Warping

[Rod Upfold]

Throughout the year...wood expands, contracts and do other funny things.

People flatten the soles of their metal hand planes to get them flat. Do the people with wooden and transitional planes have to worry about moisture and the sole not staying flat throughout the year?

[Dave Anderson NH]

It can be a problem Rod. If the plane is a good one, it usually won't warp if the wood is quartersawn and properly conditioned before the plane was made. Sometimes though the wood will move just enough that the sole goes a bit out of flat. On my woodies I don't do any sanding of the sole or make any other adjustments unless the plane won't perform properly. Sanding the sole is a last resort because once removed, you obviously can't add the wood back without laminating on a layer or cutting in a patch.

On my 4 year old Clark & Williams 55 degree smoother I've flattened the sole only once and it only took about a dozen slides back and forth on the 220 grit to get it back into shape. I then went to 400 grit and rewaxed the sole and I was back in business. Total elapsed time was less than 5 minutes. My Knight 50 degree smoother has never had the sole touched.

Disclosure statement: I dehumidify the shop from April thru October as needed and keep it between 30 and 50 percent relative humidity. In the winter when the wood stove is running I keep a pot of water on top to humidify, but even with that it's hard to get the humidity above 35%.

[Alan Turner]

I ahve an HNT Gordon, and do have to flatten it from time to time, but just a bit.

[Rod Upfold]

Thank you for replying to my question.


Rod