The Burchard English-German/Deutsch-Englisch Glossary of Plane Names
ENGLISH/GERMAN - DEUTSCH-ENGLISCH
Seth W. Burchard (1910-2002) is best known for his 1991 translation of Die Geschichte des Hobel (The History of the Woodworking Plane), Josef M. Greber's renowned book on hand planes. Burchard studied German in Berlin as a teenager before returning to the U.S. to attend Harvard. He served as a translator with U.S. Army Intelligence in France, Luxembourg, and Germany during WWII. After retiring from General Electric in 1971, he was active in numerous historic and civic organizations and regularly contributed articles to The Chronicle, The Gristmill, Plane Talk, and others. He published this glossary in 1985. Photo by The Ithaca Journal.
ENGLISH/GERMAN
Editor's note: Alternative names are shown in [brackets]. French names are shown in italics. Burchard's notes on Moxon refer to Plate 4 in Moxon's Mechanick Exercises. For questions regarding this glossary, please contact Abraham Hyatt at abrahamhyatt@gmail.com. Any typos are the editor's not Burchard's.
| Astragal | Stabhobel mit Platteln |
| Bench plane | Bank |
| Basket Maker’s shave | Rohrziehhobel für Korbmacher |
| Basket Maker’s plane | Korbflechterhobel |
| Bead plane | Französischer Stab |
| Bevel with two squares | Fase |
| Bevel or Dovetail plane | Grathobel |
| Box Maker’s plane | Schachtelhobel |
| Box scraper | Schabhobel |
| Box scraper, toothed | Schabzahnhobel |
| Brass, plane for | Messinghobel |
| Bull[-]nose plane | Absatz [Absetz] simshobel, Eckenhobel |
| Bullnose mitre plane | Hirnholzabsetzsimshobel |
| Bullnose rabbet | Eckensimshobel |
| Cabinet maker | Tischler |
| Carpenter | Zimmermann |
| Carriage wheel moulder | Radkehlhobel |
| Casing moulding | Deutscher Stab |
| Center bead plane | Rillen [Stäbchen] hobel |
| Chamfer | Abfase |
| Circular moulder | Bogenhobel, Bogenkehl [Querstreif] hobel |
| Clean-up plane | Kontrahobel |
| Compass plane | Garb [Schiff] hobel, Schiffkehlhobel |
| Compass moulder, convex | Geschweifter Schiffkehlhobel |
| Compass plane, circular | Schiffbogensimshobel |
| Compass rabbet | Schiffsimshobel |
| Concave moulder | Geschweifter Kehlhobel |
| Coopers’ Croze | Bodenkamm, Gargel[KimmJhobel, Gargelreisser |
| Coopers’ Head cutter | Backenhobel |
| Coopers’ Heading cutter | Bodenbrammschnitthobel |
| Coopers’ Hoop plane | Bandhobel |
| Coopers’ Long jointer | Fughobel der [für] Küfer (Colombe des tonneliers) |
| Coopers’ Jointer | Daubenfughobel |
| Coopers’ Wreathing plane | Kranzhobel für Küfer |
| Corner brace router | Scheineckeneinlasshobel |
| Crossbar | Querstange |
| Dado | Rückwandhobel |
| Depth stop (or sometimes fence) | Anlauf |
| Door check plane | Abplatthobel, kleine Plattbank, Ausgrundhobel, Ausputzhobel |
| Door grooving plow | Türnuthobel |
| Double-iron plane | Doppelhobel |
| Double or twin plane | Zwillingsbank |
| Dovetail plane | Grat [Stellgrat] hobel |
| Drag [two man] plane | Ketsch [Zweimann] hobel |
| Draw knife | Schneid [Zieh] messer |
| Fence | Anlauf (sometimes means depth stop); Ansatz, Anschlag, Holzstellung, Stellung, Stellwand, Wand |
| Fillister [Filletster], long | Falzbank, Fluchthobel |
| Fillister, Moving | Stellfalzhobel, verstellbarer Falzhobel |
