Skew planes?

[Mike Holbrook]

I have been considering buying a skew or rabbit plane for making larger joints on the edge of boards. LN & LV offer nice large rabbit planes but it occurs to me that such planes may have issues with grain direction when continuing to attempt to remove wood in the same channel. With either a drawknife or a plane I know there is an advantage to working the grain from an angle. Without ever having had the opportunity to use a skew plane I am not sure how much the different angle might help. I assume the answer relates to the specific grain in any given board but I am guessing that on average the angled blade might help especially if one were trying to make things like raised panels. The Veritas Skew Rabbit plane looks similar to the Small Plow pale, but it looks capable of handling larger work.

Assuming I have a desire to make cabinet doors with raised panels should a skew rabbit plane or large rabbit plane be a useful tool?

[lowell holmes]

I have both the right hand and the left hand skew rabbet planes. They are high quality and will do what they are supposed to do.

Chris Schwarz demonstrated their use.
Check out the link below.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/te...abbets-by-hand

[Jim Koepke]

Assuming I have a desire to make cabinet doors with raised panels should a skew rabbit plane or large rabbit plane be a useful tool?

A rabbet plane can be useful in making a raised panel. The problem is the blade cuts all the way to the edge and can leave tracks.

So far I have only made a couple of raised panels for doors on small cabinets:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...Latest-Project

The first one used a #6 for most of the panel raising. This is where I had some problems using a rabbet plane. The second one used a round bottomed plane and looks a bit better in my opinion. It may have looked better if a rabbet plane was used to better define the high area and maybe even where it fits into the frame. Live and learn, do and learn.

jtk

[paul cottingham]

LV skew rabbit is a great tool with loads of uses. I have the right hand version, and have never found the need for the left-hand one. Combined with a shoulder plane (i have both 3/4" and 1" you only really need one or the other, really prefer the 1") you can do just about anything you need. I rarely am able to create flat, level rabbits (remember, i am a hopeless woodworker!) so the shoulder is really helpful.

[Mike Holbrook]

I have a Dutch Colonial style home, from an old William Pool design. The house has storm shutters on all the windows on the front of the house, with raised panels. After around 20 years they are falling apart. They were made of a composite wood of some sort and rotted away. I am thinking cypress or something better in weather and a little stronger construction...So I have a need in addition to cabinet doors. The LV skew rabbit is what I was thinking about, it just looks very close to the Plow Plane.

Thanks for the links guys I will check them out tonight.

[lowell holmes]

LV skew rabbit is a great tool with loads of uses. I have the right hand version, and have never found the need for the left-hand one. Combined with a shoulder plane (i have both 3/4" and 1" you only really need one or the other, really prefer the 1") you can do just about anything you need. I rarely am able to create flat, level rabbits (remember, i am a hopeless woodworker!) so the shoulder is really helpful.

I have both because I took advantage of the introductory offer and just wanted to.

I could get along with just one.

[Mike Holbrook]

Nice Tea Cabinets Jim.

I am trying to figure out if a skew plane, probably the LV one, will improve my ability to make raised panels vs: conventional planes, LV small plow plane, shoulder plane (specifically the LV medium shoulder plane). I also wonder if there is a significant value added vs the LV small plow plane for the work that both might be used for? Certainly the small plow, even with a blade conversion kit, is designed to make max 3/4" x 1/2" rabbits, grooves where the larger skew plane is designed to make 1 1/2"x 3/4" impressions.

It seems like the plow is designed more to make rabbets for drawer backs/bottoms, cabinet backs, tongue & grooves, shelves....where the skew rabbit plane might handle larger rabbets, raised panels? Reviewing Derek's tool evaluations I find a review of the LV Jack Rabbet but none for the Skew Rabbet. The Jack Rabbet may be an even better tool for raised panels, but it does not have the depth stop the Skew Rabbet does.

I generally buy tools for specific project that I feel can justify the expense. I need to replace the storm shutters on my house and I want to build some nicer cabinets from solid wood vs sheet goods. I am trying to specifically figure out what if any additional tools I may need to pursue these projects? I suspect Jim will know the tools in the used market that might also be used for this work which certainly deserve consideration as well. I have been looking at #78 Stanleys but I found "other" prospects too and just got lost in the options. It seems that it could be a real problem getting blades/fences/depth stops/nickers... for older Stanley specialty planes too?

[Mike Cherry]

Mike, I'm sure you know there are other ways to do raised panels. Given the amount you have to do, I would certainly recommend the LV skew rebate plane. The Jack rebate plane could also work. I think you may have to look further in the future, past your shutters, and ask yourself which tool will be more handy.

