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Alan Turner
09-21-2003, 6:58 PM
I recently acquired a Stanley No. 7, and while the base is not too far out of flat, it needs a bit of work. Being lazy, I was wondering if I could flatten it, at least for the first pass, on a 6/89 belt sander, running either 220 grit, or 120 zirconium alumna. If so, this would save condierable effort and time. Has anyone tried this? My belts are edge joined, not overlap joined.
Thanks for the help.
Alan

Dave Anderson NH
09-21-2003, 10:18 PM
Alan- I know some folks who have flattened the soles of their planes on a stationary belt sander. Results have been mixed both from different users and from different planes by the same user. It is possible to remove a lot of metal very quickly and this is not always a good thing. The concerns are getting it level on the surface and applying equal pressure over the whole sole. If you have any doubts about being able to do this it might be best to go the slower route of lapping with lapping compound or sandpaper on a pice of plate glass, a granite block, or a flat piece of Corian. Summary- it's risky and results vary based on machine, luck and user skill.

Alan Turner
09-22-2003, 8:14 AM
Dave,
Based on your comments, I will get out the ZA and 3M 77 and head for the jointer table, unless others who post before I get to it have had better success. What's a couple of hours of boring work? Based on a comment here on "scary" I got some 220 ZA from Supergrit, and I had not previously been able to find ZA in finer than 120 grit. However, it is paper backed, and not water or solvent resistant, so it will be a dry rub job.
Hope the ref. to a corded jointer does not get me thrown out of the Neanderthal forum. It is from about 1925, however, so hopefully it will not count against me.
Alan