Veritas #5 1/4W Bench Plane

Also called a junior jack, the traditional #5 1/4 was 12" long, in between a #4 smooth plane at 10" and a #5 jack at 14". Our #5 1/4W differs from the original in many ways – mainly, ours has a wider blade and the mouth is 4 3/8" behind the nose, unlike the original at 3 1/2". For better accuracy, an extra-long sole in front of the blade makes it easier to keep the sole flush to the wood when starting a cut. Combined, the mouth location and sensitive feed adjustment let the #5 1/4W serve as a jointer for most cabinet work.