# Panel Plane Hewn Tool Library · https://hewn.build/tools/panel-plane Corrected: An independent reviewer read this entry and found corrections. They have been applied to the text, and the reviewer re-checked the correction that mattered most for safety and found it done; the others have not been re-checked yet. The list at the end is the record of what changed. Cite as: "Panel Plane." Hewn Tool Library, hewn.build/tools/panel-plane. Reviewed 2026-08-02. --- ## Identity - **name:** *panel plane* — a use/name class, not a Stanley model name. A No. 5½ can be set and used as a panel plane, but it can also be configured as a heavy jack. - **family / category:** Surfacing tools → planes → bench-plane branch, between the smoother and the jointer in length. - **one-line:** a medium-length bench plane — commonly about 13–18″ — tuned for fine work, used to true and refine furniture-scale faces where a smoother is too short and a full jointer more than the work needs [PP1][P1]. - **length (review fix 2):** the historical class runs approximately **12–18½″**, with **13–18″** as a useful common range; exact boundaries vary by maker. The evidence converges: Schwarz gives about 15″ [P1]; Moskowitz gives about 13–17″ in one place and 13–18″ elsewhere [PP2]; Norris catalog transcriptions list panel planes from 11½″ to 17½″ and jointing planes from 20½″ upward [PP11]; Sauer & Steiner offers 12½–18½″ [SS1]. *Rejected claim:* a single Sawmill Creek post citing unnamed "old books" gives 28–36″; it is not a named authority and is not used. - **not a panel-raising plane (review fix 10):** do not infer identity from the word "panel" alone. A panel plane is a medium-length bench plane; a panel-raising/fielding plane is a molding plane that forms a raised field on a frame-and-panel door, with a skew iron and nicker [PP2][PP9]. Some casual sources shorten the latter name, creating a search-term collision. --- ## ✦ How NOT to use it - **not-for:** jointer-grade accuracy on long glue edges — Moskowitz: "not as accurate as a jointer" [PP2]; panel raising. - **dangerous (review fix 5 — the holding finding).** No panel-plane-specific accident report was located in the sources searched (2026-07-26). That is a research result, not a risk assessment: this is a heavy (about 7 lb for a No. 5½ [P2]) plane carrying a wide, sharp iron. - **Sourced, panel-plane-specific:** Schwarz describes the traditional infill panel plane's front bun as having four sharp, "blood-letting" corners [PP-PW-Sauer]; Sauer's K13 lowered and softened it [SS2]. On a traditional form, mind the bun corners when gripping and when the hand slides at the end of a stroke. - **Family-derived bench-plane protocol (labelled as such):** 1. Secure the work (stops, vise, holdfast) before planing. 2. Inspect handles, lever cap or wedge, and cutter retention before use. 3. Keep the cutter retracted or removed during adjustment and transport; handle the iron by its non-cutting edges; set it with the edge controlled and hands away from it. 4. Make test passes with **both hands behind the cutting edge**. 5. If the mouth clogs, stop; **retract or remove the cutter before clearing**; never clear the mouth toward the edge with a finger. 6. Control the end of the stroke to avoid hand impact against the work or bench. 7. Park the heavy plane on a stable surface away from bench edges, where it cannot fall. 8. Wear eye protection when striking an adjusterless infill iron with a hammer, and when dealing with brittle debris. - **damaging (workpiece and tool — separated from injury):** spelching at the exit edge (skew or chamfer the exit edge); tear-out (read grain, reduce the cut); dragging the sole over metal or grit; rust staining (dry the steel shell after use); an unprotected iron edge in storage; setting a heavy metal plane on a finished surface where it can dent or stain it; leaning on the plane instead of pushing it, which a builder reports creates "a world of friction" [PP13]. - **beginner-trap:** leaning instead of pushing [PP13]; expecting jointer-grade accuracy on a long edge; trusting a name or a fixed board-length cutoff instead of a straightedge; searching mass-market catalogs for the words "panel plane" and missing the No. 5½ jack plane of the same size (the name survives mainly in bespoke infill making). - **lineage-misuse:** confusing it with a panel-raising plane (see Identity); treating it as a full jointer substitute for long geometry. --- ## Correct use *(Brief — the workbench holds the deep operation.)