HOW TO MAKE A

JACK PLANE
Carpenters throughout the developing world are involved in a wide range of activities,
from boat building to roofing, to making furniture and ox-carts. They all face the same
basic problems, but the scale of each problem varies from country to country and
from area to area. The high cost of tools and equipment is a major factor is starting
up or expanding a carpentry shop. It is very unlikely that you will see new tools in a
small workshop, except where they have been donated by an agency. The majority of
tools have been handed down from generation to generation since the time when
foreign exchange was less of a problem, or when training institutions presented tools
to graduates. The tools you will see are old, worn out, broken, but highly valued
examples of imported steel tools.

Traditional skills are being lost throughout the world as Western mass-produced tools are
equated with excellence. (In fact the West only switched from wooden tools recently
because metal tools were cheaper to mass produce. Many craftspeople treasure the
wooden planes that they have left.) This was not always the case: tool-making skills were
once commonplace all over the African continent. Blacksmiths not only forged a wide range
of utilitarian and ceremonial objects, but they were also able to mine the ore and smelt it into
iron long before this technology reached Europe. Sadly, ‘development’ has made many of
these skills redundant; popular western-style furniture needs to be made from western-style
tools.

Traditional African woodworking tools have now been replaced almost completely by tools
developed by Western manufacturers, but the skills to make these tools have not been part
of the development process. This has left carpenters in most East African countries, for
example, totally dependent on purchasing mass-produced hand tools, which unnecessarily
drains the country, as well as the pockets of the artisans, of foreign exchange.

Overcoming prejudice
Mass produced tools are usually durable. They will last for many years of hard work, they
have a good weight and precise adjustment mechanisms, and their quality can be assured.
Their major disadvantage is cost, which puts them out of reach of the majority of individuals
and institutions.

On the other hand, most hand tools can be made using locally available materials and
techniques which are well within the abilities of competent artisans. They are cheap to
make and to repair. They allow a carpenter to build up a comprehensive kit of tools, which in
turn can dramatically increase the range of woodworking methods available. They do need
careful maintenance – but then so do metal tools.

The most effective way to change attitudes is to educate the younger members of society,
although the benefits may not be apparent for many years. Secondary schools, youth
polytechnics, technical colleges, and teacher training colleges are all institutions where
carpentry is taught in formal training environments, and where locally made tools could be
introduced.

Making planes
All woodworking planes have a number of similar elements, and if you are to make a plane
that works well then you need to understand the function of each element. This applies to
plough, rebate, moulding, smoothing and jack planes.
How to make a jack plane Practical Action

The sole: Unless the plane has been

designed for curved work, the sole must be
straight and flat. It is very difficult to
produce a straight surface if the sole of the
plane is twisted or bowed.
The mouth: The mouth of the plane is
where the blade passes through the sole. It
should be as narrow as possible if the plane
is to leave a smooth finish. When downward
pressure is applied to the plane, the front of
the mouth helps to prevent the workpiece
splitting ahead of the cutting edge.

The frog
A large mouth allows the split to develop, and will
leave a rough surface on cross-grained timber
(see below). A well-placed cap iron will also help
to give a finer finish by breaking the fibres in the
shaving and taking away the strength that would
be needed to form a split.

The throat
Shavings leave the plane through the throat. On a
jack plane this is the opening at the top of the
stock. It is essential that this opening is large
enough for the shaving to pass through easily, or
the plane will ‘choke up’ and require constant
clearing. A common fault is that the fixing device is
placed too close to the front of the throat.

On all jack planes the width of the throat should be

3mm wider than the width of the blade to allow it to
be adjusted laterally.

The fixing mechanism

Whichever method is used to hold the blade to
the frog, it must be held securely but also allow a
certain amount of adjustment. (This version of
the jack plane will use the crossbar and wedge.)

The blade
This must be straight and flat to fit tightly onto
the frog. The cutting edge must be ground to an
angle of 25 degrees or there will be no clearance behind the cutting angle.
The hand hold: The plane must be comfortable to hold. This means that there should be no
sharp edges on the upper surface, and if a handle is to be fitted it should fit the hand and not
get in the way of the blade.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

Adjusting a wooden plane

Hold the stock of the plane with one finger underneath the mouth. Put the blade into the
throat and let it rest on your finger, so that it does not project below the sole of the plane.
Place the wedge between the blade and the crossbar. Tap the wedge gently with a hammer
to tighten it.

1.) Test the setting

2.) If the plane is not cutting, hit the top of the blade gently and tap the wedge to tighten it
again.

3.) If the plane is cutting too deeply, hit the back of the plane to bring back the blade, and tap
the wedge gently to tighten it again.

Look along the bottom of the plane to make sure the cutting edge is parallel to the sole. If
one corner is too high then tap the opposite side of the blade. Repeat these actions until the
plane cuts a fine, even shaving.

To remove the blade, simply hit the back of the stock until the wedge becomes loose.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

Making the jack plane

A jack plane is an invaluable tool for all joinery work. The stock in this example is made from
two identical pieces of timber. This method is slightly easier to make than a one-piece stock,
and it should be easier to find timber. Care is needed when preparing and gluing the joint
between the two halves, as there is a danger that the glue will fail. The design is similar to
the traditional European pattern that was used for centuries before the introduction of mass-
produced metal planes.

