Do you get tear-outs when planing cherry?
Asher F.
>Good morning everyone,
Some time ago we had a discussion here about getting tear-outs when planning cherry with mixed grain direction ("Why plane irons are so thin?").
My 4 1/2 Stanley was originally flattened on the top of my cabinet saw. Its chip breaker was grinded razor-sharp up and set tight against the blade. The original Stanley blade had 25 degrees bevel and it was sharpened on 1000/4000 waterstone using vise-type honing guide. The mouth of the plane was set at about 1/64th � And I was getting tear-outs.
So I checked the soul for flatness again and it appeared flat. However, closer examination revealed that I had a small gap just passed the blade. Recently I was able get my hands on a piece of stone countertop, so I re-flattened the soul. In addition, as a small upgrade I got a new blade and chip breaker from Hock Tools.
Since my waterstones are not wide enough to accommodate the 2 3/8" wide blades, I ended up honing my new blade by hand � hey, with the right techniques it�s not so difficult after all :)
I put final touches on the blade, adjusted the mouth to a bit less then 1/64th" and � Shavings are so thin, I can see through them, and absolutely NO tear-outs!
Bottom line:
1. Flatten the plane�s soul (perhaps most important of all).
2. Invest in good blade and chip breaker.
3. Sharpen the blade and adjust mouth opening.
Happy woodworking!
Asher