Originally Posted by
Eric Schatz
Ok, I've got a Stanley 46 (the combination plane with the skew cutters). I have 8 cutters but not the little ones (the ones I need!). It's an OK tool but not a great one. I usually hog out the rabbit with a Table Saw (verboten?) and then clean up all of the edges with a chisel. The 46 is not a smoothing type of plane. It rough's out pretty well but I have a hard time setting it to make very precise and finish type cuts. Maybe I need to fiddle with it more.
BTW I bought all of the cutters,the plane, depth stop, nicker, and fence for $40. : )
If you hog out the majority of the waste on a table saw, I'd use a router plane to get the bottom to the correct depth. The problem with the table saw is that the wood can be warped somewhat and that causes differences in the depth of the cut. With a router plane and the correct size blade, you can make the rabbet have a constant depth.
To trim the sides, I like the Stanley 79. They made 79's with and without a depth stop. Try to get one with a stop. There are alternate planes for trimming the side of a rabbet - the Stanley 98 and 99, or the LN versions of those planes. The 98 and 99 are a lot more expensive than the 79, and I prefer the 79.
Mike
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