I made a bench with curved tapered legs. The base of the leg was 1 3/4 inch so I needed a tall bit. i chose a CMT flush bit with a top bearing 2″ l ,1 3/4 dia., 1/2 shank. I cut the blanks 1/8″ from the line and taped  the template to the blank. I set the speed  of my table mounted P.C. 890 to 16k rpm.  The wood was soft maple. The finished faces were not as smooth as I had hoped for. I did not try to remove the entire 1/8″ but made several passes. The arc was so gentle I did not think I needed to worry about tear out from grain changes. But the CMT left some tear out and left me with a lot of sanding to do. I believe what I really need is a template bit and not a flush trim. I am looking at  a Whiteside 3019 which is 1-1/8 dia. instead of the CMT’s 3/4 dia. I am thinking the extra beef  may improve the finished cut . Am i correct? What is the proper speed for such a bit and is the P.C. 890 capable enough to cut a 1 3/4 thick blank? My second question has to do with  judging a board before commiting it to a project. I try to look at the wood carefully before cutting for faults and pleasing grain,etc. but the apron on my bench has a 3 inch wide shadow  with straight vertical lines defining the shadow. I did not notice this until I had the first coat of Gen Finishes Oil based Poly on the wood. This was a board that i planed myself and never noticed this shadow. It may be a sticker stain because it is so linear. Is it unusual for this shadow to show up only after finishing? Is there a way to precheck a board,say,with a damp rag or mineral spirits to bring out these types of hidden faults? thanx for any suggestions.