Plane sole flattening consideration : plane flex
Hi,
Just posting something obivious, but took me a very long time to realize.
When flattening a plane sole, you just don’t go over belt belt sander or sandpaper all over : that would be ok if you were to equalize the surface, remove high spot all over, but still not flatten.
A point mentioned everywhere is the banana shape, which is to be cautious about, but I did not have that situation.
But with a convex shape (like a bridge) you would not simply rock the plane over sandpaper because that is going to flex the plane (say a joiner plane) and still take forever. You could do it unless very cautious to not flex the plane and have a very low grip.
I’m taking the layout fluid route and only remove material were it needs to be. Should get there faster, hopefully.
Like other said, if you count the time taken, it’s probably cheaper to buy new ones from Lee valley, but it’s personal now.
Hope that could help someone.
Jean-Michel
Quebec, Qc
Replies
The only planes you really need to flatten are your smooth planes like a No 3 or 4. No 5's and to some extent No 7 and 8 jointers don't need to be perfectly flattened. As long as the back of the bed, the back of the mouth, the front of the mouth, and the front of the bed are all within the same plain, you're good to go.
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