Lie-Nielsen No.60-1/2R Rabbet Block Plane w/Nicker

Rabbet Block Plane

The Lie-Nielsen Rabbet Block Plane is 1-3/4" wide overall, with a full width blade pitched at 12°. The sole is ground flat to .0015", and the sides are ground square to the sole. The mouth is fixed, and set to take a maximum .005"- .008" shaving. If this is too tight for the work you want to do, file a small chamfer on the leading edge of the mouth to increase chip clearance.

Geometry

The blade sits in the body at 12°; it comes with a 25° flat ground bevel, making the included cutting angle 37°. Blade Sharpening: The blade comes ready to use. Slight additional honing will increase performance. A secondary bevel of up to 5 degrees helps achieve a razor edge quickly. This also improves edge life in hardwoods. For more information on advanced sharpening we suggest David Charlesworth’s DVD Hand Tool Techniques Part 1: Plane Sharpening.

Blade Adjustment

Hold the tool in one hand, with your fingers supporting the sole, and your thumb on the cap iron just in front of the screw. Loosen the spinwheel and, with your thumb still holding the blade and cap, adjust the blade. Tighten the spinwheel. Do not overtighten — you should be able to adjust the blade after loosening the spinwheel about a quarter turn. The blade is about .005" wider than the body. Align the edge of the blade with the side of the body that you want it flush with. Laying the tool on its side can help you do this quickly and accurately. Or, if you prefer, you can grind a little material off the side of the blade to make it flush with both sides.

Nicker

The circular nicker, made of A-2 Steel, protrudes by .010” and can be rotated to expose the edge as needed. Retract by rotating so the flat is at the bottom. Occasionally you may need to hone the flat on a fine waterstone to sharpen.

The sides of the Ductile Iron body are stout. However, because the sides are open at the mouth, the “frog” may flex under the blade as pressure is applied to the cap iron via the spinwheel. Very little pressure is necessary to hold the blade, so if you wish to minimize the flex, back the spinwheel off a bit. We have intentionally left the leading edge of the frog section thick for strength. If you ever decide to surface the sole, be careful not to remove too much material. The body is cast from Ductile Iron, a very strong alloy that will take a lot of abuse. These castings are fully stress-relieved, a process that removes inherent stresses and ensures that the tool will remain flat and true. The cap is Manganese Bronze. Other parts are Brass; the adjuster nut is Stainless Steel.

The blade is A-2 Tool Steel hardened to Rockwell 60-62, cryogenically treated and double tempered. Our heat treating technique ensures that the blade will take and hold a very fine edge for a long time. After heat treating, the blade is fully surface ground on the top, back, and cutting edge, giving a smooth, flat surface that will take a mirror finish very quickly. The 1/8" thickness provides solid chatter-free cutting.