Lie-Nielsen bench plane #3 bronze

The design of this No. 3 bench plane is based on the Stanley Bedrock-style planes. The frog of this type of plane is unique. At the rear of the plane, there are three screws. By adjusting these screws, you can move the frog forward or backward without removing the blade and cap iron. This allows you to increase or decrease the mouth opening. If you often plane hardwood, it can be useful to increase the planing angle as well. The 45° frog of the No. 3 can easily be replaced with a frog angled at 50° or 55°.

The blade of the No. 3 is made of A2 steel, hardened to Rockwell 60–62 (HRC) and ground at a 25° angle. The blade is perfectly sharpened and ready to use right out of the box. The No. 3 is used with the blade bevel-down. It is also possible to apply a secondary (micro) bevel of 5 or 10 degrees. This improves the cutting performance and increases edge durability when used on hardwood.

You adjust the blade depth using the knob at the rear of the plane. Always finish depth adjustments with a forward turn to ensure the blade is properly secured. If you have difficulty adjusting the depth, check whether the cap iron screw is too tight.

The body of the No. 3 is made of bronze, giving it a warm appearance and excellent grip. The No. 3 is available in two versions: manganese bronze and ductile iron. Ductile is slightly more prone to rust than manganese bronze, but ductile iron is a harder material than bronze. The handle and knob are made of cherry wood.