What is a Dutchman?

Definition of Dutchman in Construction
A spacer designed to take the place of a valve or other assembly piece that is not on the jobsite or has been provided. In many complex installations of piping, valves, equipment, there are several elements of the entire assembly that have are either long lead items, are still being developed and researched or have simply been forgotten. The term dutchman describes a simple spacer that takes the place of the missing part. In this manner the remainder of the installation can continue to be built without the missing part. Once the proper item is delivered to the point of assembly the dutchman is removed from the assembly and the exact and proper part is installed. The importance of accuracy is paramount in the positioning and installation of the dutchman. Normally the accuracy of complex mechanical elements is within thousandths of an inch. Therefore the accuracy of the dutchman must be equally exact.