Replies

1. 
   notDusty | Apr 01, 2004 05:01pm | #1

                          Hi Jim ,

           The grain in Ash switches back and forth and in between every which a way . Ash is not an easy wood to machine and plane . If you are talking about face planning , try the surfaces of each board before you glue them up . When you find out what direction they want to go,glue them up with the correct direction. Maybe you can cut the one apart and re orient them .

                          good luck                         dusty

2. 
   WayneL5 | Apr 02, 2004 12:32am | #2

   I haven't done much of it yet, so I'm not an expert, but the easiest way for me to judge the grain on the face of a board is to look at the two edges.

3. 
   BobSmalser | Apr 02, 2004 12:34am | #3

   http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?threadid=7528

   Read my article on the drawknife.

   “When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.

1. 
   AlbionWood | Apr 02, 2004 01:19am | #4

   That is a great post, Bob, and extremely well illustrated.  (Just what I need, another forum to read!)

   Face-planing is even trickier than edge-beveling, as the grain can run out in all directions.  Chasing it around with the plane is frustrating, and I usually still end up with some tearout to clean up with a scraper. 

   As Dusty said, ash is particularly bad about grain reversals.  It also tears out easily, much worse than oak in my experience.  While I am usually a big fan of surfacing with a plane, flatsawn ash is one wood where the sander is sometimes the better tool.  (Much as I hate to admit it.)  Going over it with a scraper after sanding leaves a surface almost as good as the plane, without the tearout.   "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net