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My hand plane iron chipped halfway through a curly maple board
I was flattening a board for a small box lid last Thursday, and the edge just gave out on a knot. I had to stop and resharpen the whole thing, which took about twenty minutes. Is there a good way to spot these hidden flaws in the wood before you start cutting?
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wendyg4311d ago
Christopher's trick of feeling for hard spots is smart, but I've found curly maple's wild grain can hide flaws even from your fingers. I like what @ellis.leo said about listening, so I combine both and tap the board lightly with a screwdriver handle to hear for dead spots. That extra step has saved my blades a few times.
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ellis.leo11d ago
My grandpa's old shop had a saying: "The wood tells you, but only if you listen." He'd tap the board with a knuckle and swear he could hear the grain change.
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christopher94311d ago
Oh man, that's the worst. I had the same thing happen with a piece of walnut last month. I started running a plane over what looked like clear grain and hit a tiny, hidden piece of grit or something. It sounded awful and put a huge nick in the blade. Now I try to run my fingers over the board first, feeling for any hard spots or changes in texture, especially around knots. It's not perfect, but it helps catch some of the surprises. Do you find curly maple is more likely to have those hidden tough spots?
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