Blade
Handle
Wedge

Crossbar

Stock

The stock of the plane is made of two pieces of timber. The mouth and throat are cut equally
from both pieces. The crossbar passes through holes in the side of the throat and acts
against the wedge to hold the blade in position. The wedge fits behind the crossbar and
holds the blade in position. A blade can be bought from a hardware shop, or it can be forged
by a blacksmith from high carbon steel. A cap iron can be fitted, but it is not essential.
Cutting list

Item Quantity Material L W T

(mm)
Stock 2 Hardwood 400 65 40
Wedge 1 Hardwood 200 50 20
Crossbar 1 Hardwood 80 18 18
Handle 1 Hardwood 100 115 25
Also needed:
50mm-wide plane blade
PVA wood glue

Preparing the joint between the two halves of the stock

Take the two 400mm x 65mm x 40mm pieces prepared for the stock. Choose the faces to
form the joint between the two halves, and mark the front and the sole of the plane. The
grain should rise towards the front.

Plane the two inside edges to form a well-fitting joint. There should be no visible gaps
between the two pieces.

Marking out the stock

Gauge each piece to a thickness of 38mm.

The waste will be planed off after the stock has
been glued together.

Hold the two parts of the stock together and

mark the position of the mouth on the sole of
the plane, 130mm from the front.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

Mark out the front of the throat and the frog as shown in the drawings.

Set a marking gauge to 26mm and gauge the

width of the throat on each piece, top and
bottom.

Note that the two pieces are mirror images of

each other. Mark the waste.

Cutting the throat

Use a tenon-saw to cut down the waste
side of the lines at the front and the back
of the throat.

Make three or four cuts in the throat to

make it easier to chisel out the waste.
Take care not to cut below the gauge
line.

Use a 25mm chisel to remove the bulk of the

waste. Square a line across the front of the
throat, 6mm from the back of the mouth.
Use a tenon-saw to open up the mouth.
Chisel out the remainder of the throat with a
6mm chisel and check that the cheek is
straight. Repeat this process on the other half
of the stock. The two parts of the stock should
look like this.

Gluing the stock together

Clamp the two pieces of the stock together and make sure the joint still fits well. Do not apply
glue yet. Use at least one clamp at the front and two clamps at the back. Unclamp the stock
and spread a thin layer of glue over both pieces. If the timber is very dense it is a good idea
to first sandpaper the surfaces to be glued, lightly, across the gain. This tears the fibres and
will help the wood to absorb the glue.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

Place the two parts of the stock together with a small piece of scrap timber below the join.

Line up the two halves of the throat and position a clamp at each end so that the shoes are
above and below the join. This prevents the two pieces sliding across each other. Next,
place one clamp across the front, and another across the back, and tighten until some of the
glue is squeezed out of the joint. The first clamps can now be removed and placed on the
back of the plane. Check that the throat is still aligned. Wipe off the excess glue with a wet
rag, and allow it to set for six hours.

Planning the stock and truing up the throat

Plane the sides of the stock down to the gauge lines. Mark one side as the face side. Plane
the top and bottom of the stock square to the new face side. Use a 25mm chisel to true up
the front and back of the throat. Check that the frog is flat using a plane blade or a straight
edge.

Drilling the holes for the crossbar

Square a line on the sole of the plane, 15mm behind the back of the mouth, and continue
this line on both sides of the plane.

Gauge a line on each side of the stock to meet

the pencil lines, 40mm from the sole. This marks
the centre of the holes for the crossbar.

To prevent the drill bit splintering the inside of

the throat, a piece of scrap timber, roughly
55mm x 50mm, should be planed to fit tightly
into the throat.

Place this piece of wood in the throat.

Centre an 18mm drill bit on the two lines just
marked and drill right through the cheek. Ask for
assistance to make sure the drill is square.

The hole on the other side of the stock is drilled in the

same way.

Making the crossbar

Take the 80mm x 18mm x 18mm piece prepared for

the crossbar.

Square lines all round the piece, 15mm from each

end, to mark the ends of the housing. Gauge a centre
line on two opposite sides to mark the depth of the
housing.

Plane the crossbar to an octagonal section.

Fit the crossbar into the holes in the side of the stock.
Make a series of saw cuts down to the gauge line,
and chop out the waste with a chisel, first by driving
the chisel along the grain from both ends and then by
paring down across the grain.
The finished crossbar should look like this.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

Shaping the back of the stock

By removing a section from the back of the stock, and allowing the handle to be closer to the
sole, you will find that the plane is easier to control.

Square one line

across the top of the
stock 160mm from
the back. Square this
line down both sides.

Set a marking gauge to 20mm and gauge all round the

back of the stock up to the pencil lines.

Use a small tine to mark a radius from the pencil line

down to the
gauge line, on
both sides.
Remove the bulk of the waste with a ripsaw as
close to the marks as possible. Plane and scrape
the sawn face down to the gauge line. Use a 25mm
chisel to cut and smooth the curve. The bevel of the
chisel should be on the inside of the curve. Use the
bevel of the chisel or the top edge of the stock to
control the cut. Scrape and sandpaper the back of
the stock smooth.

