Handplane finish / raising the grain

Matt Ducar

Member
Messages
152
Location
Boston, MA
On my recent cradle build I tried using my handplane to get the "finish ready" surface on the hard maple.

Everything looked great until I applied the water based dye. I got enough grain raising that I had to knock it down with some sandpaper.

I figured I'd check and see how other folks handle this before I begin experimenting.

Is sanding a planed surface after raising the grain the best way to go? Or do folks try to scrape/plane off the fuzzies without cutting too deeply? Or is there some other technique I should try? :confused:

-Matt
 
there are 2 ways to defeat this problem on maple, 1 you use a damp rag and rub over the maple to quicken the drying use a blow dryer, then sand and repeat 2 or 3 times. 2 use a pre stain 1st before applying the stain.
I prefer the damp rag method myself and then a scraper razor blade or a medal scraper.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Isn't it amusing that all the articles in the magazines that talk about getting a "finish ready" surface with your hand plane don't address the issue of raised grain. :doh:

I think I'll try using a scraper to clean off the fuzzies on a couple of cutoff scraps. If I can't get the hang of it, sanding with the 400 grit after raising the grain gave good results on the cradle.

-Matt
 
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