* - **the niche:** fine truing and refining of furniture-scale faces — tabletops, door panels, case sides — where a smoother is too short to help true the surface and a jointer more than the work needs [PP1][P1]. - **geometry (review fix 7):** by Schwarz's rule of thumb, a plane easily straightens work about twice its sole length, so a roughly 15″ panel plane is a practical straightening tool on work around 30″. Skill, initial error, stroke pattern and verification matter; on longer work it becomes progressively less reliable than a jointer — there is no sharp cutoff. Long soles bridge low spots and cut peaks; shorter soles increasingly follow existing undulations. - **wide faces:** take **overlapping fine passes across a wide face**, not a "full-width" pass, on work wider than the iron. - **verify:** check with a straightedge and winding sticks rather than relying on the plane's name or length. - **as the final plane:** if it is tuned for finishing and the surface meets the finish requirement, it may be the last plane; difficult reversing grain depends more on sharpness, pitch, cutter geometry, cap-iron setup and grain strategy than on sole length. - **safe working sequence (review fix 5):** see the protocol under How NOT to use it — secure work, inspect, set the iron with hands away from the edge, test passes with both hands behind the mouth, retract before clearing, park the plane safely. --- ## ✦ Matching *(the workbench's first read)* - **match on operation + geometry + setup, not the token "panel"** (the reviewer schema notes). - **positive signals:** medium-length bench plane, roughly 12–18½″; fine surfacing/truing of furniture-scale faces; jack-length body with fine-work tuning; a No. 5½ used as a panel plane; infill panel plane. - **negative signals → panel-raising plane, a different tool:** skew iron, nicker, fence, fielding, beveled field, frame-and-panel door, molding profile. - **do not:** collapse every No. 5½ into "panel plane" (configuration and intended operation decide); hard-code "current production absent" (bespoke commissioning is live); give market availability without a date. - **does:** trues and refines shorter work and wide faces within the user's verified tolerance; takes fine overlapping passes on panels and case sides. - **suits:** post-glue-up refining of furniture-scale panels and tabletops; door panels and case sides; a maker who wants one medium plane tuned for fine work. - **kit-fit:** - *pairs with:* a jack or scrub for initial flattening; a straightedge and winding sticks; a smoother or scraper where the surface needs it. - *substitution, bounded (review fix 6):* a medium-length plane can true **shorter work within the user's verified tolerance**; use a straightedge and winding sticks, and a longer jointer when reliable long-edge or face geometry is required. A sander is only a **finishing alternative after flatness has been established** — it does not establish flatness. - *cannot replace:* a 22–24″ jointer for demanding long-edge or long-face geometry. - **not-for:** rough-flattening rough-sawn stock (a fine-tuned mouth clogs on heavy cuts — jack or scrub); jointing long edges where a jointer is needed; panel raising. - **access:** Bailey-pattern No. 5½ planes are intermediate-hobbyist tools with the same mechanism as a jack. Bespoke infill panel planes are commissioned, price on request; historical infills are collector-market items. No current price range is given (review fix 3). - **revival:** modest. The Bailey-pattern route suits a maker doing frequent panel and tabletop work with one plane set for fine work; the infill route is a bespoke and collector tradition that remains live (Sauer & Steiner). Bill Carter's origin story — his first plane built from panel-plane plans — is a story about becoming a planemaker [P10]. --- ## Anatomy *Deltas only; shared bench-plane parts are in [[Bench Plane (Western)]].