Hi All,
I’ve got the Lie-Nielson small shoulder plane, which I’ve just started to use for some rabbets. Beautiful piece of metal. But, I’ve noticed that the iron is a smidge (<1/32″) wider than the body. Is there a reason for this, or can I safely bring it down to be equal to the body width?
Replies
The iron of a shoulder plane needs to be slightly wider than the body. You need clearance on the sides if you want a back wall of a rabbet that's 90º to the floor of the rabbet. If you don't have enough clearance the plane will leave a back wall that's wider at the top than the bottom. You also need to make sure the sides of the iron don't take a scraping cut. If they do, the plane will slowly move into the back wall and move it past any intended location.
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