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Pits in the sole of a hand plane - is it okay?

  • 17 Mar 2023 6:40 PM
    Reply # 13135883 on 12986201

    Ken said exactly what I was going to! I have a No. 5 with a corrugated sole and it works just fine, hard to tell but I think it reduces some weight and friction so it's a bit easier to use. I have used JB Weld before to cover up some bad pitting on a No. 4 but it was almost entirely cosmetic.

  • 13 Nov 2022 9:24 AM
    Reply # 12987626 on 12986201
    Ken R Hall (Administrator)

    Pits in  the sole are not a functional problem. Remember Stanley made many planes with grooves going the length of the sole.  Flat at  the heel and toe and around the mouth is  the most important part of a flat sole.


  • 11 Nov 2022 10:57 AM
    Message # 12986201

    Hi there,

    This is a picture of the sole of a Vaughan & Bushnell #904 hand plane from the 1920's. I've been flattening said plane with some 120-grit sandpaper on a marble slab. It's flat, but there are these pits in the metal from years of sitting around in a garage in Florida.

    My question to the experts is: Do I need to keep removing material until those pits are gone? Or is it "good enough" to be a worker with the pits in place ?

    Thanks for the feedback!

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