What is the difference in the wood sole of the rebate plane and the brass sole of the shoulder planes?
The shoulder plane is designed for cleaning up end grain shoulders of wood which can be quite harsh on the sole, hence a brass sole was used to protect the base of the plane, but it tends to have more friction making it slightly harder to push. The rebate plane is primarily used for cleaning up a rebate along the grain where damage to the sole is less of an issue and allows for a smoother easier action to reduce the work load. Either plane can be successfully used for both purposes but care should be exercised when using the rebate plane to clean up a hardwood shoulder.
