Reply To: Sole of hand plane gums up
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I don’t think you should use water to wet the plane and probably shouldn’t be using sandpaper either, unless you are trying to flatten the sole. If you are getting gummed up, use mineral spirits to clean it.
As to why it is getting gummed up, I haven’t a clue. Three in 1 oil will not get gummy, but mineral oil might. Have you tried this on different woods? Maybe the wood you are planing has something in or on it.
You said that shavings are getting trapped under the sole 0 this might be a clue that something is not adjusted quite right. There are many things to check here, but a few follow: Need to make sure the sole is flat and the blade is properly adjusted. Make sure there is no gap between the cap iron and blade when they are screwed together. Make sure the frog is adjusted so that the mouth opening is not too large o small for the shavings you are trying to take. If smoothing with light shavings, the mouth opening should be small; if making heavy passes, a (slightly) larger opening is required.
Wish I could see what’s happening to give better input. Try different things to see what changes. Good luck.