Jack Plane
All plane orders placed before August 15, 2013 are entries into my Wood Plane Weekend contest. Click here to learn more!
My jack planes are 16″ long and are essentially a cross between a smoother and a try plane. I would still recommend a dedicated plane for those purposes, but this jack will serve well as a multi-use plane. If you are smoothing a large table top, the added size can be very beneficial.
The Jack Plane is the workhorse of hand planing. Use it to dimension rough stock, flatten faces and joint edges.
The shape of the plane is accomplished by a series of rasps, spokeshaves, and scrapers. Even though it is longer than the very comfortable to hold Smoother, it still resides nicely in the wood plane hand hold sweet spot and is a joy to use. Even if you are planing for an extended period of time, the shape actual aids in reducing fatigue by allowing you to change up how you propel it through the work. You can push from behind, just like a traditional metal bodied plane, or pull it along just like a Japanese style plane. This is one of the many benefits of these wood bodies.
The iron is a 2″ wide, high carbon O1 blade from Hock Tools. Ron makes some of the finest plane irons available today. These O1 blades can be honed to an extremely sharp edge quickly and have great retention. The plane has a bed angle of 45º. The bevel down orientation combined with the chip breaker virtually eliminates any chatter you might have in use.
I am passionate about creating beautiful furniture and hand tools out of wood. I find the grain and texture of wood to be warm, inviting, and inspirational. Because of this, I strive to design pieces that appeal to the touch as well as the eye.
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