Lie Nielsen 140 Plane Review By: I.Ball
Category: New Block Planes
Extra Info: What is a Block Plane? Block Plane Videos
Manufacturer: Lie Nielsen
Plane Type: Block
Model No: 140
This Lie Nielsen plane review is a review about the Lie Nielsen skew
block plane, also referred to as the Lie Nielsen 140 block plane.
The plane is available in a left-hand version or a right-hand version.
The Lie Nielsen 140 skew block plane is a great tool for working difficult
wood and leaving a great finish.
This is achieved by operating the heavy bronze weighted plane with its
skewed blade lying on a 12 degree low angle bed.
The combination of these elements has been well known for producing
great results for a good 150+ years.
The Lie Nielsen skew block plane is based upon the classic
Stanley 140 block plane
made with the Lie Nielsen style, materials and improvements. The Stanley 140 was
first made at the end of the 19th century.
These improvements include lowering the angle at which the plane blade lays, adding a
fence,
and adding
nickers /
spurs.
The plane body is made from Manganese bronze with a removable steel side wall.
The removable wall is only removable on one side. The side which is removable is
dependent on whether the plane is the left-hand or right-hand plane.
With this plane there is a fence.
I am struggling to think of another named block plane which has a fence which may
make this unique or one of a very select few (I think Veritas have a similar plane).
The fence allows the size of the rabbet / rebate to be set.
The fence also has the option of an additional strip of wood to be added to make
the fence larger (as shown in photos). This piece of wood could also be cut at an angle to allow chamfers
to be cut.
The fence does not have screw holes to secure an additional wooden fence to it so
either drill holes would need to be added to the fence or the use of double sided
sticky tape.
The Lie Nielsen 140 is equipped with one circular nicker which can be found on the
plane�s side underneath the removable side wall, towards the front end. The nicker / spur
can be exposed by 0.010" when required for cross grain work.
It can be used with side wall on or off. If it is to be used with the side wall
on then the side wall needs to be removed to get to the nicker / spur so it can
be activated and then the side wall put back on.
The plane is fitted with a blade fine adjustment mechanism allowing accurate adjustments
to the blade to be made. This adjustment mechanism is controlled by the knurled
steel nut located at the very rear of the plane.
Note: ensure the lever cap is loosened before making adjustments to avoid damage.
The 38mm (1 1/2 inch) wide skewed blade locates with the fine blade adjustment
mechanism with the blade being locked in place with the use of the bronze lever cap.
The lever cap is secured and released by turning the large solid wheel found underneath
the lever cap. The lever cap is shaped with a smooth domed surface making it comfortable
in the palm.
It is very important the profile of the blade cutting edge mirrors the profile of the
mouth to ensure the best results are achieved with this plane.
The plane is fitted with a flat topped cherry front knob offering extra grip and control.
The Lie Nielsen 140 is presented in a Lie Nielsen cardboard box.
* Important: please refer to the 'disclaimer' at the foot of this review.
* Wearing safety clothing and eye protection is usually a good idea to help protect against injury.
- The blade(s)/cutter(s) is very sharp, take suitable precautions when using/handling/storing
the plane/cutter(s) to prevent injury.
- Failure to loosen parts when making adjustments to the plane can result in damage
to the plane such as cross-threading screw threads. Never force a part to move.
- Overtightening parts can cause damage to the plane and the plane threads.
Lie Nielsen 140 Plane Dimensions
Plane Length: mm (6 7/8 inch)
Plane Width: mm (1 7/8 inch)
Weight:: kg (2.15 lb)
Cutter Bed:: 12 degrees
Overall Cutting Angle:: 37 degrees
Lie Nielsen 140 Plane Materials
Body: manganese bronze
Lever Cap: manganese bronze
Knob: cherry
Plane finish: natural
Lie Nielsen 140 Plane Blade / Cutter
Material: A2 (cryo treated, double tempered to Rockwell 60-62)
Width: 38mm (1 1/2 inch)
Blade Thickness: 3mm (1/8 inch)
Blade Bevel (standard): 25 degrees
Top Of Blade Shape: square with cut corners
Hardness: 60-62 Rockwell C
Construction Origin: USA
"Lie Nielsen" - found at the rear of the plane
"Lie Nielsen" - found on the blade
<1995 - Today
Albion:
Good evening,
Many thanks regarding the information for this plane. I was wondering if this plane
could be used in lieu of a skewed rabbet/moving fillister plane, for rebates? The
140 seems to be a favourite of Rob Cosman for preparing a rebate for setting tails
on pins when doing dovetails, but I was thinking if it is in fact a rebate plane
with a fence application, could it not fulfill a normal rebate plane function?
---------------------------
David:
Hello,
It would seem to me that you would run into finger clearance issues once you got
a depth around 1/4" . That would seem to be one limitation to me, not having that
full hand grip... The bed angle of 12 degrees gives some nice options, but personally
I would rather have a #78 I could grip solidly with 2 hands for 'most' rebate work.
What constitutes 'most rebate work' will all depend on the user though, right?
This is a nice piece tho. Nice to have the low angle, and the skew blade , all
with a rabbet mouth and a little fence. And that knuckle cap is always a favorite
design of mine, although this isnt a true knuckle cap release mechanism. I would
certainly make room in my toolkit for one if it wandered in the door !! :D
....
Do you have a question/answer or something to share about this tool?
Please Contact Us
- Lie-Nielsen Tool Works Inc.
(i) Please always refer to and follow the manufacturer's instructions / guidelines /
safety notices / cautions and similar notices as the manufacturer's instructions
may contain important information on safety, personal safety and the good health of your tool,
something to which this review's scope does not guarantee to extend to.
(ii) This review may give warning(s) / advisory notes / cautions / guidelines given
in good faith however any such information should not be solely relied upon and should not be seen
as the exhaustive list of warnings / advisory notes / cautions / guidelines.
Refer to disclaimer note (i) for information on safety, as well as the
good health of your tool.
In addition refer to good safety practices for the safety of you and others. Refer to good practices
for the good health of your tool and property.
(iii) The details here are given in good faith, there is scope for error and shouldn't
be fully relied upon, please be aware the details may also become out of date due to manufacturer
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