Plane sole flattening/blade sharpening materials

**Jaroslav** · 10-14-2004, 12:06 PM

I want to start tuning up my new used Stanley #7c. I've found some books/articles on how to do this sort of thing, but any advice would be appreciated anyway. I'm thinking of using the "scary sharp" method of sharpening that has been referenced elsewhere on this forum. Are there good online sources for a) the abrasives and b) a nice piece of glass big and flat enough to also be used for the sole of my new 22-inch baby?

**Sawduster** · 10-14-2004, 01:41 PM

A belated welcome to the forum.

A bit of a tall order, lots of info out there on fettling old planes, and a lot of it contradicts other of what is written. Sharpening using sandpaper eats up a lot of sandpaper, to say nothing of flattening a 22 inch long plane sole. I contend that for that much sandpaper, getting it locally through a big box store is the most economic way. Unless you are ready to make a major big order online shipping will eat you up. And the paper to use is not real special. Any wet/dry paper will do.

For doing a single plane, or even several for personal use, going to the expense of a huge granite slab is also less than economic, and a glass plate large enough for that jointer plane is overkill for general sharpening and could prove nightmarish to store safely.

So, what else could be used? If you've got a tailed jointer, chances are one of the beds is of sufficient size to handle the task of the #7. Or the cast top of a contractor or cabinet table saw. Lacking those, even a piece of mdf will do. First off, if the sole of the plane is in really bad shape, a belt sander will get you a lot closer to a nice surface a lot faster than going by hand. And in truth, you only really need to get the front end of the sole, the back end of the sole and the area immediately around the mouth of the plane coplaner. Anything past that is nice but not neccesary. Better to spend time on other aspects.

I've several planes that work very nicely with only a bit of attention to the sole, a cleaning and light touchup of the frog's bearing surfaces and adjusting its position in the bed, a cleanup of the cap iron and a really good sharpening of the iron. Beyond that, much of the work put into the effort is cosmetic for general use of the plane. If you're gonna want to use the plane for shooting miters or beveled edges, you'll need to get the sides square to the sole. Other special tasks might make other extra work needed.

**SUMOBOY** · 10-14-2004, 02:33 PM

I just talked to a car friend of mine that owns a machine shop, and he says he can flatten that puppy in about 3 minutes with the industrial heavy metal version of a drum sander. This is the type of sander that would mill a cylinder head to its final shiny, smooth, absolutely flat perfectitude before reassembling an engine. If it works for hot rods, I'm gonna see if it works for wood this weekend!