject just fine.

  97. What are the signs that the plane needs to be replaced? Also do you have any videos on using chisels I’m having trouble being accurate with them and getting an accurate depth such as in mortising hinges on a box. Ive also heard Paul talk about reading the grain when using chisels what does that mean?

    Thanks Alec

  98. For anyone else that finds them helpful, here are the dimensions Paul used. As he says, any of these could be changed as you see fit.

    Plane Body:
    1 1/4 by 2 3/4 by 10 (30 x 70 x 250 mm)

    Wedge Piece (before cutting):
    5/8 by 2 1/4 by 10 (15 x 55 x 250 mm)

    Fence:
    3/8 by 1 1/4 by 10 inches

    Fence:

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