The way Dan described the method of power planing then hand planing is what we found to work best. Not only did the power plane remove any unwanted undulations it also removed surface dirt that dulled the plane irons.

I'm not sure why any sanding would be required. A sharp plane cuts the wood fibers as opposed to sanding which "scratches" the wood fibers. i.e. different sizes of grits equals ever smaller scratches.

I will say that the oak's tanic acids reacted with the medal sole of the plane. Our solution, Butchers Wax, thank god for Butchers Wax! An even better solution would be a wooden soled plane. Alas alas we can't have every tool!

P Smith