So why is it called a "block" plane?

[Jacob]

Sitting in the garden with the old woman knitting and she started muttering about "blocking out". Apparently that's what you do with knitting, embroidery, weaving (and other crafts?) where you trim off trailing bits, wet and pin the whole garment down and pull straight the critical bits which define the shape - cuffs, hems, collars etc.
Just like what you do with a block plane: finished object and you work over it straightening the arrises, trimming tenons and other sticking out bits, fettling visually i.e.not changing the shape but just making it look better.
"Blocking out" to conceal details, "blocking in" to delineate them; in woodwork done with a block plane.

 

[Glynne]

Deja view - shouldn't be on Facebook and the forum.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Does that make you a "block-head" then Jacob?

 

[Jacob]

Does that make you a "block-head" then Jacob?

Afraid so. "Head down, brain off" as the bank robber said when asked how he did it.

 

[custard]

Just like what you do with a block plane: finished object and you work over it straightening the arrises, trimming tenons and other sticking out bits, fettling visually i.e.not changing the shape but just making it look better.
"Blocking out" to conceal details, "blocking in" to delineate them; in woodwork done with a block plane.

That makes more sense to me than the alternative theory I've heard, that a block plane was the tool of choice for making "butcher's blocks"; the massive end grain, chopping tables that traditional butchers use. Anyone who thinks you'd use a little one handed plane for a mammoth task like that probably doesn't have much practical hand tool experience!

 

[Jacob]

.... Anyone who thinks you'd use a little one handed plane for a mammoth task like that probably doesn't have much practical hand tool experience!

Well exactly.
I bet its been tried though - people seem to blindly follow all sorts of stuff about how to do things which is actually nonsense. But these ideas don't die easily - once they've been written up enough times they are with us forever! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

 

[woodbrains]

Just like what you do with a block plane: finished object and you work over it straightening the arrises, trimming tenons and other sticking out bits, fettling visually i.e.not changing the shape but just making it look better.
"Blocking out" to conceal details, "blocking in" to delineate them; in woodwork done with a block plane.

That makes more sense to me than the alternative theory I've heard, that a block plane was the tool of choice for making "butcher's blocks"; the massive end grain, chopping tables that traditional butchers use. Anyone who thinks you'd use a little one handed plane for a mammoth task like that probably doesn't have much practical hand tool experience!

Hello,

The butcher's block thing has always been dubious, but not as far from the truth as you might think. Yes, using a tiny plane to true up such a big endgrain surface is daft and I never believed it myself, but butcher's blocks are not the only end grain wood product that needs trueing up. Printers blocks used for woodcut illustrations were endgrain, and feasibly small enough for a small plane to true them. Once a run of prints were made and the block was no longer useful, a few passes with a block plane made the surface ready for a new woodcut. Much more realistic.

Mike.

 

[Jacob]

Just like what you do with a block plane: finished object and you work over it straightening the arrises, trimming tenons and other sticking out bits, fettling visually i.e.not changing the shape but just making it look better.
"Blocking out" to conceal details, "blocking in" to delineate them; in woodwork done with a block plane.

That makes more sense to me than the alternative theory I've heard, that a block plane was the tool of choice for making "butcher's blocks"; the massive end grain, chopping tables that traditional butchers use. Anyone who thinks you'd use a little one handed plane for a mammoth task like that probably doesn't have much practical hand tool experience!

Hello,

The butcher's block thing has always been dubious, but not as far from the truth as you might think. Yes, using a tiny plane to true up such a big endgrain surface is daft and I never believed it myself, but butcher's blocks are not the only end grain wood product that needs trueing up. Printers blocks used for woodcut illustrations were endgrain, and feasibly small enough for a small plane to true

them. Once a run of prints were made and the block was no longer useful, a few passes with a block plane made the surface ready for a new woodcut. Much more realistic.

Mike.

Possible - but why would you want a one handed plane for this? Whereas you do want a one handed plane for many finishing ops as you hold or steady the thing you are finishing with the other hand.

Had a flip through dictionaries and "blocking" as a craft process doesn't get a mention except way down the list here : "Shape or reshape (a hat) on a mould:
e.g. nobody cleans and blocks old felt hats any more
But it's very common in textile crafts

PS Patricks B&G quote;
"Stanley, in their marketing propaganda, claimed that "A Block Plane was first made to meet the demand for a Plane which could be easily held in one hand while planing across the grain, particularly the ends of boards, etc. This latter work many Carpenters call 'Blocking in', hence the name 'Block' Plane." This, if it is to be believed, dispels the myth that block planes are so named because they were first used on butcher's blocks."

The "across the grain" could be misleading as the plane is "easily held in one hand while planing" along the grain too, and is regularly used in both directions.

 

[bugbear]

A little piece of easy research shows that "blocking" in knitting is a process involving one or more of moisture (either a wash, a spray or steam), stretching (and sometimes pinning) and pressing.

It is done to even out the inevitable non-uniformity of hand made stitches, and to regularise the size and shape of a garment, or piece of garment.

Some delicate or valuable garments are blocked after every wash, years after they were made.

It is all about the macroscopic shape of the item, quite different to what a woodworker does with a block plane.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

.....

It is all about the macroscopic shape of the item, quite different to what a woodworker does with a block plane.

BugBear

Er, not sure what "macroscopic shape" could mean in this context.
Yes "to regularise the size and shape of a garment" i.e. the appearance, not correcting the whole thing.
Otherwise "blocking", "blocking out", "blocking in" are similar to what woodworker does with a block plane; getting the thing into finished shape visually such as by straightening the arrises rather than by planing a whole face or edge - a very widely used trick, often used in door fitting amongst other things.

