Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 05, 2006 04:30pm | #1

   I guess the first question is faster than what? 

   In general, budget planes should mean pre-WWII Stanley Bailey planes and Stanley block and specialty planes.  These will tune up to be nicer than any of the contemporary versions short of the more expensive Lie Nielsen and Lee Valley.  There are other alternatives, but the Stanley planes will offer a good selection without having to first acquire lots of specialty knowledge. 

    

1. 
   towsie | Apr 05, 2006 08:30pm | #2

   Cheers for the advice steve. You'll be cheered to know that i have since bitten the bullet & shelled out some proper money (revenue gained from turning planks of wood into sawdust and selling it as bedding to my local pets at home) on a georgeous 355mm Bailley, which is trueing up nicely on some silicon carb paper atop some 10mm float glass. (seems to work quicker not using water/oil) .once againe thanks for your time.

2. 
   murphreejz | Apr 05, 2006 09:11pm | #3

   If you have acquired several planes that need serious flattening many machine shops will gladly flatten the soles for a nominal fee. They can also re-square an out of true shoulder or miter plane.

1. 
   gb93433 | Apr 06, 2006 05:41am | #4

   I just use a piece of sanding belt on top of a table saw or jointer. You could also use a thick piece of glass.

1. 
   Archibald | Apr 10, 2006 02:33am | #5

   I have been reading that diamond pastes offer very speedy sharpening. Has anyone attempted lapping plane soles with these products?

1. 
   QCInspector | Apr 10, 2006 04:15am | #6

   I tried to lap a sole with either aluminium oxide / silicon carbide powder (don't remember which) that I bought from a Lapidary (rock shop) supplier. But I made a mistake because I had a machinist flatten a piece of hard steel for the lapping plate. The abrasive and oil wouldn't "bite" into it so it stuck to the sole of the plane instead and was working in reverse. I resorted to sandpaper on the tablesaw to finish the job. If you are going to lap with paste or powders make sure the plate is soft steel or aluminium. As to the diamond paste I would reserve it for the lapping the backs of plane blades and chisels.