The body of a typical hand plane is a single metal casting. An infill plane, by contrast, is formed from metal plates (sole and sides) joined along the edges, or sometimes by a single piece of metal U-channel. Dense wood is used to fill the space between the plates to support the sides, establish a bed for the iron, and to make holding the plane possible.

Infill planes are often made with steep blade angles, which makes them work well on highly figured woods. They can be and often are made one at a time by woodworkers for their own use in a wood shop with only basic metalworking tools. The metal components can be cut by hand or ordered as a kit, and are usually joined with soldered dovetail or box joints.

The body of a typical hand plane is a single metal casting. An infill plane, by contrast, is formed from metal plates (sole and sides) joined along the edges, or sometimes by a single piece of metal U-channel. Dense wood is used to fill the space between the plates to support the sides, establish a bed for the iron, and to make holding the plane possible.

Infill planes are often made with steep blade angles, which makes them work well on highly figured woods. They can be and often are made one at a time by woodworkers for their own use in a wood shop with only basic metalworking tools. The metal components can be cut by hand or ordered as a kit, and are usually joined with soldered dovetail or box joints.

Most types of hand planes can be made as infill planes: block planes, smooth planes, jack planes, shoulder planes, etc. can all be made as infill planes.