Custom fence

Custom fence indeed. Turns out that the included stock fence cannot reach all the way across the sole of the plane. And why should it? What is the benefit of a fence covering the entire sole, you might ask?

The supplied wooden fence is 8mm (⁵/₁₆”) thick. The fence holder stops 27 mm (1 ¹/₁₆”) from the edge, so the narrowest rebate you can make with the stock fence is 19mm (³/₄”).

What if you need a, say 4mm (⁵/₃₂”) rebate? Can’t do that with the stock fence. So I dove into the bin of disappointment and self-loathing again, and emerged with a lovely little piece of quarter sawn white oak. Two 10mm (³/₈”) holes stopped a few mm from going all the way through, and a 4mm (⁵/₃₂”) hole for the screws. Job’s a good’un!

Here’s a shot from the bottom. It looks kinda ridiculous, but boy does it work!

As I said, I needed a 4mm (⁵/₃₂”) rebate. Setup was a breeze: set the caliper to the desired width, butt it against the side of the plane and slide the fence until it touches the depth gauge on the caliper. Twist the wheel, and bob’s your uncle.

Here’s a beauty shot of the plane with my DIY fence. I could shape it more and make it look posh, perhaps also give it a coat of Osmo hard wax oil. Or just leave it. It is a tool. Or part of one.

The fact that one could make any sort of fence needed for the plane, is perhaps one of its best features. An angled fence for big chamfers on table top edges, or perhaps for planing tails for sliding dovetails? Lots of options here.

I ran the plane along the end grain edge with the wheel engaged, and here’s the result:

I then planed the rebate until I could fit the panel into the receiving dado. Rinse and repeat for the other sides (I did the end grain sides first), and here’s the result: A 4mm (⁵/₃₂”) wide rebate, 1-2mm deep (^3-5/₆₄”). This took me a couple of minutes to do – show me the power tool that can beat this!

Also, setting the plane for a very light cut and closing up the throat meant that I could go against the grain without any tearout. The panel is made from white oak, which can be a bit of a bear when you go against the grain.

How would a power tool user do this? The table saw might be the simplest solution, provided the fence has micro adjustment capabilities. Another option would be a router in a router table. Either way, using the hand plane was both quick and easy. And I could listen to some delightful tunes on my sound system while I worked.

Final verdict and conclusion

I am in no way a tool snob, but this plane has certainly proved its worth many times over. It is a very versatile plane that works wonderfully, almost ready to go straight out of the box (technically it was ready to go out of the box, but it was not as sharp as it can be).

You need to spend some time setting the plane up for the first time – getting the extreme pointy end to extend beyond the side of the plane by “just the finest whisper of cinnamon“, then getting the wheel aligned – which is easily done by registering a steel ruler against the wheel, adjusting it until the ruler kisses the cinnamon – I mean, the tip of the iron – and at the same time is registered on both sides of the wheel itself.

The iron also needs a bit of love on the strop before it is ready to do serious work. I would also recommend getting the “skew guide”Skew Registration Jig for Veritas Mk.II Honing Guide System” if you have that system (it is really, really great!). While not really necessary, it certainly makes sharpening up a skewed blade a lot easier.

The overall fit and finish of the plane is superb. I have not found anything to criticize; everything looks and feels perfect. Given the price, which is not cheap, I would expect nothing less from a premium brand.

I have read several user reviews that compares the Lie-Nielsen 140 with the Veritas skew block plane, and here’s a summary of what people are saying:

Feature	Veritas	Lie-Nielsen
Blade Adjustment	Norris-style, precise, repeatable	Manual, traditional
Fence & Depth Stop	Fully adjustable, optional	Basic fence, no depth stop
Ergonomics	Modern, grippy	Classic, warm, slightly smoother
Learning Curve	Lower, more forgiving	Steeper, rewards experience
Tearout control	Adjustable throat*	None*

*There are ways to control tearout without an adjustable throat. Since these are bevel up planes, you could grind a steeper edge on the blade. You could also grab a wad of shavings and stuff them down the throat, applying moderate pressure when planing (works wonders on bevel down planes as well).

I would have to agree to all of these points, with the caveat that I have not held a Lie-Nielsen 140 in my own hands. I do however own a bronze tool from Lie-Nielsen, so I am not completely ignorant. Lie-Nielsen is a premium brand that produces excellent tools, but it is very clear that Veritas has an edge when it comes to innovation. Lie-Nielsen takes old Stanley designs and refines them somewhat (mostly beefing them up) and fettles the products to a high degree. Let it be said that the machining and tolerances on Lie-Nielsen is miles better than anything from Stanley. You would not regret getting a Lie-Nielsen No. 140, but my recommendation is to get the Veritas skew block plane with a PMV-11 blade.

The plane has demonstrated its worth to such a degree that I am going to invest in a low angle, bevel up plane – and that will have the brand “Veritas” on it. In my experience, Veritas delivers tools of a superb quality. They should be among the top three brands any woodworker should consider.

A special shootout to Ken Werner for his review of this plane vs LN 140 over on the Sawmill Creek forums. The thread is from 2010, but it is still relevant.

I purchased this hand plane with my own money. I did receive a good price from a Norwegian reseller in exchange for some “in use” photos and a Norwegian version of this review. Since the language on my blog is English, a Norwegian version of this review means double the work.

All opinions and conclusions in my reviews are entirely my own and genuinely reflect my experience. A good deal doesn’t buy a positive review—if something turns out to be poor quality, I’ll say so.
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Thank you for reading. If you are in the market for such a plane, I hope I have skewed your views a bit…