Review: The Veritas Jack Rabbet Plane

[Derek Cohen]

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasJackRabbetPlane_html_m402849ee.jpg


Here is a link to a review on my website: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasJackRabbetPlane.html


Regards from Perth


Derek

[Chris Griggs]

Nice review Derek. Your work around for shooting is brilliant! I would have never thought of that.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

One of the first thoughts I had when I saw the plane was why LV didn't include some detachable sides, seeing as there were already those bolt holes there. Glad to see the idea works well in practice.

[Bill Rhodus]

Derek, from a purely panel raising perspective, would you prefer this plane over the Veritas skew rebate?

[Gabe Shackle]

The shooting board idea is great. You could even make a skewed side piece so that the shooting board itself didn't need to be angled. There's all kinds of possibilities there.

[Eugenio Musto]

Bill,I think this plane has the advantage to follow the grain direction because the blade is straight and not skew and also because the fence can be mounted of either side of the plan.

[Jim Koepke]

Great review as usual Derek.

Thanks,

jtk

[Adam Petersen]

Very nice review! I was especially excited to see your shooting board. I had actually sent an email to Mr. Lee a few weeks ago asking if they were planning to make a fully lapped side plate using the provided screw holes. I thought it would have been a cheap and effective way to create another excellent use for this plane. I had been on the fence a bit about buying a plane like this but I may have to consider it all the more deeply after seeing your shooting board.

[JohnPeter Lee]

Nice review Derek - thanks.
You neglected to list the LN LA jack rabbet as a competitor. Whatddya think?

JP

[Derek Cohen]

One of the first thoughts I had when I saw the plane was why LV didn't include some detachable sides, seeing as there were already those bolt holes there. Glad to see the idea works well in practice.

Hi Joshua

That was one of my comments to LV after trying out the plane. My thoughts ran to the Stanley (and LN) #140. In use this may be impractical, nevertheless it is a reasonable idea.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Derek, from a purely panel raising perspective, would you prefer this plane over the Veritas skew rebate?

Hi Bill

Aside from the obvious benefit of a skewed blade for cross grain planning, the short length of the rebate plane makes it easier to use for rebates. For panel raising, the Jack Rabbet is superior. It can close up its mouth to take a fine shaving, and so is capable of greater precision when that is required.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Nice review Derek - thanks.
You neglected to list the LN LA jack rabbet as a competitor. Whatddya think?

JP

Hi JP

The LN is a different beast. I have only handled it at LN Shows, and not attempted to compare it with the LV. Firstly, the LN is a smaller plane, about 12" in length. LN traditionally follow the lines set down by Stanley, and their version does not vary from this recipe. As such it does not have the provision for a fence, is slightly narrower, and has a fixed handle. A more historically accurate plane.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mike Allen1010]

Thanks Derek for another great review!

I always enjoy your posts and your insight into the practical "usability" of the hand tools you evaluate is always extremely helpful-- especially for someone like me who doesn't have a chance to try out tools before ordering them.

I have the LN skewed rabbet plane, with detachable side that I've used for raising panels and I would like something with a little more mass and length. I'm wondering if in all your plane building experience if you've ever built a dedicated panel raising plane and if you think the result/performance would be worth the effort given the the commercial planes currently available like the Lee Valley Rabbit?

Thanks again for the insight and expertise you consistently share with your fellow woodworkers.

All the best, Mike

[Alexander Zagubny]

I bit of an old thread but just can't stay silent about that. Since Derek reviewed Jack Rabbet as all-rounder, I was thinking about having one as a... ehm... jack of all trades. And then it struck me like a thunder: it has no sides!

I mean yeah, it's indeed rabbet plane and it is supposed to do so but why do we need these side part at all? I can think of two applications squaring the edge and flattening face. For squaring the edge Rob Cosman has demonstrated his method in that video (https://youtu.be/M4FQdLOKd7k?t=330), he uses side to ride on lower side of the board edge and thus removing material from higher side. I personally find that method very convenient and providing more stable result than one suggested by Paul Sellers (locating center of mass to the right/left of the board).
Flattening. During the process plane can ride on the sides preventing scooping a hole in the center of the board. Just the opposite of what rabbet plane designed for.

