I've recently started hand planing for a project using sapele wood, and it's been quite a challenge. I'm experiencing a lot of tearout, and it's making me feel a bit discouraged. I've tested out hand planing on some scrap oak and cherry, which worked beautifully, but sapele is giving me a really tough time. I've noticed that it's not easy to make clean tenons either. Any advice on how to handle this tricky wood?
3 Answers
If you're battling tearout with sapele, try using a card scraper or make sure your plane is sharp. That wood's grain can be quite stubborn. I've had similar experiences, and sometimes switching to a scraper can save you a lot of heartache compared to just planing it out.
If you want a smoother experience, cherry or walnut are definitely the way to go. They plane beautifully compared to sapele. Plus, cherry's pretty affordable these days!
You might want to consider using sandpaper instead of trying to get a perfect surface with the hand plane. Sapele's interlocked grain can make it really difficult to find the right planing direction. I've had my share of challenges with it, and for me, sanding has been a much quicker solution.