Thread: Sandpaper recommendations for flattening planes

Colour Coded Grit. A few sources, Google will find them for you. It's cloth backed and strong. Available in 100mm wide or 300mm wide rolls.

Cheers mate, the 100mm rolls look reasonably priced so I'll probably go with those. Will report back if I order some.

You really only need 80 grit, anything above that is unnecessary for performance, and may even may the plane stick to the wood a little more. The sole only has to be flat, not polished.

Mind you, it doesn't hurt to have a good range of abrasives around in good strong cloth.

Alternately find someone with a surface grinder, I have my own and it sure beats wet and dry

Honestly, I used to use the timber-specific, yellow rolls from Bunnings and I had great results. I'd use 80 grit and I could flatten a No. 4 in less than 5 minutes, and a No. 7 in around 20.

I'm sorry you've had such poor results. I can't really imagine what the fundamental difference between our methods would be.

Good luck,
Luke

Cheers Luke, I have a feeling I might have been using too light a grit when I was using the yellow stuff from Bunnings. Probably worth trying something new anyway, I havent really explored other sandpaper brands yet.

Norton do decent abrasives for metal, but most aluminium oxide papers should do the job.

I've had several bad experiences with various Hermes abrasives and would sooner use the box it comes in than the sandpaper itself.

Originally Posted by bueller

I've got a number of planes that I want to flatten but I've been putting it off because I'm sick of using the horrid sandpaper from Bunnings. Can anyone recommend a decent brand from Sandpaper Man? Something that comes in a roll preferably.

I think I remember someone saying Hermes was good but I couldn't find it by the roll.

The absolute best sandpaper for lapping planes is Trizact, which is available here. I'd get 120 grit. Do not go lower than that (e.g. 80 grit) as the scratches will be very deep and require extra work to remove. I double up on grits, so the next would be 240. That is fine to stop at - the sole will burnish as you use it. Otherwise use 400. The 240 and 400 can be wet and dry from Bunnings. Always glue all sandpaper to glass (use poster spray contact).

Regards from Perth

Derek

Last week I watched a uTube clip on plane restoration. The resident expert clamped a belt sander in a vise and turned it on. Despite my yelling at the monitor he did all the surfaces of a previously very good condition WWII period Stanley #2 until they were nice and shiny. Please, don't be 'that guy'.

Originally Posted by Groggy

Last week I watched a uTube clip on plane restoration. The resident expert clamped a belt sander in a vise and turned it on. Despite my yelling at the monitor he did all the surfaces of a previously very good condition WWII period Stanley #2 ......

!!! Are there really people with such insensitivity?!

Of course, I know all too well that there are. I have given myself a bad case of RSI often enough re-flattening the backs of chisels that have been 'cleaned up' on a linisher or (worse), the side of a grinding wheel.....

Cheers,

Hi,
see if you can find some Norton Zirconia sandpaper. This is used for smoothing stainless steel so it has no problem with flattening plane soles and stays sharp for a long time.
I have 120 grit secured temporarily wit 3M photo mounting spray on plate glass. When the sandpaper gets clogged, I just vacuum it clean with my workshop vacuum cleaner.