Come to think it's much like what a stone mason does with a lump of stone - to turn it into a neat block he will carve the margins of the edges first, then may or may not remove the rough face in between.

So thats it then - across a range of crafts "blocking" is the process of establishing the visual shape mainly by attending to the edges/margins/arrises etc.

 

[bugbear]

.....

It is all about the macroscopic shape of the item, quite different to what a woodworker does with a block plane.

BugBear

Er, not sure what "macroscopic shape" could mean in this context.

If you don't know what macroscopic means, "Overall shape" is similar in meaning.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

.....

It is all about the macroscopic shape of the item, quite different to what a woodworker does with a block plane.

BugBear

Er, not sure what "macroscopic shape" could mean in this context.

If you don't know what macroscopic means, "Overall shape" is similar in meaning.

BugBear

Or just "shape" will do, as we are obviously not talking about microscopic details. :lol:

 

[bugbear]

Come to think it's much like what a stone mason does with a lump of stone

Creating a neat, rectlinear piece from raw lumber stock is done with scrubs and jack, and not a block plane.

Your attempted etymology is dying.

BugBear

 

[ED65]

Printers blocks used for woodcut illustrations were endgrain, and feasibly small enough for a small plane to true them.

This makes a lot of sense to me as a possible origin as a lifelong fan of wood engraving, although I fear we may be making an assumption based on more modern English usage.

Possible - but why would you want a one handed plane for this?

Block planes are not exclusively one-handed planes Jacob. Some of the best-selling models of all time had a front knob.

But of course the origin period could predate these by a wide margin so the earliest would have been in our tradition like little coffin smoothers. and those could be used single-handed or double-handed according to need or preference.


Looking for a plausible origin of the name perhaps we should cast a wider net, looking at what they're called in other European languages? There may be further clues provided by what they're called in French, German, Dutch or Swedish which I think we can fairly easily find out in this forum

 

[Jacob]

.....

Possible - but why would you want a one handed plane for this?

Block planes are not exclusively one-handed planes Jacob. Some of the best-selling models of all time had a front knob. ....

My favourite is the 220. It has a knob but it's really a button - you hold the plane with one hand and put your forefinger on it. You could hold the knob with your other hand but that's not how you'd normally use it.

 

[Jacob]

Come to think it's much like what a stone mason does with a lump of stone

Creating a neat, rectlinear piece from raw lumber stock is done with scrubs and jack, and not a block plane.

Your attempted etymology is dying.

BugBear

I think you've missed the point BB, unusually for you! :lol:

In point of fact - planing the arris first is sometimes a practical way of starting to square up a piece of wood in some circumstances, as it gives you easily observed straight lines and all you need to do then is remove the material between them, without having to check the surface. I've done that with very long pieces (newel posts) too big for over the planer so first face done by hand.

 

[woodbrains]

.....

Possible - but why would you want a one handed plane for this?

Block planes are not exclusively one-handed planes Jacob. Some of the best-selling models of all time had a front knob. ....

My favourite is the 220. It has a knob but it's really a button - you hold the plane with one hand and put your forefinger on it. You could hold the knob with your other hand but that's not how you'd normally use it.

Hello,

That Stanley plane and the other familiar ones we know, are a very modern evolution of a small plane. Wood block printing is ancient and predates metal planes by a great margin. It is certain that wood blocks for printing:

a) were required to be flat initially for their first use.

b) were reused many times for sake of economy and thus needed re flattening.

What better than a small plane to do so?

I think there are Albrect Durer wood cuts which illustrate wood block printing.

Incidentally, painters (artists, not house painters) block out the image as an initial step. It is essentially the same as Bugbear describes, establishing the overall macroscopic shape of the intended work.

Mike.

 

[Jacob]

.......

That Stanley plane and the other familiar ones we know, are a very modern evolution of a small plane.

I don't know about "evolution" - merely a small steel plane. Were the early wooden ones called block planes or is it Stanley's own term?

Incidentally, painters (artists, not house painters) block out the image as an initial step. .....

Yep - as I said "delineating" the shape; though not necessarily a line, it could be solid "blocked" in (or out!).

 

[iNewbie]

Just like what you do with a block plane: finished object and you work over it straightening the arrises, trimming tenons and other sticking out bits, fettling visually i.e.not changing the shape but just making it look better.
"Blocking out" to conceal details, "blocking in" to delineate them; in woodwork done with a block plane.

That makes more sense to me than the alternative theory I've heard, that a block plane was the tool of choice for making "butcher's blocks"; the massive end grain, chopping tables that traditional butchers use. Anyone who thinks you'd use a little one handed plane for a mammoth task like that probably doesn't have much practical hand tool experience!

Hello,

The butcher's block thing has always been dubious, but not as far from the truth as you might think. Yes, using a tiny plane to true up such a big endgrain surface is daft and I never believed it myself, but butcher's blocks are not the only end grain wood product that needs trueing up. Printers blocks used for woodcut illustrations were endgrain, and feasibly small enough for a small plane to true them. Once a run of prints were made and the block was no longer useful, a few passes with a block plane made the surface ready for a new woodcut. Much more realistic.

Mike.

Me neither. Stanley bought out the 64 for that task.

http://www.hansbrunnertools.com/Stanley ... y%2064.htm

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

So what else would a plane that is used for planing wood for block printing be called. Block plane has a ring to it, don't you think? Aww, can't call it that in case I get confused when I straighten out me knitting! Hence 'the plane with no name'

Mike.