This small gem of a plane is another quality product from Lie-Nielsen. It was the smallest low-angle block plane we’ve reviewed, but it had plenty of punch. The plane is made from cast bronze, which apart from looking nice and feeling good in the hand, adds weight to the tool, enhancing its performance.

This plane has a sizable, precisely machined bed that supports a thick blade. The bed mass and blade thickness help eliminate chatter. The blade is further stabilized by a notched lever cap that is secured to the body with a steel cross pin and a tensioning wheel. Setup and adjustment are easy, but the plane has no throat adjustment. Except for honing the blade, the tool was ready to go right out of the box.

This plane’s solid construction resulted in a solid performance with each application. Depending on the type of work you do, the plane’s size can be an advantage or a disadvantage. It fits comfortably into the palm of a hand, making one-handed use a breeze. Two-handed planing is trickier because of the small size and the absence of a front knob. This plane will excel in situations where small, detailed work is required. But for more demanding tasks, some people may prefer a larger tool.

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