Tear-out on curly wood

[bmyers]

Working with some figured cherry wood on this kitchen I came across a neat technique when planing curly figured wood. Just before running through the planer, hit it with a damp sponge. I tried it and it works great, worth the extra effort to clean up the planer after to be sure it's dry. Don't have to soak it but dont be too shy with the water.

It made a huge difference in the cherry I was working with.

Try it!

Bill

[LCHIEN]

why does it work... Raises the grain???

[bmyers]

I don't remember if it was explained why or not. It was in a video I stumbled on that mentioned it so I gave it a try. Sometimes, even though it pains the engineer inside all of us, it's enough to know it just works..


B

[cabinetman]

With wet/damp surfaces, the wood is softer, and less likely to tear out with all the squirrelly grain directions. Some caveats. Wet wood particles will stick to the innards of the planer, and can get lodged in the DC system. Another, the wood will shrink after planing, as it dries, so, allow for further dressing if necessary.

.

[All Thumbs]

I wet problem wood with a wet towel. I don't saturate it. Then I wait about 1-2 minutes, until it looks like it is halfway dry, and THEN plane it. The extra time gives the moisture a chance to be absorbed into the fibers a bit more. The extra moisture doesn't cause any problems on the planer. And it isn't really enough to cause any movement in the wood (what moisture you're adding is planed right back off).