Section 4.3 Hand Planes 75
Jointer Planes and Fore
Planes
Fore planes and jointer planes are used to
joint (smooth) the edges of long pieces of stock in
preparation for gluing. Jointer planes are 22″–28″
long; fore planes are approximately 18″ long. See
Figure 4-36.
Jack Planes and
Smooth Planes
Jack planes and smooth planes are very
similar. They are both used for smoothing the
face surfaces of the stock. The primary difference
is their size; jack planes are 11″–15″ long, and
smooth planes are 6″–10″ long. The jack plane is
used for general-purpose work, Figure 4-37.
Block Plane
The block plane is used to surface the end grain
of wood. It is about 4″–6″ long. The block plane is
smaller and lighter than other planes, Figure 4-38.
It is designed to be used with one hand.
Router Planes and
Rabbet Planes
Router and rabbet planes are used to make
joints in wood. The router plane consists of a
frame with two knob-type handles and an at-
tached blade, Figure 4-39. It is used to deepen
a dado or groove and to remove the waste from
a dado after the two parallel shoulder cuts have
been made with a backsaw. The rabbet plane is
used to cut rabbet (L-shaped) joints, Figure 4-40.
Figure 4-36. A fore plane can be used to smooth the
edge of a long piece of stock.
Figure 4-37. The jack plane is found in most
woodshops.
Figure 4-38. Block planes are smaller than most
other planes.
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