Reply To: Working with the lower end woods
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Like many of the other responses here I don’t think theres a lot you need to do that’s special in clear pine other than keep tools really sharp.
The knots in construction grade are a nightmare: dull tools quickly and usually lead to opposing planing directions on either side of each knot. I usually thickness with one number 4 and switch to my best, freshly sharpened, #4 to clean up tearout with a very fine set and sometimes planing into a bad knot from both sides. I usually keep to clear boards if it’s meant to be a finely finished piece; though sometimes allowing the odd knot can be nice to add character.
I do think Paul’s pine is a touch harder than the softest plantation pine. When pine is really soft, knife walls need circumspection when chiselling; but it is also easy to get a really deep knife wall, which helps!
One thing I’ve been experimenting with is filing crosscut (heresy I know!!) on one of my 12pt tenon saws (I ended up with two 12 point saws due to Ebay imprecision). I’ve found 15 degrees of fleam to make crosscuts like tenon shoulders really neat. Sounds hideous filing this way though, compared to rip filing (maybe inadequate clamping of sawplate I suppose).
One other key tip in pine is ironing out the dings using a damp towel and my wife’s laundry iron before final glue up.
Also recently I tried two coats of shellac before glue up, and that is a big winner to improve the look around any squeeze out m, as well as *much* easier sanding after the sealer coat. It never ceases to amaze me how much nicer pine looks after 4 coats of blonde shellac and some beeswax…
All the best, Andrew