Planing red oak

[Dave Cottrell]

I am making a tool cabinet out of a recycled piano. Underneath all of the old veneer, the large panels are made of smaller pieces of red oak. Of course, the grain goes every which way, and, since this was to be veneered, knotty boards were not selected out.

I am not looking for a glass smooth surface, like a table top, but I would like to get it as sooth as possible for shop use. There are lots of character marks, like worm holes, nail holes, spelching from the LN Chisel plane I bought to remove the veneer (ABSOLUTELY the best $200 I ever spent on a tool needed immediately), so I am leaving them in.

My problem is how far will a sharp smoother plane go (or card scraper)? I can get it to the point where flat sections of grain are smooth enough, but the dark rings of grain, which are so open they look like end grain, are still rough to the touch. I don't want to drive myself crazy trying to do with a plane what most people do with grain filler.

BTW, I can see lots of uses for that chisel plane!! Everybody should have one of these!!

[mike holden]

Dave,
this is a place for a table scraper. Use a jointer plane to get it flat, then smooth with a table scraper (you can use a smoothing plane after the jointer and before the scraper, but there may be little point to the exercise, and you may tear out more than you help)
Older Stanleys are inexpensive and work well.
That is my advise, YMMV,
Mike

[Paul Murphy]

If I correctly understand what you are trying to do, I would think a scraper plane, or a smoothing plane with a blade cutting angle near 60 degrees. The 60 degree smoother will give you a workout. Since you posted in the neanderthal forum, I assume you have already ruled out the various sanding machinery.