How to recover from hand plane tearout?

[tsd]

All right you neanders, a little help please. I can get a stunning surface with my smoother, but I don't know how to deal with the tearout problem. It only takes one unfortunate swipe to take a divot that's, say, 1/16th deep. What do you do to make the area smooth again?

If time were no object, I suppose I could take the WHOLE BOARD down by 1/16th (oh, the pain). Alternatively, I could scrape around the area, but there are two problems with that: the board is then dished instead of flat, and I don't get the glassy finish I get with the smoother (maybe a technique problem?). What do YOU do when tearout rears its ugly head?

Help, because I'm about to take a sander to it.

-Tom

[Mike G]

While I am not a neander I'm also not unfamiliar with using a hand plane. First thing I would do is avoid tear out when doing a surface for finishing by keeping the blade especially sharp, keeping the throat very small, making very shallow cuts, and holding the plane at a slight angle to the grain so it slices instead of cutting.

Should that fail there are some options short of taking the whole surface down. Most depend on the severity of the tear out and with what and how the piece is going to be finished (stain or no stain, oil, or surface finish).

You can put in a Dutchman, you can use a wood filler, you can build up the area with a clear pore filler, or you can add and cut back finish until the tear out is filled.

As with most things in woodworking the best solution is usually the one that is the most work. That, in this case, means a Dutchman.

[Swingman]

A plug or inlay replacing the damaged part. Tip: practice on scrap first ... DAMHIKT.

[Mike G]

As swingman stated it is an inlay of appropriately grained scrap.

It is best to avoid making it square since the cross grain mating interface will really show up.

Best configuration is an elongated diamond with the long points aligned with the grain. This kind of patch/inlay, when done correctly, is almost invisible.

Then again you can go the other way and make it a decorative patch with contrasting wood. Commonly seen as the butterfly that is the rage lately.

An innovation, the decorative bit, I believe, of the late George Nakojima (sorry if the spelling is wrong there)

[Jeff Gorman]

"tsd" wrote

: All right you neanders, a little help please. I can get a stunning : surface with my smoother, but I don't know how to deal with the : tearout problem. It only takes one unfortunate swipe to take a : divot that's, say, 1/16th deep. What do you do to make the area : smooth again? : : If time were no object, I suppose I could take the WHOLE BOARD down : by 1/16th (oh, the pain). Alternatively, I could scrape around the : area, but there are two problems with that: the board is then dished : instead of flat, and I don't get the glassy finish I get with the : smoother (maybe a technique problem?). What do YOU do when tearout : rears its ugly head? : : Help, because I'm about to take a sander to it.

This might well be the answer, but Tom has effectively demonstrated that prevention is better than cure.

He might find some help on my web site, looking at 'Planing Notes' and then 'Coping With Gnarly Grain'.

Jeff G

-- Jeff Gorman, West Yorkshire, UK Email address is username@ISP username is amgron ISP is clara.co.uk Website

[Griz]

Dear Tom:

I responded through the fog, the PROFOUND fog of a colossal brain-fart while ago per your problem of the tearout with PREVENTATIVE steps as the suggestions to your unfortunate occurrence. Why? - You got me ! Anyway, it didn't go through (?) so no harm/no foul!? Sorry.

As to what I'd do:

If the piece is of substantial thickness (YOUR idea of "substantial") I would, albeit reluctantly, plane it. With one SERIOUS consideration: Place the piece into the planer - just - turn it on, lower the blade to the cutter-head down 'til it just barely touches/cuts the piece, lock the head, turn it off, back the piece off, restart the machine, plane with as many such VERY slight passes until the 'offending area is gone. This is what I usually do in such cases. It may well not be the safest, easiest, whatever way. Or even the best way, but it works for me. That said: I fear the only reasonable and/or fastest way to get the best EVEN results is with the use of a thickness-sander.

I hope this is of help, please let us know if it is or isn't...

Warmly, Griz

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"All right you neanders, a little help please. I can get a stunning "surface with my smoother, but I don't know how to deal with the "tearout problem. It only takes one unfortunate swipe to take a "divot that's, say, 1/16th deep. What do you do to make the area "smooth again? " "If time were no object, I suppose I could take the WHOLE BOARD down "by 1/16th (oh, the pain). Alternatively, I could scrape around the "area, but there are two problems with that: the board is then dished "instead of flat, and I don't get the glassy finish I get with the "smoother (maybe a technique problem?). What do YOU do when tearout "rears its ugly head? " "Help, because I'm about to take a sander to it. " "-Tom

[RM MS]

A "Dutchman" is a beginner's term, and something you really don't want to see, like those football-shaped patches in certain grades of plywood. There are foxier and less obvious ways of fixing blemishes.