Although those effects can be negligible due to slight rotation of the sole during planing one should take it into consideration.

[John Schtrumpf]

...I mean yeah, it's indeed rabbet plane and it is supposed to do so but why do we need these side part at all? I can think of two applications squaring the edge and flattening face. For squaring the edge Rob Cosman has demonstrated his method in that video (https://youtu.be/M4FQdLOKd7k?t=330), he uses side to ride on lower side of the board edge and thus removing material from higher side. I personally find that method very convenient and providing more stable result than one suggested by Paul Sellers (locating center of mass to the right/left of the board)...

For squaring (jointing) an edge of a board, I set the fence so my jack rabbet is balanced on the edge of the board (actually a tick heavy on the non-fence side). As I ride the fence along my reference face, square comes automatically, all I have to work at is getting the edge straight.

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=362841&d=1498616676

p.s. That under-slung fence is also available/fits the Veritas Custom Bench planes.

[David Marcus Brown]

Derek,
When used on your shooting board, how did you like it? With your ramped shooting board, how hard was planing Jarrah end grain? Does it compare favorably with the Veritas shooting plane?

I own the Veritas shooting plane and like it, but I rarely use it. I'm considering selling it to purchase the Veritas jack rabbet. I'm currently building a large dining table and my wife would like another for our farm, so I see a lot of breadboard ends in my future. I've been using my Veritas skew rabbet plane and LN jack rabbet to cut breadboard tenons. I clamped a batten to the table to use as a fence and 90 degree reference. This worked well but I kept bashing my knuckles into the batten. My batten was thick (a 2x4) and neither the Veritas skew rabbet nor the LN jack rabbet have tilting totes.

[Jim Koepke]

I clamped a batten to the table to use as a fence and 90 degree reference. This worked well but I kept bashing my knuckles into the batten. My batten was thick (a 2x4) and neither the Veritas skew rabbet nor the LN jack rabbet have tilting totes.

This was a problem of mine with using a batten. My solution was to use a batten lower than knuckle level. The batten is only needed for the first few cuts. If all is going well, the rabbet will provide a batten as it progresses.

Do either of your rabbet planes accept a fence? this could be used against the end of the piece being worked or on a batten on the underside of the work.

jtk

[David Marcus Brown]

Thanks for your thoughts Jim. Yes, I’ll use a thinner batten next time—probably 3/4” oak. That will help save my knuckles. The Veritas skew rabbet has a fence but I wanted to try the batten since it would keep the plane aligned in the horizontal and vertical planes. The LN jack rabbet doesn’t have a fence.

[Derek Cohen]

David, I do not use the Jack Rabbet on the shooting board. I simply demonstrated that it could be done, and that it would work well ... should someone choose to do so. There are many tasks this plane can do very well, but I somehow doubt that this would be the reason to purchase one. The main reason is that it is a plane which can butt against a wall, and has the ability to move from a low- to a high cutting angle. Wide rebates and breadboard cheeks, raised panels, and flattening inside drawer cases are the three reasons I use one.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Marcus Brown]

David, I do not use the Jack Rabbet on the shooting board. I simply demonstrated that it could be done, and that it would work well ... should someone choose to do so. There are many tasks this plane can do very well, but I somehow doubt that this would be the reason to purchase one. The main reason is that it is a plane which can butt against a wall, and has the ability to move from a low- to a high cutting angle. Wide rebates and breadboard cheeks, raised panels, and flattening inside drawer cases are the three reasons I use one.

Understood. Thanks Derek. :)

[James Pallas]

Great plane. Agile enough to start rabbets in a gauge or knife line. Nice long toe helps. Cuts wide rabbets very well. Blades will different bevels to help with tear out on wide rabbets. Fence should you prefer that method. Good for big wide tenons, breadboards etc. Squaring edges if you use a straight iron method. As a jack if you wish too. You will need a cambered blade for this. I guess on a shooting board, too much fiddling involved for me. Big powerful plane that handles like a sports car. Even as a big smoother if again you want to grind a blade for it.