All About The Lie Nielsen No 102 Low Angle Block Plane

The No. 102 low-angle block plane that made its debut in the 1877 catalog of Stanley Rule & Level Co. was a 5 1/2-inch-long, all-steel tool designed to slice through tough end grain, such as butcher blocks.

All About the No. 102 Low-Angle Block Plane

But carpenters found that the palm-size No. 102 neatly fit in a tool belt, and put it to use trimming cabinet doors, shaving shingles, scribe-fitting baseboards, and fine-tuning miters. Stanley made its last No. 102 in 1962. Twenty-five years later, in 1987, Lie-Nielsen Toolworks issued an upgraded version with a cap iron and body made of rustproof manganese bronze, a stainless-steel blade-depth adjustment with fine micrometer threads, and a 1⁄8-inch blade—twice as thick as the original—for vibration-free cutting. The result: a handy, portable plane that makes shavings just .008 to .010 inch thick right out of the box.

How to Adjust it


When the blade gets dull, it has to be taken out, sharpened, then put back in and realigned. To do that:

How to Use a Hand Planer

Is the Blade Sharp Enough?

Tom takes his out of the plane, and holding it vertically, rests its edge on his thumbnail, tilted down. If the blade sticks to his nail, it’s sharp enough for the next job. If it slides off, he holds its bevel flat against a 1,000-grit sharpening stone and gives the blade a quick honing.

Three Ways to Work This Plane

Big planes require two hands. But small block planes offer more flexibility. With all the grips here, skew the plane slightly as you push or pull it along the workpiece. This effectively lowers the angle of the blade, making for a smoother cut.