* - **sole length** — about 12–18½″, commonly 13–18″ (see Identity). Sole length and flatness are the principal geometric factors in bridging high spots. - **width and mass** — irons of about 2¼–2¾″ on the examples here; width and mass affect effort and momentum, not flatness by themselves (the reviewer mechanical notes) [P1]. - **fine-work tuning, not one fixed anatomy (review fix 8):** the class is defined by **medium sole length plus fine-work tuning**. Tight mouth, fine cutter projection, appropriate pitch, a sharp iron, and — where present — a cap iron set for the intended shaving are configurable strategies. Schwarz treats pitch and sharpness as the most important smoothing variables and calls chipbreaker claims contested [P1]. - **construction varies:** wooden, infill (dovetailed or screwed steel shell with hardwood infill; early Spiers with a fixed bridge and no adjuster [PP3]; later Norris adjusters [PP-GB]), Bailey, Bedrock-style, bevel-down or bevel-up, and bespoke. Anatomy deltas are variant-specific. - **handles:** traditional infills carry a front bun and rear tote let into the infill; on some traditional forms the bun has sharp corners (see How NOT to use it). --- ## Variations (living) — with dated availability states (review fix 3) | variant | what differs | availability state, dated | |---|---|---| | **Lie-Nielsen No. 5½ Jack Plane** | Bedrock-pattern, 14¾″ × 2⅜″, about 7 lb [P2] | **cataloged but unavailable** — page shows $450 and "This product is not available" (the reviewer, 2026-08-02) | | **Stanley No. 5½ Jack Plane (review fix 4)** | introduced **1898**; about 15″ long; **2¼″ cutter on early examples, widened to 2⅜″ in 1939**; production end dates vary by reference and market [P7] | **secondary market** — no current asking price given | | **Norris No. 1 / A1** | dovetailed steel, catalogued as "Jointing & Panel Plane," panel lengths roughly 11½–17½″ in the catalog transcriptions; A1 with the 1913 adjuster [PP11] | historical; secondary market | | **Spiers "pannel plane"** (c.1851–58) | screw-sided, mahogany infill, 13½″ × 2¾″, fixed gunmetal bridge, no adjuster [PP3] | historical; collector market | | **Sauer & Steiner No. 1 Panel** | made-to-order infill, 14½–18½″; Junior 12½″ [SS1] | **commissioned, price on request** (current page, per the reviewer) | | **Sauer & Steiner K13** | redesigned form, about 13″, a pound lighter, low softened front bun [PP-PW-Sauer][SS2] | maker's design; availability not established here | | **Karl Holtey panel planes** | made in-house [P9] | **archival maker pages** — finished or historical runs; no current order price established | | *Sauer & Steiner prototypes* | A1/A2 traditional-form prototypes | **archival maker prices** — 2017 and 2019 prototype posts only [P8] | --- ## Trades - **Fine furniture making and cabinetmaking** — tabletops, door panels, case sides [PP1][P1]. - No other trade association was located in the sources searched on 2026-07-26. --- ## Lineage *Family lineage lives in [[Bench Plane (Western)]].