alamocdc
Member
I glued up a Koa blank (my only one) for one of my Cigars and while I was turning it down I noticed the grain is acting like it's running in opposite directions on either side of the blank (upper and lower). Most of the blank is turning smooth, but almost 1/6 of each piece looks almost like the tearout you sometimes get from a planer if the board has grain that is angled upward. Tools are sharp (I checked twice) so that isn't the problem. I tried saturating both in CA, but that didn't help. Wouldn't get in far enough I guess. The only thing I can think of that I haven't tried is wetting the blanks with water. I've done this with figured woods being run through a planer to prevent tearout, but they are substantially larger and raising the grain isn't such an issue. Do any of you experts have any suggestions? I have these almost down to finished size and I'd like to get a good pen out of them.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT:
This pic is the rough side of the upper.
This is the smooth side of the same piece.
This is the rough side of the lower. The problem I'm speaking of is a little easier to see.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT:
This pic is the rough side of the upper.
This is the smooth side of the same piece.
This is the rough side of the lower. The problem I'm speaking of is a little easier to see.