Replies

1. 
   DougF | Dec 07, 2004 08:25pm | #1

   Hobbs,

   You should get no tearout unless you are using very dull cutting tools.

   Doug

2. 
   badoyn | Dec 07, 2004 09:13pm | #2

   Make sure you have sharp blades, take small bites and feed the board at a slight angle.

   Michael

3. 
   Midnight | Dec 08, 2004 04:34am | #3

   (hand tool oriented)

   Good sharp blades and patience.  Working with scrub and jack planes, shape the board by working across the grain initially, gradually flattening the high spots. Check along the length for straightness; use winding stick across the width to check for twist, remedy both by working down the indicated high spots. Start to remove the cross-grain plane marks by working down the board, with the grain.

   Switch to a jointing plane and start to work down the board, cutting with the grain, taking a shallow cut and with the throat set fairly fine. Again, you're shaving down the high spots, checking regularly for level with a good, long straight edge. If the board offers to tear out in places, study how the grain has changed direction and plane that area accordingly; skewing the plane should lessen the risk of a repeat.

   When the board is flat and twist free, switch to a smoothing plane. Set the throat really fine and take ultra light shavings (between 1&2 thou), always working with the grain. If you're lucky enough to have a nicely figured board (tiger striping for instance) finish smoothing should really bring the figure alive.

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

1. 
   yotonyb | Dec 08, 2004 10:58am | #4

   As you hand plane, face joint, or power plane a piece of quarter-sawn oak, you do have to be conscious of the grain. Tear-out can occur on the quarter-sawn face.Look at the plain-sawn edge of the piece, the side grain. You'll see the pattern formed by the growth rings, the pattern that typically forms the arching "cathedrals" on a wide plain-sawn piece of oak. Ignore that. That's not what you're looking for...You'll also see some very thin black lines. THAT'S what you're looking for. I think (I'm not positive) these black lines are the medullary rays and when you cut through them, perpindicular to the end grain (quarter sawing) you expose the ray fleck pattern characteristic of quarter-sawn oak. What they are isn't entirely important. How you interpret them...is.You want those black lines to feather away from the plane blade. At shallow angles, even a fresh set of planer blades might cause scattered chipping and tear-out on the quarter-sawn face if fed the wrong direction. Those black lines, at a steeper angle might indicate the potential for more serious tear-out if fed the wrong direction.If you're willing, you can spend some time re-sawing and planing oak at different angles of attack, quartered to rift, and parallel to highly skewed...which will teach you, with a high degree of reliability, how to make a particular quarter-sawn pattern reveal itself!tony b.