| Fillister with 2 irons | Doppelfalzhobel |
| Fillister, Standing | Falzhobel |
| Fitting plane | Formhobel |
| “Flame” plane, or waving engine | Flammenhobel |
| Floor grooving plow | Parkettnuthobel |
| Floor tongue plane | Parkettfederhobel |
| Fluting [reeding] plane | Stäbchenhobel, Rillenhobel |
| Fore plane [jointer, try plane] | Rauhbank |
| Frame plane | Rahmenhobel |
| Grooving plow [plough] | see Plow |
| Gunstock barrel, plane for seating | Rohrhobel für Büchsenschäfter |
| Halving plane | Abtrepp [Plattel] hobel |
| Hardwood plane | Hart [Steil] hobel (Rabout de bout) (Cf. Moxon P1.4 #B4) |
| Hollows and rounds, sometimes rabbets | Kehlhobel, Kehlzeug |
| Jointer | Fugbank, Fughobel, Schlichtfughobel, Schlichtrauhbank |
| Jointer, short | kleine Fug [Rauh] bank |
| Lead, plane for | Bleihobel |
| Leveling [Sun] plane | Stemmhobel für Küfer |
| Lignum vitae | Pockholz |
| Match planes | Aster [Gaster, Spund] hobel, Federhobel |
| Matchstick plane | Holzdraht [Zündhölzchen] hobel |
| Metal, plane for | Metallhobel |
| Miter box, jack | Gehrungsschneidlade, Gehrungsstosslade |
| Mitre plane | Gehr [Vergatt] hobel, Gehrungsfugbank, Hirnholzhobel |
| Mortised | Verzinkt |
| Moulder | Profilhobel, Profilstabhobel, Kehlstoss, Kehlzeug |
| Moulding machine | Profilleistenziehstock |
| Moulding profiles | Fassons |
| Nicker [spur] | Vorschneider |
| Ogee plane | Karnieshobel |
| Packer’s jointer | Bankhobel (Colombe d’emballeur) |
| Pattern maker’s core box plane | Kernkastenhobel |
| Plane | Hobel |
| Plane body | Hobelgestell |
| Plow [plough] | Nuthobel, Nutrinnenhobel (Bouvet à rainure) |
| Plow for window sash (glass grooving plane) | Glasnut [Glasnutstell] hobel |
| “Pull” plane | Ziehhufel (probably not pulled per Greber) |
| Quarter round | Rund [Viertel] stabhobel |
| Quirk | Plattel |
| Rabbet [Rebate] | Sims [Gesims] [Ort] hobel |
| Rabbet, Clean-up | Ausgleichsimshobel |
| Rabbet, High angle | Steilsimshobel |
| Rabbet, Preparatory | Schürfsimshobel (Guillaume à ébaucher) |
| Rabbet, Side [T] | Wangen [Wand] hobel |
| Raising plane | Abplatthobel, kleine Plattbank, Plattbankhobel |
| Reeding plane | Stäbchen[ Rillen] hobel |
| Reverse Ogee | Verkehrtes Karnies |
| Round [Cove] [Ovalo] | Hohlkehl [Stab] hobel |
| Rounder [Witchet] | Stabziehhobel |
| Router | Gratnuthobel, Grundhobel |
| Sash plane | Kittfalzhobel |
| Scraper | Schaber |
| Scratch router | Profilschaber |
| Scrub plane | Scherf [Schürf] hobel, both obs.; now Schropphobel |
| Scrub [Jack] [Roughing] plane | Schropp [Schrupp] hobel (Riflard) |
| Shingle grooving plane | Schindelnuthobel |
| Side rabbet [Snipe] | Seiten [Wand] hobel |
| Side moulder | Seitenkehlhobel |
| Skewed | schräg |
| Smoother, smoothing plane, block plane | Putz [Schlicht] hobel, Fausthobel (Rabot de bout; Rabot pour le bois debout, for end grain) |
| Snipesbill, clean-up | Uberschiebhobel |
| Slot plane (plow for sliding sash windows) | Kulissen [Nutrinnen] hobel |
| Spar plane | Stielhobel |
| Spill plane | Fidibus [Kienspann] [Speil] hobel |
| Spoke shave | Schab [Speichen] [Schweif-und-Stuhl] hobel, Bandhobel |
| Spoke trimmer | Speichenzapfenhobel |
| Spur [Nicker] | Vorschneider |
| Step nosing plane | Rundhobel |
| Stave, barrel | Daube |
| Straight | gerade |
