Skewed Rabbet Plane Questions

[Rob Luter]

Greetings to all,

I picked up a Skewed Rabbet plane this weekend (see pic). After sharpening it cuts great. How were these traditionally used? I've got to believe you need a fence of some kind. Do you just clamp something to your workpiece?

[James Mittlefehldt]

I have one similar and use it when I am making a rabbet on the end of a board and sutting cross grain. I saw down to the depth required, then roughly knock much of the waste out with a chisel, then finish with them rabbet plane to the correct depth.

I also recently used one to trim tenons on some mitred tenons I was cutting, worked a treat. In bot cases the shoulder was established and served as the fence, if you were doing it without an established shoulder than you could make a knife line, tack a batten on the stuff and plane away.

[Frank Drew]

I think James is right; it would take a while to do the entire rabbet with the plane and you would need some kind of guide, but if you waste most of the wood with a saw and chisels the plane would a great cleanup/final sizing tool, and it would already have a shoulder to bear against.

There are rabbet/fillister planes with fences and depth guides so it's not like you couldn't do it with just the plane, but it would be somewhat slow for a rabbet of any depth. Satisfying work, though.

[Jim Koepke]

It can also be used to trim pieces.
Often when making a drawer, the bottom piece is tight in the dado. A few licks with a rabbet plane takes care of this.
Same with tenons and shelves.

A handy plane to have.

jim

[Rob Luter]

Thanks for the feedback. Based on the size of this thing I'm guessing it was used on tenon cheeks or to smooth out a rabbet like you folks suggest. It cuts a groove about 1 1/2" wide, a little big for a drawer bottom! I'll have to measure it tonight.

[Robert Rozaieski]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=80840&page=4

Read Part 20 on page 4 of this thread. Clamp or nail a guide board to your piece and it takes no time at all to make a real wide rabbet or a raised panel.