* - **place in the family:** between the [[Smoothing Plane (Western)]] (about 8–10″) and the [[Jointer Plane (Western)]] (22–24″+) [P1]. - **ancestors:** the wooden panel plane, which per Moskowitz existed in wood for over a century before the first metal examples [PP1]. - **the metal/infill branch:** Robert Towell (London, active c.1810–1863) made **some of the first metal panel planes** in the 1830s–40s, adapting his miter-plane construction with a bevel-down iron and room for a handle (Moskowitz) [PP1]; Spiers of Ayr and later Norris developed the form. Towell is treated as an early pioneer, not the established inventor: Moskowitz's own text says "some of the first" while his title uses "inventor" (the reviewer factual notes). - **★ Finding 1 — the name largely disappeared from mass-production catalogs but remains live among bespoke infill makers (review fix 1).** Lie-Nielsen catalogs the comparable 14¾″ form as a **No. 5½ Jack Plane** (its page shows $450 and states *"This product is not available"* — checked by the reviewer, 2026-08-02) [P2]. **Sauer & Steiner offers made-to-order No. 1 panel planes under the historical name** — its current page, headed "No. 1 Panel," offers lengths from 14½ to 18½″ plus a 12½″ Junior, with price on request and a commissioning link [SS1]. Earlier: Spiers's c.1851–58 brochure names a "pannel plane" at 13½″×2¾″ [PP3]; Norris catalogs named the "Dovetailed Steel Jointing & Panel Plane," dividing jointing and panel by length [PP11]. - **descendants / contemporaries:** the Bailey/Stanley No. 5½ (cataloged by Stanley as a jack plane); modern infill revivals (Carter, Holtey, Sauer & Steiner); Sauer's K13 redesign (Finding 3). --- ## History - **Spiers of Ayr** made panel planes in documented sizes of 11½″ to 14½″, with surviving examples at 13¾″ and 15½″ (dealer listings) [PP5]. **Alexander Mathieson & Sons** (Glasgow) also made infill panel planes [PP6]. - **Norris adjuster.** GB191311526A, Thomas James Norris, "Improvements in Planes" — filed 17 May 1913, published 24 July 1913; the abstract covers depth and lateral correction [PP-GB]. The 1923 improvement is a separate patent, **GB199198**, not a revision of the first (Lee Valley featured-patent note) [LV-N]. - **Norris founding date.** Norris's advertising claimed 1860; a specialist dealer (The Best Things) reads the evidence as closer to 1880 [PP7]. Recorded with the nature of each source; the company-history question belongs to the family entry. - **★ Finding 2 — the class is a flexible medium-length range, not a rigid standard.** Norris's own catalogs (as transcribed) separate visually similar No. 1/A1 planes into panel and jointing planes by length alone [PP11]; see the length note under Identity. - **★ Finding 3 — development within the metal/infill branch.** In 2010 a customer asked Konrad Sauer (Sauer & Steiner, Ontario) to "re-think the panel plane"; ten months later came the **K13** (2011), a pound lighter with a low, softened front bun [PP-PW-Sauer][SS2]. Reviewing it, Schwarz called the traditional infill form "fairly useless" and its front bun's four sharp corners "blood-letting" — a personal evaluation in the context of the K13 redesign, not a settled verdict on the type [PP-PW-Sauer]. - **modern revival:** Bill Carter's first metal plane (1983) was built from panel-plane plans [P10]; Karl Holtey began by reproducing the Norris A1 panel plane [P9]; Sauer & Steiner made traditional panel planes before the K13. --- ## ✦ Human side - **Named makers:** Robert Towell [PP1]; Stewart Spiers [PP5]; Thomas Norris & Son [PP7][PP11]; Alexander Mathieson & Sons [PP6]; Bill Carter [P10]; Karl Holtey [P9]; Konrad Sauer and Joe Steiner [PP-FWW-Sauer]; builders Jim Yehle, Jerome Schueller, Wayne Anderson, and adjuster supplier Darryl Hutchinson [PP12]. - **Jim Yehle's build log:** *"This panel plane is the infill-plane equivalent of the Bailey-style jack plane, with a sole length of 14″,"* modeled on Mathieson's side profile with a Norris-A1-style adjuster [PP12]. - **A builder's technique note** (LumberJocks, single post): an 18″ Spiers-kit panel plane is "heavy for its size... a good plane to use if you remember to push it and not lean on it" [PP13]. - **David Charlesworth** uses a No. 5½ panel plane "for most tasks," per Schwarz [P1]. The tasks are not specified, so this is not used to support any particular