| Strike block | Stoss [Fug] block, Bestosshobel (Cf. Moxon, P1.4 #B3) |
| T-plane | Wand [Wangen] hobel |
| Thicknesser | Dickenhobel |
| Throat | Spannloch |
| Thumb plane | Wölbungshobel |
| Tongue plane | Feder [Spund] hobel (Bouvet à languette) |
| Tongue-and-groove plane | Feder-und-Nuthobel |
| Toothed rack plane (for bookcases) | Zahnleistenhobel |
| Toothing plane | Zahnhobel |
| Trying plane | Halblanghobel |
| Two-man plane | Zwiemandl, Zweimannhobel, Ketschhobel |
| Upright, or hardwood plane | Steil- oder Harthobel |
| Veneer | Furnier |
| Venetian blind plane | Jalousiehobel (Outil à entailler les lames de persiennes) |
| Vinegar chip plane | Essigspanhobel (Used in the European vinegar industry for making beechwood chips for clarifying vinegar.) |
| Violin plane | Geigenhobel |
| Washer cutter | Stangenzirkel |
| Waving engine [“flame” plane] | Flammenhobel |
| Witchet [rounder] | Stabziehhobel |
| Witchet, tapered | Konischziehhobel |
DEUTSCH-ENGLISCH
| Abfase | chamfer |
| Abplatthobel [kleine Plattbank] | door check plane, raising plane |
| Absatz [Absetz] simshobel | Bull[-]nose plane |
| Abtreppfalzhobel | halving plane |
| Anlauf | fence, sometimes depth stop |
| Ansatz | fence |
| Anschlag | fence |
| Aster [Gaster] hobel | combination match plane |
| Auflauf, Auflaufwand | depth stop |
| Ausgleichsimshobel | clean-up rabbet [rebate] |
| Ausgrundhobel | door check plane, a smooth plane rabbeted on both sides of the sole |
| Ausgrundhobel | router |
| Backenhobel | cooper’s head float [head cutter] |
| Bandhobel | cooper’s hoop plane |
| Bank | bench plane |
| Bankhobel | packer’s jointer (Colombe d’emballeur) |
| Beststosshobel | strike block |
| Bleihobel | plane used to shave lead (organ builders, printers, etc.) |
| Bodenbrammschnitthobel | cooper’s heading cutter |
| Bodenkamm | cooper’s croze |
| Bogenhobel | circular plane |
| Bogenkehlhobel | circular moulder |
| Daube -barrel stave | |
| Daubenfughobel | cooper’s jointer |
| Deutscher Stab | casing moulding |
| Dickenhobel | thicknesser |
| Doppelfalzhobel | fillister [filletster] with two irons |
| Doppelhobel | plane with double iron |
| Eckenhobel, Eckensimshobel | bull[-]nose rabbet [rebate] |
| Essigspanhobel | vinegar chip plane. (Used in the European vinegar industry for making beechwood chips for clarifying vinegar.) |
| Falzbank [Fluchthobel] | fillister [filletster] |
| Falzhobel | dado, standing fillister (Bouvet, feuilleret) |
| Fase | bevel with two squares |
| Fassons | moulding profiles |
| Fausthobel | short planes: smoother, block plane |
| Feder | tongue |
| Feder[Spund]hobel | tongue plane (Bouvet à languette) |
| Feder-und-Nuthobel | combined tongue-and-groove plane |
| Fidibus | a spill, i.e. a wood or paper curl used cigars, etc. from the hearth to light lamps. |
| Fidibushobel | spill plane |
| Flammenhobel | “flame” plane or waving engine. Used in late 17th Century England for making so-called Holbein mouldings for picture frames. Used extensively in early German woodworking. |
| Fluchten | verb, to bring into a straight line, Duden |
| Fluchthobel [Falzbank] | fillister [filletster] |
| Formhobel | fitting plane |
| Französischer Stab | bead |
| Fug [Füg] bank | jointer, trying plane (Varlope, grande varlope) |
