Time to tune up the plane?

[crokett]

My kitchen counter front edge is treated with 3" wide 3/4 stained poplar. I finally got around to plugging the screw holes. It was originally stained and finished with laquer to match the bamboo floor that we did not put in. SWMBO changed her mind. so now it needs to be refinished to match the floor we have. Is it worth it to finally tune up theplane I have? Will that be any faster/neater than hand sanding? No power tools - this will be done at night after the house is asleep.

[Lonnie in Orlando]

Looks like it will be difficult to hold a plane to get a good even cut on a 3" wide vertical surface.

My personal choice would be to remove most of the old finish with lacquer thinner.

Then sand to bare wood using a hard rubber sanding block; a card scraper; and my new favorite friend ... a single-edge razor blade* as a scraper.

At that point you can see how deeply the original stain penetrated into the wood and proceed appropriately.

*(I use a ton of HF single edge razor blades for scraping. Hold a few degrees off of vertical. Scrape both directions. Toss when it is dull or nicked. Surprizingly, they last a long time. They are also good for leveling and removing dust nibs from a finish. Obviously they don't clog like sandpaper does. Another good use -- slice the plugs you put into the screw holes with a sharp chisel, then clean up any uneven spot by scraping with a razor blade. This usually won't dish out the surrounding wood like sand paper will.)

- Lonnie

[Larryl]

Lonnie,
Great tips....looks like I will be heading to HF for some single edge razor blades this weekend.

[JR]

I'd use a stripper first. It won't be helpful to use a plane on a lacquer finish. It may take off some of the stain, too.

Then you can think about planing or using some of Lonnie's tricks.

JR

[crokett]

I think I want the stain removed. I guess it depends on how far it is penetrated into the wood. I suppose I can run a test piece in the shop and take off the laquer then restain and see what color I get.

[JR]

I think I want the stain removed.

Fair enough, but the topcoat will tend to clog a plane. If you're going to tune up your plane, let it do what it does best - cut wood.

JR