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View Full Version : Tearout solution?



Prashun Patel
06-19-2011, 1:47 PM
I've been working with a slab of curly cherry recently. It was a challenge to smooth it without tearout. I managed to do it, but even my bevel up smoothers didn't work too well for me.

So, after I prepped it, I began finishing by putting on a coat of BLO.

A day later I realized that the piece was not as flat as I'd like. I took it back to the bench and went over some areas with my BU jack. This time though, the piece did not tear at all when planing the long way with the grain (as it had previously). I made the cut a little more aggressive, still no tear out. I tried my BU #4 and my regular #3. No tear out.

Was I lucky? Or did the oil in the wood do this?

george wilson
06-19-2011, 1:57 PM
The oil most likely helped. We used to soak wooden bench screws in mineral oil before threading them. It helped tear out a lot. If you are going to use BLO in your final finish,I suppose you have nothing to lose. DO NOT use mineral oil,though! It will never dry. o.k. for a screw,but not your furniture.