Rabbet or jack rabbet or skew rabbet or.....

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Because I need to bring my woodwork into my basement workshop without power tools, I am going to be using hand tools for a few projects over the winter.
I need to do rabbets and since a router isn’t possible, I’m looking for experienced users to give me the benefit of your experience.
Wooden hardwood rabbet plane? Skew rabbet plane from Lee Valley? Jack rabbet plane? What would be the most versatile long term, even cleaning up the machining from power tools.
If you had to do it again, with only one tool, what would you choose?

[Robert Hazelwood]

I have the jack rabbet and it's a very nice tool, but I don't think I would recommend it as your only tool for making rabbets unless you mostly need to do very large rabbets. It's a big unwieldy tool for making say a 1/4" x 1/4" rabbet on a small box or something, and it has no depth stop for making repeated parts. For long grain rabbets it can be prone to tearout (you can increase the bevel angle to correct this, but then its no good for cross grain work, so you end up needing two blades). It's great for making cross-grain rabbets for breadboard tenons and things like that.

I think a nice wooden double iron rabbet plane in common pitch would be ideal, though they seem hard to find. The skew rabbet plane looks very nice as well, I just don't like that they are handed- you'd really need both versions to accommodate all situations.

[Dave Parkis]

If you are looking for a tool to only do rabbets and as long as the rabbits are no more than 1 inch wide, I suggest a Stanley 78 rabbet plane. They are plentiful and fairly inexpensive. You can also use it to hog outmost waste if using molding planes.

[ken hatch]

Because I need to bring my woodwork into my basement workshop without power tools, I am going to be using hand tools for a few projects over the winter.
I need to do rabbets and since a router isn’t possible, I’m looking for experienced users to give me the benefit of your experience.
Wooden hardwood rabbet plane? Skew rabbet plane from Lee Valley? Jack rabbet plane? What would be the most versatile long term, even cleaning up the machining from power tools.
If you had to do it again, with only one tool, what would you choose?

Aaron,

A unfenced wood stock rabbet plane is the most versatile and if I could own only one it would be the one. I have several examples of most of the rabbet planes, wood stock and metal with and without fences. If I'm just doing a couple of rabbets I'll pick up the unfenced wood stock rabbet most of the time.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

If you had to do it again, with only one tool, what would you choose?

This is a difficult choice for me since in many situations a particular rabbet plane may be the best for the job at hand.

If my fate was to have only one rabbet plane it would likely be a skew rabbet. This will likely be the most versatile in the most situations. If possible, both handed versions would be in the kit. Currently the only skew rabbets in my kit are wood body rabbet planes.

Though if this made me give up my Stanley #45, the #45 would be my choice for a rabbet plane.

The Record #778 is like the Stanley #78 except it has two rods for holding the fence. This is my current most used fenced rabbet plane.

jtk

[Bill Houghton]

I'll concur with Dave Parkis on the Stanley 78 if you need to save money. A fenced* rabbet plane - 78, Record 778, Lee Valley skew rabbet, other suchlike planes - will be more efficient in the shop than an unfenced one, which requires you to tack or clamp a batten to set your rabbet width and mark out the depth then not overshoot depth.

*Rabbet planes with fences usually also have depth stops. Rabbit planes are only useful if you're using rabbits/bunnies/hares in your furniture.

[Mark Rainey]

Aaron, I use a rabbet plane ( a Record 778 ) all the time. I recommend this. I believe they stopped production ( it is a bright blue color ) but hopefully forum member can direct you where to buy one for a reasonable price ( under $100 ). I think Stanley is still making a cheaper version but I am not sure the quality. I have a nice wood rabbet plane, but the fence on the Record is helpful. I have a Stanley 46 & want to get the skew rabbet Veritas ( more expensive & more challenging to sharpen for a beginner ).

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Not related but a fellow tribesman. I have the Veritas Skew Rabbet (RH). Pricey but highly recommended. Never felt the need for the LH version.

[brian zawatsky]

I use a Record 778 as my general use rabbet plane for rabbets under 1" wide. Wider than an inch and I go to a 10 1/4 jack rabbet, but this plane does not see much action and it was expensive! I prefer the Record over the Stanley 78 because of the double guide rods for the fence on the 778, as opposed to only a single center-mounted rod on the 78. I've always wanted to buy a set of Veritas skew rabbets, as I am sure they are beautiful and well made planes; alas I cannot justify the cost when my cheap 778 works so well.

[Jim Koepke]

[edited]
I've always wanted to buy a set of Veritas skew rabbets, as I am sure they are beautiful and well made planes; alas I cannot justify the cost when my cheap 778 works so well.

Yeah, when you get a good deal on an old Record rabbet plane and brag about it to the wife it is hard to come back and tell her you need to spend more money on some other rabbet plane.

jtk

[James Pallas]

I have a 778, a 45, and a Veritas jack rabbet. The jack rabbet is the most often used. It is bigger and heavier. I have found that it rides nicely in a marking gauge line, which is how I usually start rabbets. As far as not having a depth stop I don’t mind at all. We are always cutting to a line anyway, surfacing, edges, etc. to me the jack rabbet just sails along easily. There is the expense however. I got along with a 778 and a 45 for a long, long time.
Jim

[Derek Cohen]

Because I need to bring my woodwork into my basement workshop without power tools, I am going to be using hand tools for a few projects over the winter.
I need to do rabbets and since a router isn’t possible, I’m looking for experienced users to give me the benefit of your experience.
Wooden hardwood rabbet plane? Skew rabbet plane from Lee Valley? Jack rabbet plane? What would be the most versatile long term, even cleaning up the machining from power tools.
If you had to do it again, with only one tool, what would you choose?

Hi Aaron

There are many ways to create rebates with hand tools. Often it comes down to the length of the board, the straightness of the grain, and the hardness of the wood.

With "easy" wood, one could saw the sides, split away with a chisel, and clean up with a shoulder plane. I have posted pictures of cleaning up with a cutting gauge.

The more common way is to use a rebate plane. I'd argue that the Veritas Skew Rabbet Plane is a favoured tool since it is so well built and comes with such good steel. Second to this is the Record #778 as it is a solid user, but the Stanley #78 is a very decent plane as well. I have an old ECE woodie with a skew blade that just hogs the waste out. That is a really inexpensive way to go.

I often just use a shoulder plane - open the mouth, angle it into a deep line made with a cutting gauge, and straighten as the depth develops.

Choose your poison

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mark Rainey]

100 linear feet rabbet cut with Record 778 yesterday for beaded shiplapped backboard. EF6D794F-C11E-4AA6-B30E-9C23D3A91EEB.jpg

[Andrew Seemann]

I've got my great grandfather's Stanley 78, a Millers Falls skew rabbet block plane, and a wood rabbet plane. The 78 gets used the most. I tend to only use the skew block and wood rabbet for cleaning up rabbets, usually ones that were tablesawn too. The 78 is the one I would use if I were making a rabbet completely by hand, because of the fence option and it has the knicker on it if you are going crossgrain.

Ironically, the most recent rabbet I made by hand was for the switch mount while redoing my tablesaw. I had to do it by hand, because I couldn't use the table saw. I actually just used a backsaw and a paring chisel, since accuracy wasn't paramount, and I was in a hurry.

[Phil Mueller]

Another fan of the 778 here, although I have no experience with anything else.