Lie-Nielsen Bench Planes: Instructions, Care and Maintenance posted on 5:48pm by David

A guide to setting up, sharpening and using Lie Nielsen Bench Planes. Geometry: All Bench Plane blades are bedded at 45° with the bevel down, making the included angle of cut 45°. Blade Sharpening: Your Lie-Nielsen Bench Plane is ready to cut wood out of the box. The blade is ground sharp at a 25° bevel. You may wish to give it a light honing before use. We recommend water stones used with a honing guide to provide good control. A secondary bevel helps achieve a razor edge. Lightly rounding the corners will prevent them marking your work. After hardening and tempering, the blades are surface ground on the top and bottom to ensure flatness. This type of grinding produces a very smooth finish that needs little honing to produce a mirror surface. To advance the blade, turn the adjuster screw clockwise. It is always a good idea to finish adjusting the blade by a forward adjustment to take up backlash and prevent the blade from moving. In order to be able to adjust the blade easily, do not over-tighten the lever cap screw. A light oiling on the threaded rod and Brass adjuster and the lateral adjustment lever will keep them moving freely. Many people like the patina that Bronze gets with age and use, but if you wish to keep the finish bright a little brass polish is in order. Cherry knob and handle are finished with wiping varnish and should require no maintenance. We recommend that you carefully dry any blade and apply a light coating of Camellia oil. If you have any questions or problems regarding sharpening, please feel free to contact us. Return to Resource Center