LN Rabbet Block Plane - Useful?

[Rob Luter]

Thinking about asking Santa for the LN Rabbet Block Plane. It looks handy for tenon cheeks and raising small panels. Any creekers with experience?

[ken hatch]

Thinking about asking Santa for the LN Rabbet Block Plane. It looks handy for tenon cheeks and raising small panels. Any creekers with experience?

Rob,

If I understand, the referenced plane it is a copy of the Stanley 149 block plane and it is very handy for doing the "149 Trick", much easier to use than the same plane from LV.

ken

[lowell holmes]

I have one. It is a great plane.

By the way, what is the "149 Trick"?

[Mike Walsh]

I have this LN plane - the fit/finish is very nice (typical of LN products) and it works very well for cleaning up tenons and as a general purpose block plane

[Rob Luter]

Hmm? Never heard of a Stanley 149. What’s the trick?

[ken hatch]

I have one. It is a great plane.

By the way, what is the "149 Trick"?


Hmm? Never heard of a Stanley 149. What’s the trick?

The 149 was an old, near blind guys morning typo. It should read the 140 trick.

Alan Peters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Peters) used a Stanley 140 block plane to make a rebate on his tail board to help with alining tail and pin boards for marking. It also can help with the inside corner gap. At one time C.S. advocated using it as well although I do not believe he called it the "140 trick". I use it on most of my dovetails.

ken

[Michael Fross]

I also use the "140 Trick" on all of my dovetails. Makes alignment a snap when transferring the marks to the pin board. As Ken mentions, just make a very small rabbet on the back side of the tail board up to your scribe line (for through dovetails.) Just a few passes until you get a ridge the pin board can register against.

Michael

[Mike Brady]

I find the skew block plane (#140) much more useful for the same purposes mentioned by others here. I have the rabbet block plane but seldom use it.

[Dave Parkis]

The 60 1/2 rabbeting block plane is a great all around block plane. The skew block plane is a little better for the 140 trick, but there are left and right handed versions and they are considerably more expensive.

[Don Dorn]

I had one and liked it. Because it didn't have an adjustable mouth, I parted with it. Big mistake - now I realize that it served all purposes of a block plane very well. I don't use the 140 trick as I'm a pins first person but I did find great use in fine tuning raised panels after the #10 was done.

[Patrick Chase]

I find the skew block plane (#140) much more useful for the same purposes mentioned by others here. I have the rabbet block plane but seldom use it.

The skew block *is* a (single-sided) rabbet block.

I have the Veritas equivalents (L+R) and they're pretty heavily used planes. They're handy any time you want to trim a face all the way into a corner. I don't use the "140 trick" (which can actually be done with any rabbet plane) though.

[Simon MacGowen]

[QUOTE=ken hatch;2748349]Rob,

If I understand, the referenced plane it is a copy of the Stanley 149 block plane and it is very handy for doing the "149 Trick",

ken[/QU

The so-called "140 trick" will reduce the overall width or length of the carcase/box by twice the amount of the shaving. Yes, in most of our work, the reduction will not matter. But for piston fit kind of construction, in theory it may or may not affect the result.

I use a David Barron-style alignment jig, avoiding the unnecessary step of tuning a plane to make a proper rabbet.

Simon

[David Bassett]

Thinking about asking Santa for the LN Rabbet Block Plane. It looks handy for tenon cheeks and raising small panels. Any creekers with experience?

I looked at it at a L-N tool event a couple years ago. I think it is a love it or hate it type thing. I ask the L-N instructor helping at the event about it and found his response interesting. He said he hates it and it is almost the only plane he doesn't use. Since he has the full spectrum available there is always a better choice for any task. He also said the only reason he would be interested in it is if it was going to be his only plane, in which case it is capable of almost any task. It seems like the classic "Jack-of-all-Trades, Master of none" tool. What do you want to use it for and how much do you value versatility?

[Stanley Covington]

I have 5 block planes by Stanley and LN. The one I use the most is the LN Rabbet Block. It will do everything I require of a block plane, a small rabbet plane, and a carriage plane, and weighs less. It also has nickers. If I could only have one block plane, this would be it.

It has two downsides. First, since the blade's corners are exposed, I can't keep it in an apron pocket without cutting the cloth. Second, I suspect it would be damaged more than a closed LN block plane of ductile iron if dropped onto a concrete floor. Haven't dropped it yet.

[Frederick Skelly]

I bought one 6 months ago Rob. I bought/use it for tenon cheeks especially, but it's still a block plane and I use it as one. I'm glad to have it.
Fred

[john zulu]

It is more versatile to the RH and LH skew block plane. There is no guiderails on the side which could be an issue. I have it but do not use it as my primary block plane.
I either use the LN 102 or Quangsheng Low angle block plane nowadays. I still have my DX 60 ready to go.

[Rob Luter]

I may hold off for now. I have a fine complement of both low and standard angle block planes that can be used on cheeks, even though I'll need to use a shoulder plane or chisel up close to the shoulders. I usually add a little relief there anyway to capture glue squeeze out.

[Prashun Patel]

I owned one for about a year, but sold it. I got more utility from a large shoulder plane and a smaller 'apron'/102-style block plane. I suspect this is a matter of personal preference, though.

It worked just fine.

[Ted Phillips]

I use the rabbet block plane as my main block plane.

[Derek Cohen]

This is one of those planes that looks like it will be useful. However, I have had one for a dozen years and used it once each year. It overlaps with other planes: A shoulder plane is better squaring rebates. A skew block plane is better on on end grain or planing cross grain, such as on fielded panels. A rabbet jack plane is better with raised panels.

Regards from Perth

Derek