Bill Tindall
There is more to this flattening that just having at it. In my one time experience I wound up with a plane sole less flat than where I started. Ditto for others in our club. The leading edge abraded quicker. It took a trip to the machine shop and a surface grinder to recover. I concluded, apparently incorrectly, that it was not possible to hand lap a sole flat by rubbing it on sand paper. So what is the trick to success. I am willing to give another plane a try...cheaper than a trip to machine shop.