Getting Started With Your Jack Rabbet Plane

The jack rabbet is the largest in our family of rabbeting planes and easily handles large-scale rabbeting work as well as fielded or bevelled panels.

What should I do first?

The plane should be completely disassembled. Clean the adjuster and all machined surfaces with a rag dampened in solvent/degreaser. Don’t forget under the toe piece. Old toothbrushes are handy for this work. The oily rust preventative you remove should be replaced with a silicone-free surface treatment such as Boeshield T-9 or Veritas Tool Wax. Use a light machine oil on the adjuster. The plane can now be reassembled. Be sure not to overtighten any screws.

How do I sharpen the blade?

First, polish the back of the blade. All that is required is to refine the area behind the edge, working your way up to the finest grit of your sharpening medium. The back has been lapped flat, so you are simply polishing this surface to the same degree that you will be honing the bevel.

The next step is to hone the bevel. The 25° bevel blade coupled with the 15° bed angle provides a 40° cutting angle. For harder material and difficult grain, you may want to add a 5° micro-bevel for better performance and edge retention as well as faster honing. It is important that the cutting edge is maintained square to the sides of the blade. A honing guide is recommended because it quickly provides accurate, repeatable results.

Like other joinery planes, the blade of a jack rabbet planes is never cambered or given rounded corners. Straight edges and square corners are important for the work these planes do.

Once the blade is sharp, you can reinstall it in the plane. Open the toe piece fully and insert the blade from the bottom.