Cross Grain Rabbet/Rebate with Handtools

[James C]

Im planning on making some boxes that use rebates with decorative dowels.

I've always wanted an easy way of creating cross grain rebates to a small depth (1/16" for example) to make dovetailing easier.

So does anyone have any suggestions? I can't really afford to buy a Skew Rebate plane along the likes of Philly or Veritas. Do I get something off eBay? I don't have much experience with reconditioning wooden hand planes.

I could make it using the router table at school but if much rather a nice quiet relaxing solution to use at home.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Why would you think a shallow rebate will make dovetailing easier? If you think it will hide errors on the inside corners, it will, but take more work to do than just perfecting your dovetailing technique. Chiseling to a nice, sharp scribed line is not hard to do and will not take the extra step of planing rebates, not to mention avoid the necessity for another tool. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for owning more tools, but you can do without one in this instance. Or is there a good reason for rebating that I have not understood?

Mike.

 

[James C]

The main reason for wanting one is for creating rebate joints for boxes and eventually carcasses.

The dovetail connection is a Schwarz suggestion that a very shallow rebate will make seating the tails gainst the pin board much easier for scribing the pins. Unnecessary I know but something I wanted to see if it made the hand dovetail process more efficient.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Ahh yes, I remember Chris Schwatz doing that. Unless the rebates are super accurate, you may encounter problems with the box squareness, so I would suggest more trouble than it is worth. It is probably only done on a router table to easily guarantee that sort of accuracy. Doable with hand tools, of course, but fences and depth stops and nickers come on higher priced tools. Ones without will be fussy to get necessary accuracy and negate any advantage.

Mike.

 

[Fromey]

Schwarz got the idea from Rob Cosman who got it from Alan Peters.

 

[Berncarpenter]

Hi James
Using a shallow rebate on large chests works great. It makes it easy to locate the tail board onto the pinboard. But for small stuff like boxes i use a L shaped board with a fence {got the idea from David Baron}

You could hold this in a vice or hold your work in the vice and clamp the board to your work like this

Heres the trays for my ATC tool chest

For shallow rebates i found the Veritas skew rebate the easiest to use but any rebate plane will do it . The cheapest would probably be an old wooden one , pick these up for pennies at a car boot .

Cheers Bern

 

[James C]

Ok well the dovetail thing wasn't the main reason the inquiry but I seem to have an answer none the less.

I will be scouring around for a wooden rebate plane with some sort of nicker for cross grain work in the coming weeks.

 

[Noggsy]

Both my Stanley 50 and Record 44 (I think, I'm away at the mo) plough planes have nickers which would work and they have fences and depth stops. There's a cracking Saint Roy prog where he compares wooden and metal combi planes.

 

[Berncarpenter]

Ok well the dovetail thing wasn't the main reason the inquiry but I seem to have an answer none the less.

I will be scouring around for a wooden rebate plane with some sort of nicker for cross grain work in the coming weeks.

Sorry James for going off on one with the dovetails , only trying to help .

If you use a cutting gauge to mark out all your lines you dont have to get a rebate plane with i nicker .

Cheers Bern

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Doing the pins first makes it a darned sight easier to transfer marks to the tail board, the spaces between are bigger. Even more so on half blinds. I used to do dovetails tails first, but wised up and do pins first, it is a lot easier to maintain accurate marking out. Cutting and chopping pins first is more forgiving this way, too.

Mike.

 

[James C]

Thanks Bern. Would you suggest that if I pick up a wooden plane that I get one with a skewed iron?

 

[Berncarpenter]

Skewed iron with fence would be good but without a fence they can be a little tricky to steer . Go for a straight iron if it has no fence .

Cheers Bern

 

[undergroundhunter]

Both my Stanley 50 and Record 44 (I think, I'm away at the mo) plough planes have nickers which would work and they have fences and depth stops. There's a cracking Saint Roy prog where he compares wooden and metal combi planes.

The Stanley 50 does have a nicker for cross grain work but the record 44 does not, its designed to work down the grain not across it.

Matt

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Another approach might be to use a cutting gauge - the sort with the small knife rather than point - to score the width and then depth of the rebate, and then a woodie skew rebate to trim out the waste. The gauge could mark some woods to 1/16" depth by using several passes - light at first to establish the mark, then progressively heavier to deepen the cut. Have the gauge set up so the flat side of the knife is away from the fence, and the finished rebate wall will be nice and vertical, and the deep gauge-cut will guide the edge of the rebate skew iron if care is taken with the first couple of passes.

Given the cost of vintage rebate planes and marking gauges on [insert interweb auction site of choice], it's almost certainly the cheapest way of doing it.

Edit to add - actually, I see that's just an expansion of what Bern's arleady said. Sorry, Bern!

 

[Berncarpenter]

No problem Cheshirechappie i think you explained it far better than i did .

Cheers Bern