Rabbet plane

[paul cottingham]

If you could get one rabbet plane, which would it be? A block rabbet or a skew? Which has more general utility? I make a fair number of mortise and tenons, but also a fair number of rabbets, so....I am in need of advice
Thanks as always...

[Chris Griggs]

If you want to cut rabbets by hand get a skew rabbet. If cut most of your joinery by machine want a more general purpose tool for cleaning up tenon cheeks, and rabbets, get the block rabbet. Full size skew rabbets are larger, have depth stops, and fences - they are made for quickly cutting joinery. Block rabbets have tight mouths (unless you mean the LV skew block that has an adjustable mouth) and are made for refining joinery and other general trimming/cleanup.

[Zach England]

If you have a large shoulder plane then get the skew. If not then get the block. Actually, if not then get the large shoulder plane. Just my .02.

[Adam Cherubini]

Clean up your tenons with a wide chisel. With a little practice, it will do a better and quicker job than a plane will. For rabbets, buy used wooden square and skew rabbets. Should be able to find each for under $10 on flea bay. These too have advantages over modern rabbeting planes. Chiefly, they often have open mouths that allow you to hog away material quickly, useful when creating rabbets by hand.

If your hand planes are really for cleaning up machine made joints, ignore my advice. That's a different ball of wax.

Adam

[Don Dorn]

I can only relay my pesonal preference - I have a LN low angle rabbeting block, a LN 10 1/4 and a Record 778. By far, I use the 778 as my rabbeting choice, and the 10 1/4 for raised panels. I very rarely use the block - to the point that I should probably peddle it. I had a skew rabbeting plane once, but I much prefer the 778 because it's so much easier to sharpen and I didn't see any difference in performance. For tenons, I use a file - but don't do many of them prefering multiple dowels.

[lowell holmes]

I have both types, but I use a router plane to dress my tenons, both machine and hand cut.

[Frank Drew]

I'm with Don; the Record 778 is a fine tool, with lots of built-in features and flexibility: two cutter positions (regular and bull-nose); depth gauge; scoring cutter for cross-grain work; fence with two rods for stability...

[Bill Houghton]

I'll offer a minority opinion on the "carpenter's rabbet," which is how I've seen the Record 778 and others described: I don't own a 778, and, given a choice, I'd probably prefer that; but I DO own a Stanley 78, a similar tool with somewhat more primitive cutter setting adjustment and a single-arm fence, and have found it quite an adequate tool. I actually use it in preference to some more elaborate rabbeting planes I own, such as a Stanley No. 10-1/2.

[Jim Koepke]

I actually use it in preference to some more elaborate rabbeting planes I own, such as a Stanley No. 10-1/2.

Since the 10-1/2 doesn't have the features of the Stanley 78 or the Record 778, I would think of it as not as elaborate. I think it looks nicer if that counts for anything.

Having a lot of rabbet planes, I still find tuning tenons to be easier with a wide chisel.

For cutting rabbets, the 78/778 works great. Most of the time my rabbets are cut using the Stanley 45.

jtk

[paul cottingham]

Ok, to pick up on an earlier thought in this thread, would a large shoulder plane be more useful than a rabbet plane? I do mostly furniture like tables, starting to do chairs and the like.
Thanks

[Zahid Naqvi]

I have used, and own, both metallic (Record and LV shoulder planes) as well as wooden rabbet planes, and by far the metal ones are better. The reason being the angle of the blade. Due to the lack of support in a rabbet plane design the wooden plane's blade must be placed at a higher angle but the metallic planes can afford a lower angle hence making them easier to use.