substitution (review fix 6). - **Schwarz vs. the traditional form** — his "fairly useless" and "blood-letting" remarks are his own evaluation, retained with that limitation (the reviewer factual notes). --- ## ✦ Proof of existence - **Maker naming:** Spiers's c.1851–58 brochure ("pannel plane," 13½″) [PP3]; Norris catalogs naming the "Dovetailed Steel Jointing & Panel Plane" — via **norrisplanes.com, a specialist catalog transcription** of 1908, 1914 and 1928 catalog data, not an independently inspected original (review fix 9) [PP11]; Sauer & Steiner's current "No. 1 Panel" page [SS1]. - **Patent:** GB191311526A (Norris adjuster, 1913) and GB199198 (1923 improvement) — adjuster patents used on panel planes, not a patent for the panel plane as a class [PP-GB][LV-N]. - **Surviving objects (dealer-documented):** Spiers panel planes at 11½–15½″ [PP5]; Norris A1 panel planes [P5][P6]; Towell panel planes photographed against a c.1910 Norris [PP1]. - **Scoped negatives (review fix 9):** no patent for the panel plane as a class and no museum accession specific to a panel plane were located in the sources searched on 2026-07-26. --- ## References - **[P1]** Christopher Schwarz, "Bench Planes: The System of Three," *Popular Woodworking* — trade; ~15″ class, fine setup, Charlesworth, length rule of thumb, width/effort. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/bench-planes-the-system-of-three/ - **[SS1]** Sauer & Steiner, "No. 1 Panel" — maker, current page per the reviewer (2026-08-02); lengths, Junior, price on request. https://www.sauerandsteiner.com/no-1 - **[SS2]** Sauer & Steiner, "k-Series Handplanes" — maker's account of the K13. https://www.sauerandsteiner.com/k-series-handplanes - **[PP-PW-Sauer]** Christopher Schwarz, "Konrad Sauer Reinvents the Panel Plane," *Popular Woodworking*, 2011 — "blood-letting" corners; "fairly useless." https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/konrad-sauer-reinvents-the-panel-plane/ - **[PP-FWW-Sauer]** Asa Christiana, "The Art and Craft of Infill Planes," *Fine Woodworking*, 2024. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2024/12/20/the-art-and-craft-of-infill-planes - **[PP11]** Norris Planes, "Norris Number 1 Dovetailed Steel Jointing & Panel Plane" — specialist catalog transcription and images. https://www.norrisplanes.com/norris-number-1-dovetailed-steel-jointing-panel-plane/ - **[PP-GB]** GB191311526A, "Improvements in Planes" (Norris, 1913) — Google Patents. https://patents.google.com/patent/GB191311526A/en - **[LV-N]** Lee Valley, "Featured Patent — Norris Plane" — distinguishes 1913 and 1923 patents. https://www.leevalley.com/en-gb/discover/revisiting-the-past-the-lee-valley-antique-tool-collection/featured-patent-norris-plane - **[PP1]** Joel Moskowitz, "Robert Towell — Inventor of the Infill Panel Plane," Tools for Working Wood blog, 2024 — specialist interpretation. https://toolsforworkingwood.com/store/blog/1377 - **[PP2]** Joel Moskowitz, Sawmill Creek, "Plane definitions from my research?" (2006) — named specialist in a forum. https://sawmillcreek.org/threads/plane-definitions-from-my-research.43231/ - **[P2]** Lie-Nielsen, "No. 5-1/2 Jack Plane" — maker; cataloged, shown unavailable. https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/no-5-1-2-jack-plane- - **[PP3]** "Very Early Spiers Mahogany Infill 'Pannel' Plane," Infill Planes Showcase. https://www.infill-planes.com/34/very-early-spiers-mahogany-infill-pannel-plane/ - **[P5]** sellingantiques.co.uk, Norris A1 panel plane — dealer. https://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/506363/fine-early-norris-a1-adjustable-panel-plane - **[P6]** Jim Bode Tools, Norris A1 panel plane — dealer. https://www.jimbodetools.com/products/spectacular-norris-a1-panel-plane-84623 - **[PP5]** Spiers panel-plane sizes — dealer/auction listings. - **[PP6]** Alexander Mathieson & Sons — encyclopedia/dealer summaries. - **[P7]** Old Woodworking