L: 24.0cm W: 5.5cm H: 15.4cm
a- L: 24.0cm W: 5.5cm H: 8.0cm
b- L: 16.5cm W: 2.4cm H: 1.0cm
c- L: 19.1cm W: 4.1cm H: 0.4cm
A wooden rabbet plane consisting of 3 parts.
a- The body is rectangular and made of a brown hardwood. A cheek protrudes from the bottom 2/3 of the front and back body. The throat cuts diagonally through the body just left of centre and is exposed through the front cheek. There is a shallow groove and a hole running vertically through the viewer's right side of the front cheek, where a metal depth stop or nicker may have once been. The sole is flat. Stamps on the toe read: "D.R. BARTON/ROCHESTER"; "I BLOWER". A stamp on the heel reads "I BLOWER".
b- The wedge is made of the same hardwood as the body. It is almost as high as it is wide. It tapers to a point on one end and is rounded in an elliptical form on the other. A small cut-out below the head allows for easy handling.
c- The iron is a narrow strip of dark grey metal. It abruptly widens near the cutting edge. The cutting edge is flat and slightly angled. The width of the cut is 1 1/2".
Rabbet planes are used to cut straight grooves, or rabbets, into a working piece. They are traditionally used for drawer bottoms or rear walls. They can be used in conjunction with a corresponding tonguing plane, which creates two parallel slits in a piece of wood. These create two pieces that fit together perfectly for joining work. Other names include dado planes, ploughing planes and matching planes when combined with a tonguing plane. An advantage of the skewed iron is that it helps to draw the plane into the corner of the rebate, and it throws the shaving to one side which helps to prevent choking. For extra fine work, capped irons are sometimes used.
