Wooden rabbet plane plans?

[Ben Fleis]

For a small boat cradle project, I need a rabbet plane. I've been hedging on buying the veritas medium shoulder plane, since if I wait until fall, I can try it and its competitors before spending anything.

Anybody know of "fairly easy" plans for a wooden rabbet plane? I haven't found anything online yet. I don't mind if the body is "throwaway" for now -- I won't be doing a ton of cutting. It's tapered, and poorly suited to a machine unless I build a router jig... and if I'm going to spend the time to do that, I'd rather build a plane.

-ben

[Jim Koepke]

You may want to look at the rabbet planes listed on eBay, not necessarily to buy, but for ideas. Some people list them as rabbit planes. Look at completed auctions also.

There are a couple listed currently by someone from Austrailia. Both of them look like they were shop built.

Today, I had an iron from a Stanley plane that was a bit pitted and not a lot of life left. Used a Dremel to cut the blade apart then ground it into a marking knife. The other side is being considered just the purpose of making a small rabbet plane.

Also on eBay, are a few Stanley No. 75 bull nose rabbet planes. These are a so - so plane, but do work in a pinch. I have had a few of them. There is one left in my shop. Since they usually do not fetch more than $20, I might give it to one of my grand kids to teach them about setting a blade without an adjuster. Since I bought a Stanley No. 90, it just sits on the shelf.

Before buying a rabbet plane and occasionally still, my rabbets have been made using a chisel. For some reason, a router just does not work right for me. It either burns the wood or hops around or bounces off the guide. I have made a lot of shelves and cabinets using a router, but once in a while, it makes a bad cut. Hand tools are much easier to control for my way of working.

You may also find it easier to make a router plane. With a fence, it could do the job of the router and it would be less demanding to make. The hard part would be making a blade out of an old allen wrench or something.

Finally, the Stanley 45 may suit your needs and then some.

good luck what ever you do,

jim

[Michael Faurot]

Anybody know of "fairly easy" plans for a wooden rabbet plane?


A few years ago I made my own, after having made several traditional Krenov bench type planes.
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If you're familiar with how to make Krenov planes, I've simply taken that basic concept and applied it to a making a rabbet plane.

I got the iron from Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=46324&cat=1,41182). On that page, Lee Valley lists a fairly inexpensive wooden rabbet plane you could buy if you don't want to make one yourself. I simply used the replacement cutter for the Lee Valley plane, to make my rabbet plane.

[Richard Magbanua]

Michael,
Thanks for sharing your very nice rabbet plane. I am looking to make one myself. The LeeValley page says the Muji plane is prone to chatter due to the lack of support from the wedge further down. I noticed in your design the wedge extends further down. Do you have any issues with chatter? How well did your design work? Could it function as a shoulder plane or are the cuts too thick? I got more questions if that ain't enough!
Thanks Ben for starting a great topic!!

[Michael Faurot]

The LeeValley page says the Muji plane is prone to chatter due to the lack of support from the wedge further down.


I actually bought the Lee Valley wooden rabbet plane, before I made mine, as I wanted something to work with and get some experience with. I also got it for something to model my own on. I don't recall if I specifically set out to make my wedge go further down or not. I suspect it does help, but I think it's what type of wood being worked that is the major deciding factor (see below).
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I noticed in your design the wedge extends further down. Do you have any issues with chatter? How well did your design work?
The degree to which my plane and the LV plane perform seems to depend on the wood to be planed. Here's some pictures of both my plane and the LV plane working on some Alder. Both planes did a good job.
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Could it function as a shoulder plane or are the cuts too thick? I got more questions if that ain't enough!
Getting whispy thin fine shavings out of either plane is not something I think they excel at. They seem to work best taking a medium shaving. When cutting a rabbet, a medium shaving makes more sense to me as you are looking to remove material for joinery and not create a surface ready for finishing. Could they be used as a shoulder plane, which I'm interpreting to mean adjusting tenons and such--possibly. It would depend on the wood. I wound up getting a Lie-Nielsen shoulder plane for just this sort of thing. The lower angle of the blade on the LN shoulder plane makes it a better choice, plus it has an adjustable mouth and the depth can be adjusted very finely.

Ultimately, I've not been able to have one rabbet/shoulder/fillister plane perform well in all situations and with all types of woods. I wind up using both my wooden rabbet planes, the Lie-Nielsen shoulder and even a #78 Stanley, sometimes in various combinations on the same joint.

[Brian Kent]

Michael, I can't tell if your blade is bevel up or bevel down.

I had the plane from Lee Valley (actually I bought mine from Japan Woodworker) and tried several rounds without being able to stop that chatter.

I am interested to know if you have chatter in your design. Also, could you show us the shape of your wedge?

[Bob Smalser]

If you want to make a rabbet plane, then make one. The Krenov technique is as good as any.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/9139397/307005497.jpg

But if you want to get on to the boat cradle, buy a wooden rabbet plane on eBay. Some even have slitters, although you can buy them from Stanley and mount your own easy enough. Otherwise a utility knife and a straightedge can do as good a job than a slitter anyway.

If the mouth turns out to be too wide, it's a simple matter to resole it:

Rehabbing Woodies
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8351

That said, the Stanley #78 is a must for any shop doing hand fitting...they are inexpensive and slitters, fences and depth stop replacements are also available from Stanley cheaply. The Record #078 and the Millers Falls #80 (below) are also fine.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/9139397/127231191.jpg

Last, keep in mind that rabbets let into curves were the purview of carriagemaker's rabbet planes with short, convex soles. Fussy to use, today boatbuilders don't bother but go to the chisels after the short-soled bullnose rabbet will no longer cut. You might consider using a false stem in your boat, as it will be much easier to make than a rabbeted stem.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/9139397/307001630.jpg

[Michael Faurot]

Michael, I can't tell if your blade is bevel up or bevel down.


It's bevel down:
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I am interested to know if you have chatter in your design.
I think it would depend on the type of wood. While I was playing with it a few minutes ago with Alder--no chatter. It's been awhile since I've used it, and I couldn't remember how it behaved with other species of wood, so I just tried it with Red Oak, Poplar and Beech. It did not chatter with any of those.



Also, could you show us the shape of your wedge?Sure:
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[Ben Fleis]

I think I'm falling in line with the "buy an old one on ebay" line of reasoning. Now, to just get one... Thanks again.

-b