| Fugblock [Stossblock] | Strike block |
| Fughobel, Fugbank | jointer |
| Fughobelder Küfer | cooper’s long jointer |
| Furnier | veneer |
| Garb [Schiff] hobel | compass plane |
| Gargelhobel, Gargelreisser | cooper’s croze |
| Gaster [Aster] hobel | combination match plane |
| Gehr [Vergatt] hobel | Mitre plane |
| Gehrungsfugbank | a longer way of saying “Gehrhobel” |
| Gehrungsschneidlade | mitre box |
| Gehrungsstosslade | mitre jack |
| Geigenhobel | violin [thumb] plane |
| gerade | straight |
| Geschweifter Kehlhobel | concave moulder |
| Geschweifter Schiffkehlhobel | compass moulder, convex |
| Gesims [Sims] hobel | rabbet [rebate] |
| Glasnuthobel, Glasnutstellhobel | grooving plane for setting window glass |
| Grathobel | bevel or dovetail plane (rabot à queue fixe) |
| Gratnuthobel, Grundhobel | router (guimbarde) |
| halblanger Hobel, halblange Fugbank | Trying plane |
| Halblange Rauhbank mit Schroppeisen | jack [fore] plane |
| Hart [Steil] hobel | hardwood plane, now obsolete. (Rabot de bout) |
| Hirnholzabsetzsimshobel | bull[-]nosed mitre plane |
| Hirnholz [Vergatt] hobel | end grain mitre plane |
| Hobel | plane |
| Hobelgestell | plane body |
| Hohlkehle | round |
| Hohlkehlhobel | round [cove] plane |
| Holzdrahthobel | matchstick plane (literally “wood wire plane”) |
| Holzstellung | fence |
| Jalousiehobel | Venetian blind plane (Outil à entailler les lames de persienne) |
| Karnieshobel | Ogee plane |
| Kehlhobel, Kehlzeug | hollows, rounds, moulders (Bouvements) |
| Kehlrinnenhobel | a longer form of Kehlhobel |
| Kehlstoss | moulder |
| Kernkasten | pattern maker’s core box plane |
| Ketsch [Zweimann] hobel | drag plane, two-man plane |
| Kienspanhobel | spill plane (Cf. Fidibus above). According to Duden “Kien” means pitch-pine. |
| Kimm [Gargel] hobel | Cooper’s croze |
| Kittfalzhobel | sash plane |
| kleine Rauh [Fug] bank, halblange Fugbank | short jointer, trying plane |
| Konischziehhobel | tapered rounder [witchet], for use on a lathe |
| Kontrahobel | Clean-up plane |
| Korbflechterhobel | basket maker’s plane |
| Kranzhobel für Küfer | cooper’s wreathing plane |
| Kulissenhobel [Nutrinnenhobel] -grooving plow Langhobel | an early type of long jointer |
| Messinghobel | plane for shaving brass (organ builders, etc.) |
| Metallhobel | any metal-working plane |
| Nut [Nutrinnen] hobel | grooving plow (Bouvet, bouvet à rainure) |
| Ort [Sims] hobel | Rabbet [rebate] |
| Parkettfederhobel | floor layer’s tongue plane |
| Parkettnuthobel | floor layer’s grooving plow |
| Plattbankhobel | raising plane |
| Plattel | quirk or square |
| Plattelhobel | halving plane |
| Pockholz | lignum vitae (Guaiacum officinale) |
| Profilhobel | moulder |
| Profilleisten-Ziehstock | moulding machine, Cf. Knight Vol.II, p.1467 |
| Profilschaber | scratch router, sash shave, sash stock] |
| Profilschweifhobel | scratch router, hand beader |
| Profilstabhobel | moulder |
| Putzhobel | smoother, smoothing plane (Rabot de bout) |
| Querstange | crossbar |
| Querstreifhobel | circular plane |
| Radkehlhobel | moulder for carriage wheels |
| Rahmenhobel | picture frame plane |
| Rauhbank | fore, trying plane, jointer (Riflard) |
| Rillen [stäbchen] hobel | center bead or fluting plane |
