Rabbet plane for cove molding

[James Pallas]

Mark I have an LV Jack rabbet and it will cut the rabbet you are doing. In order to prevent tear out you can adjust the cutting angle of the blade. That being said and with the tools I have I would start with sawing off the line and cleaning up with planes. I would start by using an azebiki saw with a guide. I have a Stanley 45 also so could use that. When cutting that deep you need to make sure that the iron retains the original bevel on the sides and the skates are in line with that bevel or it will get hard to push the deeper you go. If the plane you are trying to use cannot be set up that way it will jamb up.
Jim

[Mark Rainey]

James, can you recommend a specific Japanese azebiki saw? For the guide should I just use a square wood piece?

[James Pallas]

Mark My saw is just one of the Gyokucho (I think that's the correct spelling) brand sold by several suppliers. Brian or Stanley could probably lead you to a better quality saw. I just use a wood guide. Other saws could be used. I found this saw to cut very quickly.
Jim

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks James!

[Jim Koepke]

I pulled out my Ulmia wood plow plane and began to cut a groove with my 1/8 inch iron. Unfortunately my narrow blade started to bind in the groove as it got deeper.

When cutting that deep you need to make sure that the iron retains the original bevel on the sides and the skates are in line with that bevel or it will get hard to push the deeper you go.

Along with making sure there is a good edge on the side bevel you might try waxing the skate.

One problem with plow planes is as the cut gets deeper if there isn't a bit of clearance any slight misalignment of the plane in the groove can cause the skate and blade to wedge a little. Sometimes with narrow blades it helps, after a bit of depth is achieved, to remove the fence.

jtk

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks for the information Jim!

[Jeff Heath]

My Lie Nielsen low angle jack rabbet plane is perfect for what you are wanting to do. It has quickly become one of my favorite specialty planes. I originally purchased it for cleaning up the grip on molding planes, because it's a full width plane, but it is now my "go-to" plane for an rabbeting. For me, having the handle and tote makes it a more comfortable user, and also keeps my knuckles out of the work, and my skin on my knuckles. I have always had a problem with this using my rabbeting block plane.

The plane has knickers on both sides of the plane body, which solves that ​problem quite nicely.

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks for your advice Jeff. The plane has good mass and plenty of applications

[Warren Mickley]

Warren, I liked your idea of coming in from two sides with narrow grooves so I pulled out my Ulmia wood plow plane and began to cut a groove with my 1/8 inch iron. Unfortunately my narrow blade started to bind in the groove as it got deeper. I was surprised by this. Is this frequent when trying to cut deep, narrow grooves? Maybe I will have better luck with a wider iron. Any thoughts on a saw such as a stair makers hand saw or one of those Japanese saws that can start in the middle of a board?

Mark, you can start a groove on the other face (try 1/4) and then you can take some of the waste away with a mallet and chisel. Removing some waste will make it easier to plough. I can't imagine wanting to make a 1"x1" rabbet by planing the whole thing with a rabbet plane.

Here are a couple of cove mouldings. Had they been made on the corner of a plank they would have needed more than 1x1 rabbets. Since they were made on the face of the board, they were less than 1/2" deep.
cove moulding.jpg

[brian zawatsky]

Mark, I am a bit late to the party maybe (as usual), but if you've not found an optimal solution yet I'd be more than happy to let you use my LN 10 1/4. It cuts like a dream. I'm not too far from you, PM me if you want to use it, we can work something out I'm sure.

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks for your generosity Brian. I would sure like to take it for a test drive. I will PM you.

[Mark Rainey]

EF0990AD-6916-4399-88B5-F33F0BB623D4.jpgThanks Warren. I was thinking of trying a 1/4 inch groove - I noticed the skate on my Ulmia plow plane is a little fatter on the inside than my 1/8 blade and it is getting hung up there. I removed the fence & waxed the skate but it didn’t help much. I could file the skate a bit, but trying the 1/4 inch blade seems easier. I have some photos of the “fat”7136DC8A-22A2-46BC-A999-77B63F6F7B07.jpg7136DC8A-22A2-46BC-A999-77B63F6F7B07.jpg564A6EFC-89D2-49D6-BF4B-7834D3F86249.jpg13A041A9-84A7-4EF6-9D31-04B01B02C15F.jpg skate on my Ulmia

[Mark Rainey]

Used 1/4 inch on Ulmia plow to come in from one side & used Japanese saw from the other side to remove a large strip of wood. Time to try out a large rabbet plane next. ( Warren, my next molding just might be from the face of the board.2D7EC3CB-09D3-440B-B8ED-FC1BA230817F.jpg

[Pat Barry]

Making cove molding by hand. I have to hog off a lot of wood - cherry long grain with some irregular grain. Before I get to the round plane I am running a rabbet over well over one wide & one inch deep. My blue Record 778 is weak for the task. It looks like LN 10 1/4 is made for this. Thoughts?

Just curious how many lineal feet of this molding you are making and how long the longest piece needs to be because I can't picture doing this with a saw unless the pieces were only relatively short. Even then you will want to make long moldings then cut them down to size after the coves and profile are established because that will help ensure uniformity

[Mark Rainey]

Pat, the board is 4 feet, and I need 3 boards for the tall case clock. For sawing, I used a double edged pull saw (ryoba) and began my cut almost horizontal from the far end. Once I sawed to my depth I make a long line on the side of my saw blade with a black marker, indicating depth and angle of saw blade. I then ripped down the entire length using marker line as a guide for depth and angle. Took about 30 minutes.