How to Use a Fillister Plane to Make Raised Panels

Create guidelines on a panel of wood that indicate the location of the bevels. The width of the bevels should correlate with the size of the panel. Traditional kitchen cabinets, for example, generally have 1 3/8-inch bevels along the perimeter of the panel. Use a pencil to draw the guidelines on the wooden panel.

Go over the guidelines you drew with a cutting gauge that has a small knife at one end. Set the distances between the fence and the blade so it measures the width of the bevel. Then tightening the wing screw so the fence stays in place. Pass the cutting gauge lightly over the guidelines that you drew two times. Pass the cutting gauge a third time over the guidelines, but bear down on the wood so the mark from the knife is defined.

Mark the thickness of the bevel along the thin edges of the panel using a mortise gauge head. This mark will create a guide so you do not cut the wood with the fillister plane too deeply. To use a mortise gauge, set the cutter spacing by tightening the set screw and pass the cutter on the gauge’s rod along the edge of the panel. The cutter will scribe a mark along the edge as you do this. A good thickness for the bevel is one that equals half the thickness of the wood panel. However, you can make the bevel as thick as you like.

Square the corners and ends of the wood panel. Extend the nicker on a fillister plane and adjust the fence on the plane so it follows the guidelines you scribed with the cutting gauge. Then set the depth stop at a 1/16-inch. Pass the plane over the top and bottom sections of the panel so the cuts go across the wood grain. When you finish with these sections, move on to the sides of the panel and use the fillister plane to square the corners and ends. When you finish this process, the center of the panel should have a center field that is 1/16-inch taller than the edges.

Make the angled beveled edges. Take the fence and nicker off the fillister plane. Then tilt the plane and pass it along the edges of the wood panel. Continue to pass the plane along the edge of the panel until you reach the gauge line you made with the mortise gauge head. Repeat this process on the three remaining edges of the panel.

Use a sanding block to clear the blade marks off the panel.