| Rückwandhobel | dado |
| Rundhobel | step nosing plane |
| Rundstabhobel | quarter round or hollow plane |
| Rohrhobel für Büchsenschäfter | plane for seating gunstock barrels |
| Rohrziehhobel für Korbmacher [Korbflechterhobell | Basket maker’s shave |
| Schabhobel | spoke shave |
| Schabzahnhobel, verstellbar | toothed box scraper, adjustable |
| Schachtelhobel | box maker’s plane |
| Scheineckeneinlasshobel | router for making blind grooves for corner braces on doors, etc. |
| Scherf [Schürf] [Schropp] hobel | scrub plane |
| Schiffhobel | compass plane (rabot cintré) |
| Schiff-Bogenhobel | compass and circular plane |
| Schiffkehlhobel | compass moulder |
| Schiff-Simshobel | compass rabbet [rebate] (Guillaume cintré, guillaume à navette) |
| Schlicht [Putz] hobel | smoothing plane |
| Schindelnuthobel | shingle grooving plow |
| Schlicht-Fughobel | jointer |
| Schlicht-Rauhbank | jointer |
| Schneidmesser | draw knife |
| schrag | skewed |
| Schropp [Schrupp] hobel | Scrub, [roughing], [jack] plane |
| Schürf [Scherf] hobel | scrub plane |
| Schürfsimshobel | rabbet [rebate] for preparatory work |
| Schweif-und Stuhlhobel [Band] [Speichen] hobel | spoke shave |
| Seiten [Wand] hobel | Side rabbet [rebate], snipe bill |
| Seitenkehlhobel | side moulder |
| Sims [Gesims] hobel | rabbet [rebate] (Guillaume) |
| Spannloch | plane throat |
| Speichenhobel | spoke shave |
| Speichenzapfenhobel | spoke trimmer |
| Speilhobel | spill plane (Cf. Fidibus above) |
| Spund | a tongue-and-groove joint |
| Spundhobel | match planes, tongue-and-groove planes |
| Stabhobel | ovalo or round plane |
| Stabhobel mit zwei Platteln | astragal plane |
| Stäbchen [Rillen] hobel | fluting or reeding plane |
| Stabziehhobel | Rounder [witchet] |
| Stangenzirkel | washer cutter |
| Steil [Hart ]hobel | upright or hardwood plane, now obsolete (Rabot de bout, rabot pour le bois debout) |
| Steilsimshobel | high angle rabbet [rebate] plane (Guillaume de bout) |
| Stellgrathobel | dovetail plane |
| Stellung[Stellwand] | fence |
| Stemmhobel für Küfer | coopers’ leveling [sun] plane |
| Stielhobel | spar plane |
| Stoss[Fug]block | strike block |
| Streichmass | marking ga[u]ge |
| Türnut [Türnutstell] hobel | door grooving plane |
| Uberschiebhobel | snipe bill, clean-up plane |
| Vergatt[Gehr]hobel | mitre plane |
| verkehrtes Karnies | reverse ogee |
| verstellbarer Falzhobel | moving fillister [filletster] |
| verzinkt | mortised |
| Viertelstabhobel | quarter round |
| Vorschneider | spur [Nicker] |
| Wand | fence |
| Wand [Wangen] [Seitenhobel | side rabbet, T-plane (Guillaume à coté) |
| wölbungs [Geigen] hobel | thumb, violin plane |
| Zahnhobel | toothing plane |
| Zahnleistenhobel | toothed rack plane, for bookcases, etc. |
| Ziehhufel | “pull” plane. Possibly a 16th Century version of “Schlichthobel”, according to J.M.Greber. Probably was not pulled. |
| Zieh [Schneid] messer | drawknife |
| Zimmermann | carpenter |
| Zündhölzchenhobel | matchstick plane, used in the wooden match industry |
| Zweimann_ Ketsch]hobel | plane with crossbars, for two men |
| Zwiemandl | variant of “Zweimannhobel” |
| Zwillingsbank | Early double or twin plane. Had a throat and an iron on each of two adjoining sides set for rough work and smoothing |