When I have bought rough cut lumber over the years, much has come from barns and multipurpose shops where it had been stored for many years. This lumber always has surface contamination (dirt) which I believe will dull tools as the faces are planed, joined and cut. If you also have dealt with this problem, how do you remove the debris in order to protect your edges?
This afternoon, I used a scrub plane on some 12/4 x 4-1/2" sapele I found in my stock. Other choices I considered were a jack plane with an old blade, pad sander, Rotex, rasps, coarse files, bandsaw to make a thin cut and my table saw for the same purpose. Also considered pressure washer or soapy water plus a steel brush. Afterwards, I thought a belt sander might do the trick but I do not have one.
What do the rest of you do?
Thanks