Tools, Stanley No. 5½ guide — collector secondary; the 1898 and 1939 details per the reviewer agree with current secondary references, but a recognized Stanley reference or catalog scan is still wanted. https://www.oldwoodworkingtools.com/stanley-no-5½-plane-history-identification-features-restoration-collector-value-guide/ - **[PP7]** The Best Things, "Legend vs. Fact: The British Infill Plane" — specialist dealer. https://www.thebestthings.com/infill_i.htm - **[P8]** Sauer & Steiner prototype posts (2017, 2019) — archival maker prices only. http://sauerandsteiner.blogspot.com/2017/07/prototype-planes-for-sale.html ; http://sauerandsteiner.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-few-prototypes-for-sale.html - **[P9]** Holtey planes pages — archival maker pages. https://www.holteyplanes.com/prices.html - **[P10]** Bill Carter — David Barron blog (2016); Handplane Central interview. http://davidbarronfurniture.blogspot.com/2016/11/bill-carter-plane-maker.html - **[PP9]** "A Pair of Panel-Raising Planes," *Fine Woodworking* (1981); The Valley Woodworker. https://www.finewoodworking.com/1981/10/01/a-pair-of-panel-raising-planes - **[PP12]** Jim Yehle, "Building a Dovetailed Infill Panel Plane" (2004). https://user.xmission.com/~jry/ww/tools/jy-panel/jy-panel.html - **[PP13]** LumberJocks, "Want more weight for an Infill?" — single forum post. - *Removed from load-bearing use:* harry strasil's 28–36″ post (fix 2); Rockler and Lee Valley negatives as proof of "no current maker" (fix 1); the $2,800–$10,000 "current access" range (fix 3). --- ## The reviewer's corrections (10) - `BLOCKER` — 1. Replace the false “no current maker” headline — Exact claim: “NO CURRENT PRODUCTION MAKER SELLS ANYTHING CALLED A ‘PANEL PLANE’,” repeated in the summary and Finding 2. - `SHOULD-FIX` — 2. Resolve the manufactured length dispute — Exact claim: “The length is disputed even among named authorities,” supported by Schwarz at about 15 inches, Moskowitz at 13–17 inches, and a 28–36-inch anonymous forum post. - `SHOULD-FIX` — 3. Correct the current-product and price language — Exact claim: Lie-Nielsen “sells” the No. 5½ for $450; the access section treats it as an available purchasing route; old Sauer & Steiner prototype prices and Holtey figures are presented as the current market. - `SHOULD-FIX` — 4. Repair the Stanley No. 5½ specification and dating — Exact claim: “vintage Stanley No. 5-1/2 — Bailey pattern, 15″×2⅜″, produced ~1880s–90s through much of the 20th century.” - `BLOCKER` — 5. Rebuild the safety class instead of declaring it nearly empty — Exact claim: “dangerous: honestly near-empty,” with only a dropped tool and a finger clearing a clogged mouth offered as inference. - `SHOULD-FIX` — 6. Remove unsupported substitution claims — Exact claim: A panel plane “can substitute for: a jointer on shorter panels/edges (per Charlesworth’s ‘most tasks’ use)” and a powered jointer plus random-orbit sander “cover the same practical ground.” - `SHOULD-FIX` — 7. Correct the “twice sole length” mechanism and thresholds — Exact claim: Beyond roughly twice its sole length the panel plane “starts bridging the wave rather than removing it,” paired elsewhere with a 4-foot threshold. - `SHOULD-FIX` — 8. Do not define the whole class by a close-set cap iron — Exact claim: The one-line definition and anatomy describe every panel plane as carrying a smoother’s “tight mouth and close-set cap iron.” - `SHOULD-FIX` — 9. Downgrade negative-search and source-grade claims — Exact claim: “no patent found,” “no museum-accession record found,” and retailer/catalog negatives are treated as strong findings; trade articles, dealer pages, and search summaries are repeatedly graded HIGH or “primary manufacturer … - `MINOR` — 10. Tighten the panel-plane / panel-raising-plane wording — Exact claim: The name “is sometimes shortened, informally and incorrectly, from panel raising plane,” followed by claims of a “naming collision.”