Score Your #7 Jointer Plane

What We’re Scoring On (Your “Dream #7 Jointer” Anchor)

We start by defining one perfect #7 jointer plane — our dream model. Every spec you enter gets compared to these ideal values. Each metric begins at 10 points and loses points the further it strays.

• Sole length: 22.0 in
• Blade width: 2.375 in (2-3/8″)
• Weight: 8.75 lb
• Blade steel: Premium wear-resistant tool steel + consistent heat treat
• Mouth adjustment: Fully adjustable
• Body material: Ductile iron

Note: This tool does not cover every possible specification. The formula used is only made to give a general idea of what a good product may look like. It’s a great way to shortlist your choices, but this tool is not 100% bias-free, and cannot replace real-world testing insights

Values for the Best #7 Jointer Plane

Metric	Dream Spec	Score at Perfect Match
Sole length	22.0 in	10
Blade width	2.375 in	10
Weight	8.75 lb	10
Blade steel	Premium wear-resistant tool steel + consistent heat treat	10
Mouth adjustment	Fully adjustable	10
Body material	Ductile iron	10

Enter any real-world spec into the tool and each metric starts at 10 then loses points as it deviates.

How Score Changes with Deviation

Here’s how the scoring works.

Sole length

• Rule: Subtract 2 points for every 1 inch (or part of 1 inch) the length is away from 22.0 inches. Minimum score is 0 points.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 22.0 in → 10 points
  • Within ±0.5 in (21.5–22.5 in) → 9 points
  • Within ±1.0 in (21.0–23.0 in) → 8 points
  • Within ±1.5 in (20.5–23.5 in) → 7 points
  • Within ±2.0 in (20.0–24.0 in) → 6 points
  • Within ±2.5 in (19.5–24.5 in) → 5 points
  • Within ±3.0 in (19.0–25.0 in) → 4 points
  • Within ±3.5 in (18.5–25.5 in) → 3 points
  • Within ±4.0 in (18.0–26.0 in) → 2 points
  • Within ±4.5 in (17.5–26.5 in) → 1 point
  • More than ±4.75 in away (less than 17.25 in or greater than 26.75 in) → 0 points

Blade width

• Exact match (2.375 in) → 10
• Within ±0.031 in (about 1/32″) → 10
• Within ±0.062 in (about 1/16″) → 9
• Within ±0.094 in (about 3/32″) → 8
• Within ±0.125 in (about 1/8″) → 7
• Within ±0.156 in → 6
• Within ±0.188 in → 5
• Within ±0.219 in → 4
• Within ±0.250 in (about 1/4″) → 3
• Within ±0.312 in → 2
• Within ±0.375 in → 1
• More than ±0.375 in away → 0

Weight

• Within ±0.25 lb → 10
• Within ±0.75 lb → 9
• Within ±1.25 lb → 8
• Within ±1.75 lb → 7
• Within ±2.25 lb → 6
• Within ±2.75 lb → 5
• Within ±3.25 lb → 4
• Within ±3.75 lb → 3
• Within ±4.25 lb → 2
• Within ±4.75 lb → 1
• More than ±4.75 lb away → 0

Blade steel

This metric is based only on the wording you’ll actually see in listings.

• Premium wear-resistant tool steel + consistent heat treat → 10
• Premium wear-resistant tool steel → 9
• Tool steel / hardened tool steel → 7
• Alloy steel → 5
• High carbon / carbon steel → 4
• Not stated / unclear → 0

Mouth adjustment

• Fully adjustable → 10
• Adjustable but limited → 7
• Fixed → 3
• Not stated → 3

Body material

• Ductile iron → 10
• Bronze / manganese bronze → 9
• Grey cast iron → 7
• Cast iron (unspecified) → 6
• Alloy (unclear) → 4
• Not stated → 0

Overall Score

1. Enter the spec values in the #7 Jointer Plane Spec Scorer tool.
2. Each metric outputs a 0–10 score based on its deviation rule above.
3. The tool averages the six metric scores to give a final rating from 0.0 to 10.0.

Use this page to quickly compare jointer planes by the specs that actually show up in listings. Higher scores mean a closer match to the dream #7 jointer plane for straight edges and flat panels.