A 'Fore Plane' is a longish woodworking
plane used by joiners / woodworkers / carpenters when flattening long lengths
of board.
After any rough work has been handled using a scrub and/or
jack plane on a large piece of timber,
the fore plane is traditionally the first plane used in the process
of flattening a board hence the name "Fore Plane" = First Plane.
After a fore plane has initially been run over the work-piece, the
work-piece is then worked with a
jointer plane / trying plane
and then finished off with a
smoothing plane
to give a lovely flat, smooth board(s).
Fore planes are one of the longest planes, typically in the region
of 18" - 20" long. The fore plane is best known today as the #6 plane
such as the
Stanley no. 6 fore plane.
The fore plane's length is longer than a smoothing plane and shorter
than a jointer plane.
A fore plane wouldn't be used on a small piece of work as it is too
cumbersome and not suited to the task.
A fore plane is also referred to as one of the
bench plane range.
It is called a 'Fore Plane' because it is the first plane traditionally
used when flattening a piece of timber
after any rough work has been handled using a scrub and/or
jack plane.
Sometimes the fore plane is bypassed in favour of just a jack plane...
then followed by the jointer plane for larger pieces
and finished with a smoothing plane being used.
The word 'Fore' means 'In Front' so the term 'Fore Plane' means use
this plane in front of other planes or to simplify it means use this
plane 'First'.
The fore plane has evolved slowly over the last few centuries,
during the evolution a variety of different planes have appeared
on the marketplace.
Whilst the core design and function has remained the same, the materials and
construction of these planes has evolved. Each evolutionary phase coincided
with new technological advances which enabled makers to make enhancements
or make changes to suit mass production techniques.
The below charts the evolutionary stages of the fore plane from its
early form through to its recent form.
Click on each era of fore plane to see the full list of fore plane
reviews...
Or scroll down for more information about each type of plane...
WOODEN
The commonly used fore planes of the 17th, 18th, 19th and the first part of the 20th century were made of wood.
INFILL
The second part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th also saw the 'Rolls Royce' of smoothing planes, the infill planes. Some still made today.
TRANSITIONAL
The end of the 19th century through to the 1950's saw the transitional fore plane; a plane which was half way between a wooden plane and a metal plane.
Fore planes were originally made from wood and were usually 18" - 20"
long.
These planes were around for centuries with the peak of sales happening
throughout the 1800's (19th century). Sales began rapidly dwindling
from the beginning of the 1900's as the popularity of the iron fore
planes increased.
By the mid-1900's there were very few manufacturers making wooden fore
/ trying planes....the iron fore plane had won....or had they...
wooden fore planes are making a niche resurgence.
- Sole glides easier
- Warm comfortable feel of wood
- Quick and easy to flatten the sole
- Durable if dropped
The infill plane was a design of grandure while remaining functional.
The infill fore plane saw its popularity from the latter half of
the 19th century through to the 1950's.
The most famous maker of infill planes was Norris with the
Norris fore infill planes,
there were a few of other infill plane makers however
the only other infill fore plane maker I recall is Spiers Of Ayr.
- Grandure
- Collectable
- Long lasting sole flatness
- Blade fine adjustment mechanisms
The transitional plane was a plane design which was a cross between
the wooden fore plane and the metal fore plane.
The transitional plane saw its limited popularity from about 1900 - 1950
with transitional plane makers Sargent, Stanley, Union and Marples
being the big players.
The transitional plane combines some of the advantages of the wooden
and iron fore plane designs.
- Sole glides easier
- Warm comfortable feel of wood
- Quick and easy to flatten the sole
- Blade fine adjustment mechanisms
In the latter half of the 19th century, iron fore planes began being
sold. In 1870 Stanley began selling their
Stanley No. 6 fore plane.
The iron fore plane became more and more popular and new manufacturers
stepped into the market in the 20th century, these included Edward
Preston fore planes, Record fore planes, Marples fore planes,
Union fore planes and a few others.
Today sees Stanley still making iron fore planes plus a few new
makers of high-end fore planes such as the
Clifton No. 6 fore plane
and the
Veritas fore plane.
- Long lasting sole flatness
- Blade fine adjustment mechanisms
- Standardised parts
A typical metal / iron fore plane consists of the following parts:
(i) This review/article may give warning(s) / advisory notes / cautions / guidelines given
in good faith, any such information should not be solely relied upon and seen
as the exhaustive list of warnings / advisory notes / cautions / guidelines. Refer
to good safety practices for the safety of you and others. Refer to good practices
for the good health of your tool and property.
(ii) The details here are given in good faith, the details are constantly growing
and evolving, there is scope for error and shouldn't be fully relied upon,
please confirm any details for yourself by performing additional research from
reliable sources.
Enjoy viewing the encyclopedia of tools.
If you are inspired by our content or use info such as dates, sizes,
details from FindMyTool.co.uk
please kindly give credit where credit is due via giving a nod in a video
or a link to this website.
Please see our terms if using more than a few dates
or details.
"Just stumbled across your website and an absolute treasure trove of information.
I was recently given an old Stanley 110 block plane and wanted to know more about it.
Your website told me everything I needed to know.
But there is so much more to read. I forsee me spending a lot of time just reading
page after page. I can appreciate how much time this will have taken to put together.
I just wanted to let you know that your hard work is appreciated."