[Andy Dingley]

So how would you do it ?

[Mike G]

This assumes the problem is avoided, suggestions for doing so were included in my first post.

However, this is not the case for the poster and such suggestions do nothing to solve his immediate problem.

I'm sure it comes as no great surprise to anyone that not getting tear out or otherwise marring the surface to be finished is preferable to having to fix a boo boo in it but, as they say, shit happens.

If you had read the whole thread or at least the first post requesting help you may have been able to give an alternative answer to the poster's problem rather then a meaningless one obviously designed to show everyone what a smart (ass) guy you are.

[Swingman]

Bozo bins/filters are wonderful things ...

[Brian]

I tend to discover the tear-out prone places early in the smoothing process, and use a #80 scraper to lower that area to the point where I am happy. Then, the rest of the panel comes down to match. If it's a big panel, I tend to get happy faster than if I can send the thing through my planer...

Brian

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[JackD]

Bolting a 2x6 over it comes to mind...

-Jack

[JackD]

Soaking in alcohol is one way to recover. It can lead to other problems though...

-Jack

[FrozenNorth]

You are talking about soaking the wood, right ???

[JackD]

No comment...hic...

-Jack

[Leon]

Web TV...

[Griz]

Brian:

I assume you refer to the Stanley #80 scraper-plane (?) I used this and a couple of the hand-held variety I had at the time unsuccessfully. The two times I tried to remedy a similar situation (it seemed entirely reasonable at the time) I succeeded ONLY in making matters MUCH worse! The tearout WAS bad - it was thereafter DAMNED bad! On the first occasion I thought I'd simply done or not done something (?) right or wrong. I honestly didn't know! - 'Still don't! The second time I just STOPPED the project, did some research, FOLLOWED the advice therein, screwed it up again - though not as badly, but still, 'concluded that an episode with the drum-type thickness-sander was in order! It worked and I didn't look back. (YRMV) (?)

I hope this helps...

Warmly, Griz

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"> Dear Tom: ">

"> I responded through the fog, the PROFOUND fog of a "> colossal brain-fart while ago per your problem of the tearout "> with PREVENTATIVE steps as the suggestions to your "> unfortunate occurrence. Why? - You got me ! "> Anyway, it didn't go through (?) so no harm/no foul!? Sorry. ">

"> As to what I'd do: ">

"> If the piece is of substantial thickness (YOUR idea of "substantial") "> I would, albeit reluctantly, plane it. With one SERIOUS consideration: "> Place the piece into the planer - just - turn it on, lower the blade to "> the cutter-head down 'til it just barely touches/cuts the piece, lock "> the head, turn it off, back the piece off, restart the machine, plane "> with as many such VERY slight passes until the 'offending area is "> gone. "> This is what I usually do in such cases. It may well not be the safest, "> easiest, whatever way. Or even the best way, but it works for me. "> That said: I fear the only reasonable and/or fastest way to get the "> best EVEN results is with the use of a thickness-sander. ">

"> I hope this is of help, please let us know if it is or isn't... ">

">

"> Warmly, Griz ">

"> ">

"> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "--------------------- ">

">

"> On 31 Aug 2003 22:01:05 -0700, [e-mail] (tsd) wrote: ">

"> "All right you neanders, a little help please. I can get a stunning "> "surface with my smoother, but I don't know how to deal with the "> "tearout problem. It only takes one unfortunate swipe to take a "> "divot that's, say, 1/16th deep. What do you do to make the area "> "smooth again? "> " "> "If time were no object, I suppose I could take the WHOLE BOARD down "> "by 1/16th (oh, the pain). Alternatively, I could scrape around the "> "area, but there are two problems with that: the board is then dished "> "instead of flat, and I don't get the glassy finish I get with the "> "smoother (maybe a technique problem?). What do YOU do when tearout "> "rears its ugly head? "> " "> "Help, because I'm about to take a sander to it. "> " "> "-Tom ">

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