Synopsis: If your smoothing plane leaves ridges on the surface of your workpiece, even after meticulous sharpening, try adding a slight arc to the cutting edge of the blade, called a crown or camber. Chris Gochnour adds a camber when honing, applying different degrees of pressure to achieve a uniform arc across the cutting edge. This comes in handy for all smoothing planes that are intended to give a final polish to a wood surface, and also excels when cleaning up dovetails and flushing door frames after glue-up. Once you learn this technique, tracks and ridges will be a thing of the past.

From Fine Woodworking #222

A smoothing plane can perfect a surface like no other tool, with a glossy smooth, light-reflecting sheen that brings out the inner beauty of the wood. But I’ve heard from many woodworkers who complain that their planes leave visible ridges in the surface, even after meticulous sharpening.

These defects, known as tracks, can be removed with sandpaper or scrapers, but a better option is to avoid creating them in the first place. You can try readjusting the blade laterally and taking lighter cuts. But often the best option is to add a slight arc to the cutting edge of the blade, called a crown or camber.

I add the camber while honing, applying different degrees of pressure to achieve a uniform arc across the cutting edge (see p. 30). This slight camber is suitable for all smoothing planes that are intended to give the final polish to a wood surface, including board edges, ends, and faces. A cambered blade also excels for tasks like cleaning up dovetails and flushing door frames after glue-up.

When a cambered smoothing plane is sharpened and set up correctly, it leaves a surface so smooth and so flawless that a finish often can be applied right after planing. The one exception would be a high-gloss tabletop where the reflective quality of the surface is extremely revealing and will show any undulations left by the plane, however slight. In cases like this, it is advisable to scrape and sand the surface after planing.

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