How to make a larger rabbet by hand?

Question

I'm looking to make a larger rabbet into an 6' 4x4 similar to the below picture - but I don't have a circular saw.

Or would it be better to simply attach a 2x4 or 1x4 to the main piece?

Answer 1

You have three choices that I can think of:

• The old fashioned way.

  • You will need a plough plane of some sort.
  • Use it to cut a channel 3¼" deep with the far edge where you need it.
  • Use a chisel to remove most of the waste
  • Finish off the rest of the rebate with an ordinary plane.

• The easy way

  • Buy a circular saw. They are fantastically useful and not that expensive.

• The cheap way

  • Removing a 3"x3¼" rebate from a 4x4 is throwing away an enormous amount of wood.
  • Instead buy 4x¾ and 3¼x1 and glue/screw them together.
  • You may need to buy 4x1 for the latter piece and use a ripsaw or plane to trim it to size (or get the woodstore to cut it). Don't try to use a cross-cut saw.
  • If you are going to attach this rabate to another 4x4, I would actually try and make it out of 5x3¾ and 8x¾ (it will give you much more to fasten to).

Final point: Beware that 4x4 planed timber is not 4" across - it will be less (it was originally 4" rough-sawn timber that has been planed). Bear this in mind when composing your profile by adding bits together.

---

EDIT Graphus points out that finding a plough-plane which goes 3" deep may be tricky (an old wooden plough without a fence . An alternative is a rebate (or rabbet) plane. With that you would have to plane away the whole of the groove, but 3"x3¼"x6' of wood is a lot of planing. I would still try to remove as much as possible with a chisel (or even by drilling holes).