We love these ancient ideas! This one is a century old, but still a fun and interesting craft project for making your own tool.

A homemade rabbet plane

Here is how the reader of a very old magazine presented it: “A rabbet plane is very little used, but, when it is wanted for a piece of work, it is wanted badly.”

While doing an unusual piece of work I needed a rabbet plane, and, having none, I made a plane as shown in less time than it would have taken to go out and buy one.

The body of the plane is made from a piece of 2-by-4-inch pine, 1 foot long. A 1-inch chisel was used for the bit. A place was marked on one side of the wood to be cut out for the chisel, and a 1-inch hole bored through, the narrow way, so that one edge of the bit cut through the bottom, forming a slit for the edge of the chisel. After cutting a groove for the chisel blade and turning in a long wood screw to hold the chisel in place, as shown, you’ll have a functional rabbet plane.

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About Don Vandervort
Don Vandervort has developed his expertise for more than 30 years as a remodeler and builder, Building Editor for Sunset Books, Senior Editor at Home Magazine, author of more than 30 home improvement books, and writer of countless magazine articles. He appeared for 3 seasons on HGTV’s “The Fix,” and served as MSN’s home expert for several years. Don founded HomeTips in 1996. Read more about Don Vandervort