Lie Nielsen No. 102 block plane
#21
The flange on the adjusting nut rides in a groove in the back of the blade...I'm sure you know that already.  That is a metal-to-metal contact area that needs to be clean and lubed.  Don't crank the tension wheel down too tight because it puts strong resistance on the movement of the blade.  If there is no burr or chip the the blade groove or on the flange of the adjuster, the tension wheel is just over-tight.  I hate to see you send it back and have them say its ok.

Edit: Also run the adjuster nut up and down the threaded stud to see if it's smooth.
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#22
I was thinking that Derek posted an available upgrade once....   It might be this one, although this one doesn't list the 102/103 planes specifically:

https://www.henryeckert.com/index.php?ro...ct_id=1039
Chris
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#23
I wrote to Eckert Tools to ask if the Howard adjuster fits the LN 102. It doesn't.
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#24
Several years ago, I had the same or very similar issue with brand new No.102.
In order to advance the blade I needed to loosen cap more and more. The blade just refused to move smoothly.
I decided to send the plane back and customer service agreed with me it was defective.
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#25
Maybe I'll do that. I wrote to LN a couple days ago, describing the problem, but didn't get a reply. I expected LN's customer service to be better.
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#26
something went wrong. I got a same day reply last week. They don't blow off emails. Heck, I wrote them a thank you email when everything got resolved and they sent me a same day reply to that, too.
If you're gonna be one, be a Big Red One.
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#27
[quote='overland' pid='7415829' dateline='1484232635']
I just bought a used LN 102 block plane. I'm having trouble with the Norris-style blade adjusting mechanism. It's seems quite rough and and hard to use. It's not smooth at all, compared to, e.g., the adjuster on my larger LV block plane. Does anyone have experience with the LIN 102? I'm not sure what to do. Maybe that's just the way it is with this little guy. In any case it's rather disappointing, given my experience with other LN planes. I wasn't expecting it.
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LN had a problem with that adjuster when they first put that plane on the market...I had the same problem with mine..it was binding and extremely hard to adjust.......I suggest calling LN and ask them about it...IIRC, they sent me another adjustment screw and that solved the problem...This was probably ten years ago....and I don't remember if it was a machining problem or the type of steel they used for the screw...They are handy little planes!!!
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
Upset





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#28
Here's an update. I sent my 102 back to Lie-Nielsen. Customer Service had told me that the problem was the metal in the iron at the point where there's a recess to accept the flange of the adjusting screw. It said the problem could be fixed by "annealing" the blade at that point. I'm not sure what that entails, but I just got the plane back. It does work better than it did. The adjustment is indeed smoother. But it's no better than on my old Stanley 60 1/2, which works pretty well, and not as smooth as on my Veritas block plane. The LN 102 is a nice little plane, to be sure--and the bronze won't rust--but it's the first LN plane I've encountered that didn't work better than the alternatives. That's disappointing.
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#29
"The LN 102 is a nice little plane, to be sure--and the bronze won't rust--but it's the first LN plane I've encountered that didn't work better than the alternatives. That's disappointing."

That is sad to hear. Even though mine has a small blade--my only complaint--it is still my favored block. Of course, a lot of the preference is feel, comfort in hand. 
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#30
(01-26-2017, 11:31 AM)jstawz1 Wrote: I had the same problem with my lie Nielsen low angle block plane. It was about a year old and the Norris adjuster was very rough..

Does Lie-Nielsen use Norris adjusters now?  I thought they just used threaded adjusters with no lateral movement.
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