Reply To: Hand planing cherry stiles and rails
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is it quite normal to have to plane one stock face, with reversing fibers, from both ends (opposite planing versus)? I mean that some times I am not able to obtain a good surface, planing all the stock lenght following one direction. I have to reverse planing direction where there was a branch. Or is it more an issue of not enough experience?[/blockquote]
Is it quite normal? It depends. It is quite normal if you choose challenging boards, use challenging woods or even if the grain isn’t straight. If you choose straight-grained, non-figured stock, it’s abnormal (but will still happen if you plane in the wrong direction). As you watch more and more of Paul’s videos, and get more experience, you’ll get a better sense of what the grain patterns are telling you.
I just finished a project with some very curly cherry, and getting it planed with no tearout was a big challenge. My wife called the grain pattern “party cherry” because it reminded her of streamers and confetti. If you have also chosen some curly cherry, or just some lower-grade stuff with knots and other defects, you might well have a tough time.
Until your skills have a chance to come up a bit, maybe give yourself a break and avoid crazy jungle woods, highly figured woods, knots and pretty much everything except dead straight-grained, clear stock. It will reduce the number of variables you have to juggle at once, and be a bit more forgiving.
If your cherry board looks like this, run away: