Meaning & use
German jack
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
A wooden hand plane with a blade set at a steep angle, used for smoothing hard or figured wood.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a German jack' for one, 'German jacks' for more than one.
Patterns
- a German jack
- use a German jack on something
- a German jack with a steep blade
The cabinetmaker reached for a German jack to smooth the curly maple without tear-out.
A German jack is heavier than a standard bench plane, which helps on hard exotics.
He adjusted the German jack's blade before tackling the figured walnut panel.
noununcountableregional
A card game for two players, similar to a simple trick-taking game, traditionally played in German-speaking regions.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the game; say 'play German jack' not 'play a German jack'.
Patterns
- play German jack
- a game of German jack
On rainy afternoons, the grandparents taught us to play German jack.
German jack is easy to learn but has enough strategy to keep adults interested.
Word forms
| plural | German jacks |
|---|
Common combinations
- use a German jack
- Use a German jack when the grain is too wild for a low-angle plane.
- a German jack plane
- He bought a German jack plane at the flea market for a bargain.
- sharpen a German jack
- You must sharpen a German jack carefully to avoid chipping the steep edge.
- German jack blade
- The German jack blade is set at about 50 degrees to handle tear-out.
- play German jack
- They play German jack every Friday evening at the club.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scrub plane
- A scrub plane removes material quickly with a curved blade, while a German jack is for smoothing with a steep angle.
- smoothing plane
- A smoothing plane is a general finishing tool; a German jack is a type of smoothing plane with a steep blade for difficult grain.
Commonly confused: German jack or jack plane?
German jack vs jack plane
A jack plane is a general-purpose bench plane with a standard blade angle, not the steep-angled German jack.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'German jack' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A German jack is a plane with a steep blade angle for smoothing difficult wood, so option 3 fits. Option 1 describes a scrub plane's job, option 2 is a different sense (card game), and option 4 confuses it with a hammer or nail gun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “German jack”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.