Because you mentioned the size of the skew compared to the plow, I included a pic so maybe you will get an idea of the skews size.
image.jpg

[lowell holmes]

[QUOTE=Mike Holbrook;2485179]Nice Tea Cabinets Jim.
Certainly the small plow, even with a blade conversion kit, is designed to make max 3/4" x 1/2" rabbits, grooves where the larger skew plane is designed to make 1 1/2"x 3/4" impressions.

Actually, the skew rabbet will make up to 1 1/2" wide rabbets.
Also, I think the Schwarz link I gave in a precious post shows what the Jack Rabbet plane is designed to do.

You could use it to fashion raised panels, but it is not a raised panel plane.

I have a 78 rabbet plane that is complete with all of the parts, including depth, knicker, and fence. I never use it, it sits in a plastic shoe box in my shop.

[Mike Holbrook]

Thanks for the picture Mike, very helpful. I have a LV, LA Jack so I am thinking the Rabbet plane has more to offer me for the foreseeable future but I thought I would try to coax some thoughts out of fellow SMCers.

Lowell, thanks for your thoughts. I did watch the Schwarz video. I even bought a copy of Galbert's chair plans and a copy of "Build a Joint Stool from a Tree" while I was at Lost Art Press. The video confused me at first because the skew plane Chris uses, which is apparently the LV Skew Rabbet, does not have the front knob on it. I replayed parts of it quite a few times until I convinced myself it was the LV Skew. Maybe earlier models did not have a front knob or Chris removed his, not sure. I have read that some do not care for the front knob. I do not see pictures of or reference to the Jack Rabbet plane in the video? 1 1/2" x 3/4" =s 1 1/2" wide in my warped brain. Thanks for your thoughts on the Stanley 78, I sort of thought it was a little limited so I started down other paths.

It seems to me that the depth gage on the Skew, which the Jack Rabbet lacks, would be more important to me than the larger plane. I am trying to eliminate any need for a router or router table if I can. I am also looking at beading planes/devices. Derek seems to like the Stanley #66 vs the LV offering so I am doing a little research into one of them too.

[Christopher Charles]

You folks aren't helping. I've resisted the last 3 free shippings from LV....

[Mike Holbrook]

I have been occupied with restoring old Stanley planes for a while resisting the Robe Lee offerings, ultimately resistance is futile!

[Mike Cherry]

I have been occupied with restoring old Stanley planes for a while resisting the Robe Lee offerings, ultimately resistance is futile!

It really is, unfortunately. I finally pulled the trigger on the shooting board plane with this last free shipping event ��

[lowell holmes]

I f you watched the Schwarz video, I think you will see a couple of things.
He did remove the front knob on the plane. If you pay attention, he only pushes the plane forward with his back hand.
He only puts lateral pressure on the plane with his front hand. This allows the plane to work freely and remain level.
If you grip the front knob, you can cause the plane to work out of level and the rebate will not be square.
Don't ask me how I know this. There should be no tilting pressure applied to the plane, only lateral pressure.

[Reinis Kanders]

Knob for the skew rabbet is really not needed it is there for looks in my opinion. Depth stop is very handy but not that necessary. I did some rabbets with the jack rabbet because I wanted to plane with a grain and lack of depth stop added a bit of time, but after a while one learns to do without.
I made some raised panels and found that doing it with a wooden fence cut to be about 10 degrees gave me some nice consistent panels. I have also just done them with No.4 and advantage there is that one does not have to be that concerned with the grain direction if chipbreaker is set properly.

Thanks for the picture Mike, very helpful. I have a LV, LA Jack so I am thinking the Rabbet plane has more to offer me for the foreseeable future but I thought I would try to coax some thoughts out of fellow SMCers.

Lowell, thanks for your thoughts. I did watch the Schwarz video. I even bought a copy of Galbert's chair plans and a copy of "Build a Joint Stool from a Tree" while I was at Lost Art Press. The video confused me at first because the skew plane Chris uses, which is apparently the LV Skew Rabbet, does not have the front knob on it. I replayed parts of it quite a few times until I convinced myself it was the LV Skew. Maybe earlier models did not have a front knob or Chris removed his, not sure. I have read that some do not care for the front knob. I do not see pictures of or reference to the Jack Rabbet plane in the video? 1 1/2" x 3/4" =s 1 1/2" wide in my warped brain. Thanks for your thoughts on the Stanley 78, I sort of thought it was a little limited so I started down other paths.

It seems to me that the depth gage on the Skew, which the Jack Rabbet lacks, would be more important to me than the larger plane. I am trying to eliminate any need for a router or router table if I can. I am also looking at beading planes/devices. Derek seems to like the Stanley #66 vs the LV offering so I am doing a little research into one of them too.