A jack plane is a general-purpose woodworking bench plane used for dressing timber down to size in preparation for truing or edge jointing. It is usually the first plane used on rough stock, though for rougher work it can be preceded by the scrub plane, and its versatility has made it the most common bench plane in use; the name jack plane is sometimes used interchangeably with the longer fore plane.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)The name is attested from at least the 17th century, when jack described tools used for rough work; wooden-bodied jack planes remained standard until iron-bodied planes, patented by Leonard Bailey, spread in the late 19th century. 1 OriginJack was a common first name that became a generic, faintly disdainful term for the common man and for common tools and jobs alike, which is how it attached to this plane; the association later extended to the phrase jack of all trades, since the tool can approximate a smoothing or jointer plane's work on smaller pieces. 1 Connections
Used In
Jack Plane is used in Woodworking.
Sources
1. Jack Plane (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationName section, opening sentence
The name jack plane dates back to at least the 17th century, and was a term used to describe many tools used for rough work.
Name section
Being a common first name the term jack came to be used as a disdainful name for the common man, as well as common tools and jobs.
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