Jorgensen’s 60-1/2 Block Plane

When I teach boatbuilding and woodworking at WoodenBoat School and other venues, I send out a list of tools students might like to bring with them, including hand planes. I teach mostly introduction-level courses and encourage students to bring some of their own tools when they can. This past summer, a couple from California arrived with two new Jorgensen No. 60-1/2 low-angle adjustable-mouth block planes. I like 60-1/2 low-angle block planes in general but had not seen the Jorgensen before. It turned out to be a well-made and useful tool.

Photographs by the author

The interior of the Jorgensen No. 60-1/2 low-angle block plane is painted the company’s distinctive orange. The edges are smooth, and the lever cap is rounded so that it nestles comfortably against the underside of the operator’s index finger

The Jorgensen company was founded in Chicago in 1903 as the Adjustable Clamp Company. It persevered through two world wars, recessions, and depressions for 113 years, finally closing its doors in 2016. The name endures, but all the products are now made in China.