this is helpful, Jerry. Thanks. In the past up until recently, I would lap the hand plane soles and sides on plate glass and wet/dry paper - working up if needed from 220 to 1000 grit. Its labor intensive and elbow grease heavy - (but therapeutic restoring old things)- but the sole and sides are flat, as well as the plane irons...and they look great. Using a fine and medum wire wheel will help speed this along now. Think I I'll go to the 8"; no sense grinding with a 10" when an 8" will do just fine.
Recommend a good source for Medium and FIne wire wheels? - 5/8" arbor 8" wheel - does anyone have preferred source?
(in time - I may purchase a 6" grinder for the reasons you specified)
This guy was given to me last week in a solid state of brown rust, spattered paint, and light pitting and sitting in a bucket with dirt and debris. It's a 1940's No. 5 1/4. They were made for small hands - as a small jack plane - probably for school sytem wood working classes back in the dark ages when classes were offered and kids would actually be able to lift a tool and learn how to make a wood box. Not rare, but unsual. Funny, I can relate - being...rare and mostly unusal. My oldest plane dates to 1858. I collect the earliest Type 1(1858-1867 ) and Type 3 only produced in 1872 early 1873 - for one year before casting and adjustment controls were changed. My 1946 truck will have a Stanley logo on it - or my Grandfather's long tme family business meat packing plant in downtown Cleveland - 'Haberman Meats" that went out of business when supermarkets came into fashion after the war.
(Editorial - my comment about the dark ages is about the loss of trade skills and industrial arts classes in the area schools here, and being replaced with other curriculum and classes. Comment is not about kids).
