Reply To: Plane Sole Flattening on a Woodriver#7
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Most plane bodies are cast (a few are forged). Regardless I wouldn’t hammer the side as ATMO it’s the wrong tool for the job. I can expound if anyone is curious.
Questions:
1 How is the sole concave? Is it cupped? Bowed? By how much?
2 How out of square are the sides?
3 How often do you test the plane and how consistent are your testing procedures? Have you tested your test standards?
Significant wear in two years, with anything less than full time use, suggests that the steel of the plane body is very soft. I wouldn’t expect this wear in a wooden plane over two years, so it’s worth checking all of these points before taking on the hard yak of flattening a big plane.
Cupping isn’t generally a problem with a jointer. A jointer is almost always used on stock narrower than the plane. This is why they can develop a cup. Typically this is harmless in use; one just adjusts where to set the plane for the cut they want.
A bow can be a real problem, if it’s a single curve. If the mouth (front and back) front of toe and back of base form a plane (and high everywhere else) you should still see good results. If you have one big curve, flattening is called for.
As noted by others, the lateral adjuster can compensate on a shooting board. Moreover, only one side needs be square on a shooting board(depending on whether you are right or left handed).
More importantly, are you using it to shoot? That’s a very big plane for shooting, although there are circumstances where it’s the appropriate tool.
Hope this helps
Rick