Replies

1. 
   Frank Vucolo | Mar 03, 2011 10:52pm | #1

   Nice tool!

   Ralph,

   I just ordered one of these at the Somerset NJ woodworking show and can't wait for it to arrive. 

   I'm not tuned in to the nuance of the tool, having only used it a couple of times, but it's pretty straight forward. The shoe controls the depth of the rabbet and the fence controls the width of the rabbet. 

   There's a nicker/scoring wheel that scores the the material much like a marking knife just ahead of the iron coming through. This reduces tear out on cross grain work. 

   In difficult wood, I'm thinking one could set the plane for width and depth, retract the iron fully and take a pass to score the line of the cut (perhaps even improve it with a knife and square) and then set the iron for a light cut add commence with the business at hand. 

   Hopefully, someone with a lot more experience will chime in, too. I'm all ears! (Derek, you out there?)

   Frank

1. 
   RGomez | Mar 04, 2011 09:03pm | #2

   Hope so

   I got side tracked for a couple of days since posting but I am really hoping someone out there will share some experience with working with this style of skew rabbet plane.  I had a number of diffrent things go wrong in my initial session.  I am planing on pulling it out again tommorow and fiddling with some of the adjustments. 

   Getting a consistant result with plane iron alignment is proving difficult for me.  Each time I loosen the blade with the knob that rests on it it seems that the whole blade wants to shift left or right with even the smallest increase or decrease of amount of blade projection (depth) enought to make me need to reset left to right which then again changes the depth. 

   I know and have seen videos of this plane working beautifully so i am sure it can be done but I was hoping to avoid alot of trial and error by having someone help with some advice.

   Here's hoping-

   Ralph

1. 
   Frank Vucolo | Mar 04, 2011 09:41pm | #3

   Ralph,

   Mine arrived today... but I have not gotten it out of the box yet (hate it when the real job gets in the way of my woodworking.) I'll certainly run it through its paces over the weekend, though.

   When I demo'd it (twice) blade adjustment was very smooth and responsive. I know there are set screws that register the iron. Have you adjusted them? Is the cap iron in good shape? Any burrs or boogers where it meets the blade?

   Frank 

2. 
   derekcohen | Mar 06, 2011 10:27am | #4

   Hi Ralph

   Here is a link to a short article I wrote on raising panels with the skew rabbet plane: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Raisingapanel.html

   and another: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UsingRebatePlanes.html

   Regards from Perth

   Derek

1. 
   Handrubbed | Mar 06, 2011 06:43pm | #5

   Not quite ready for that operation.

   He's raising panels right now.  Unfortunately he's trying to cut a rabbet, (or rebate) as you say.

3. 
   RGomez | Mar 07, 2011 06:00pm | #6

   Nice articles on raising panels. 

   In your experience with this plane what is the best way to go about making sure the blade is properly aligned before you use it?

   How do you set the plane up before doing such nice work.

   thanks-

   Ralph

1. 
   derekcohen | Mar 08, 2011 07:52am | #7

   In the second article ...

   I find that by pushing the rebate plane sideways, it ensures that the body of the plane is flush against the side of the board, and this is what leads to a square cut edge.

   Secondly, use the wooden fence to judge whether the plane is vertical or not.

   Thirdly, set the depth stop. The plane should stop cutting when you bottom out.

   Fourthly, set the blade a hair past the side of the body. Make sure that the nicker remains liked up with the edge of the blade. The aim is to get the edge of the blade into the corner of the rebate. A blade that is flush to the side of the plane's body will leave a smidgeon of waste in the corner of the rebate.

   Regards from Perth

   Derek