Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Most of the plane discussion that goes on here involves planes and planing what will become "show" surfaces. Among the people that I know building furniture this activity ranges from minor to absent from their work. The majority of the planing is a swish here and a swish there to fit something, accomplished with a #4 or #5 or maybe a #3, or some bevel up plane of similar size. The nimbleness I referred to below is a compelling attribute of the plane for these tasks, as well as a short sole.

So, what kind of wooden plane was/is used for fitting parts? A "coffin smoother" was shown earlier. But "smoother" was part of its name not coffin "fitter". Would there be any difference between a plane designed for smoothing and one ideal for fitting?