Cutting out the handle

Take the 100mm x 115mm x 25mm piece prepared for the handle. Gauge a line all round,
20mm from the bottom. Mark a 10mm-long shoulder in the back of the handle, and mark the
position of the two holes as shown in the drawing. Drilling these holes will help to mark out
the handle and makes it easier to cut the tight curves.

Use a brace and a 20mm bit to drill out the two

holes. The shape of the handle can then be
drawn in.

Clamp the handle in a vice, and cut out the

shape with a bow saw, remembering to keep
the blade square to the work piece.

Use a tenon-saw to remove the shoulder from

the back of the handle.

Shaping the handle

Use a chisel or a spokeshave to smooth the top edge. Thumb-gauge lines 6mm from the
edge on the back and front of the handle, but do not mark the two top edges or the bottom.
Chamfer the edges down to the pencil lines with a chisel, remembering to cut with the grain.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

Finally, carve the handle smooth and round. The chamfers

should help to make the curves even. A fine half-round file
and some sandpaper will help to finish the handle well.
When the handle is finished it should look like this.

Cutting the mortise for the handle.

Square one line across the top of the stock, 50mm from the
back, and another 140mm from the back.

Gauge two lines in the centre of the stock, 24mm apart,

between the two pencil lines. Mark the waste.

Check the gauge lines by holding the handle up to the stock. Chop out the mortise to a depth
of 20mm. Carefully pare the sides of the mortise to the gauge line. Fit the handle into the
stock, but do not glue it in place yet.

Chamfering the stock

To help make the plane comfortable to use, the sharp edges around the top of the plane
need to be removed. Thumb-gauge a line all round the top of the stock, 4mm from each
edge, to mark the chamfers.

Mark radii on the top, the sides, the front, and

the back of the stock. Tracing around a small
tin will help to make the curves even.

Plane the chamfers down to the pencil lines on

both sides. You will have to use a chisel on the
curve in the middle of the stock. Then use a
wide chisel to round off the corners.

The handle can now be glued into position. Use

a clamp to push it tightly into the mortise. The
finished stock should look like this.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

Making the wedge

Take the 200mm x 50mm x 20mm piece prepared for the wedge. Square a line all round
100mm from one end, and mark the angle for the wedge. Square another line 130mm from
the same end to mark the top of the wedge.

Clamp the wedge vertically in the vice and use a

ripsaw to cut the angle. Plane the sawn face by
clamping it in a vice horizontally, with a small
piece of timber to support the thin end.

Saw off the top of the wedge with a tenon-saw

and round it off with a chisel and sandpaper to
prevent it splitting when struck with a hammer.

The finished wedge should look like this.

Fitting the blade

Before the plane can be used the blade will have to be fitted. If you have bought a blade
from a hardware shop it should fit easily through the mouth. If the blade you are going to use
has been made by a blacksmith it may be too thick. The mouth will have to be opened out to
allow it to extend below the sole of the plane.

Square a line on the sole, 2mm from the front of

the mouth. Use a wide chisel to pare straight
down into the front of the throat. Repeat this
process until there is a gap of about 3mm or
4mm between the cutting edge and the front of
the mouth.

Position the blade so that the cutting edge is about 5mm

inside the throat and wedge it tight.

Finally, clamp the plane upside down in a vice (without

the blade in place) and plane the sole straight and true.
The plane is now ready to use.

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How to make a jack plane Practical Action

References and further reading

• Woodworking Practical Action Technical Brief.

• How to Make a Woodworking Bench Practical Action Technical Brief.
• How to Make Carpentry Tools: An Illustrated Manual Aaron Moore, Practical Action
Publications, 1992, ISBN 1 85339 1735
• Carpentry Toolmaking: An instructors’ guide, Aaron Moore, Practical Action Publications,
1993, ISBN 1 85339 196 4
• Basic Blacksmithing: An introduction to toolmaking, David Harries, Practical Action
Publications, 1993, ISBN 1 85339 195 6
• Blacksmithing Instructors’ Guide: Sixteen lesson plans with teaching advice, David
Harries, IT Publications, 1993. ISBN 1 85339 214 6
• Made in Africa: Learning from carpentry hand tool projects, Andrew Scott, Matthew
Taylor and Janet Leek, Practical Action Publications, 1993. ISBN 1 85339 209 X

Useful Addresses

This technical brief was originally written for the Appropriate Technology magazine Volume
24/Number 2 September 1997 Technical Brief No 21 and Volume 24/ Number 3 Technical
Brief No 22, by Aaron Moore.

The information in this brief is from How to Make Carpentry Tools: An Illustrated Manual by
Aaron Moore, Practical Action Publications 1992.

For more information about Appropriate Technology contact:

Research Information Ltd.

222 Maylands Avenue
Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
HP2 7TD
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 8328 2470
Fax: +44 (0)1442 259395
E-mail: info@researchinformation.co.uk
Website: http://www.researchinformation.co.uk
Website: http://www.apprpriatechnology.com

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