Manual for setting up the Veritas Skew Rabbet Plane - Part Two With the Grain

[Derek Cohen]

I am presently building two night stands. The drawer case is made of four mitred sides in quartersawn Tasmanian Oak ...

https://i.postimg.cc/yBQZrCWj/A15.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The mitres are connected with packing tape ...

https://i.postimg.cc/jKdfXSqC/A13.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

.. and finish as the basic drawer case.

https://i.postimg.cc/2r1Bs9ZD/A16.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The drawer cases will be bow-fronted. The rear remain straight, and receive a rebate to house the case back.

This is what we are after ...

https://i.postimg.cc/bqQfd8t9/33.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/hScWdw8W/34.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

For this set up, the nicker is retracted into the body of the plane. However the blade remains a smidgeon outside the body (0.5mm) ..

https://i.postimg.cc/QjLrXVHM/35.jpg (https://postimages.org/)


I find that the shoulder wall will taper downwards if the blade is left flush with the body. The rebates above were planed this way, and the shoulder are square.

The hand grip is thumb where the front knob would be (it was removed), pushing downward, and the palm pushes the body into the work piece ..


https://i.postimg.cc/y6xk686L/40.jpg (https://postimages.org/)


When planing into the grain (this happens), it pays to use a cutting gauge to score the outlines of the rebate ...

https://i.postimg.cc/fwC4jK53/37.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

It is also important to start planing at the end of the board and create a taper. This "straightens" the grain and reduces the fuzziness of the surface ...

https://i.postimg.cc/9mQ6x7NL/38.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

A decent finished rebate which involved planing into the grain ..

https://i.postimg.cc/1m7Lb3ks/36.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ready for assembly ..

https://i.postimg.cc/Mws2n9vN/39.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Andrew Hughes]

Nice clean work as usual Derek. I might have asked you this before I’m not sure. Have you used air dried in the difficult species? I forgot the name but the one that’s reddish.

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

Very nice clean work, how do you prevent the depth stop from bruising the surface?

[Derek Cohen]

Nice clean work as usual Derek. I might have asked you this before I’m not sure. Have you used air dried in the difficult species? I forgot the name but the one that’s reddish.

Thanks Andrew, I think that you are asking about Jarrah. Jarrah is significantly harder than Tasmanian Oak. Jarrah is closer to (but a little harder than) Hard Maple. Tassie Oak is similar to White Oak in hardness. Both these woods are Eucalypts. Of the two, Jarrah is the nicer to plane as the grain is firm, albeit it interlocked. Softer woods are always harder to avoid spelching, especially when planing across the grain.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Very nice clean work, how do you prevent the depth stop from bruising the surface?

Thanks Assaf.

I have a memory of you (or someone) commenting about leaving lines from the depth stop. I used to do this more in the past. Three tips:

1. Keep the bottom of the depth stop clean.

2. A light hand as the blade begins to stop cutting (as the depth stop is bottoming out). You can control this by not pushing down as hard with your thumb.

3. One of the reasons I score the baseline (as well as the shoulder line) is that it is easier to sneak up on it, which enables the light hand at the end.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

To all … as always, contributions here are invaluable to those starting out. I will collect and add them to my articles on my website. The first part is here:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasSkewRabbetPlaneManual.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kevin Adams]

To all … as always, contributions here are invaluable to those starting out. I will collect and add them to my articles on my website. The first part is here:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasSkewRabbetPlaneManual.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek, thanks for all the helpful info as always. I agree that the plane works better without that front knob. I’m surprised that someone (like you!) or Lee Valley have not come up with a small “button” with indentation to place your thumb vs the the bare metal with that screw hole there. I know it’s just aesthetic, but I would think there’s a more elegant solution!

Thanks again.
Kevin

[Derek Cohen]

Kevin, what a great idea! Have you tried to make a button? If so, post some pics. I may make one.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kevin Adams]

Derek, I was hoping you would! I guess you could go all out and turn something on a lathe, indentation for finger, recessed screw that would need to be shortened. Maybe LV will surprise us with a replacement option for the front knob!

Kevin

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Kevin

This took about 15 minutes on my wood lathe (I don't have a metal lathe). Tell me what you think.

https://i.postimg.cc/Z5Z2jp35/1.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/t45fcJtt/2.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/027hpcz4/3.jpg

I used an existing brass knob (purchased on eBay, as I recall), hollowed it, cut off the stem (so it can lie as low as possible), and tapped it for a thread matching the Skew Rabbet Plane.

https://i.postimg.cc/JhYF1FFs/4.jpg

It feels very natural ...

https://i.postimg.cc/1z3T1Svx/5.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kevin Adams]

Hi Derek, yes, that’s exactly what I envisioned! I was thinking either brass to match the other knobs or wood to match the tote and knob the plane came with. It looks better than that bare metal with screw hole and I imagine adds a small amount of comfort. Also make it easy to use plane the best way. Nice work as always, now let’s see if LV agrees and begins offering a replacement like they do for their large shoulder planes (which I also own).

Thanks again, take care.
Kevin