surface plates on sale at Woodcraft

[Tom King]

This is almost a mandatory requirement for someone who really uses hand planes and chisels.

 

With one of these, and a few sleeves of wet-or-dry sandpaper, it will raise your ability to tune planes, flatten iron and chisel backs, and flatten water stones to the highest level.  I can't think of a single thing that has raised my sharpening level anything like a surface plate has.

 

These are about as cheap as they get.  They are also a little thinner than you normally see, but that just helps on normally high shipping costs.  This one is $7.50 shipping to me.

 

I have a couple already, but I'm getting one of these to keep the Diamond Lapping Film on, ready to go.

 

This is not large enough to do long planes on, the best, but it's the one for small planes, iron and chisel backs, and water stones.

 

They have a couple of other sizes, but only this one and the next size up on sale right now.

 

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004864/7535/Granite-Surface-Plate-9-x-12-x-2-A-Grade.aspx

[Tpt life]

Thanks Tom

[wdwerker]

Thick plate glass and granite countertops are extremely flat. Flat enough for the purposes of woodworking. Scraps can be had cheap or free , just ask a local shop. Granite slabs often leave nice size chunks when they cut kitchen counters.

[mikem]

I bought that same granite block, and it gets quite a bit of use in my shop.  I have used it for all the uses described in the OP.

[Tom King]

I've used granite counter scraps for a good while, until the last one finally got broken.  Community Forklift, in Maryland is a good source for remnants.  I'm a long way away from any fabricator.  Also, the surface of the remnants and glass is slick. You have to glue sandpaper to it.  Something about the surface finish on a surface plate clings wet-or-dry in place good enough without having to do anything but splash a little water on it.  It makes changing grits a snap.

 

I've been shopping on ebay, trying to find a cheap one for the PSA diamond lapping film to stay on, but shipping is always a killer.  This serves the purpose wonderfully for all four grits to stay on until one needs replacing, and is 33 bucks to get the UPS guy to leave one on my front porch.