Router plane on sapele

[gold_bantam]

I’ve been making another oilstone box in sapele, and as with my previous one I have been getting a lot of tear out when router planing the bottom of the recesses.

Is this likely to just be a sharpness issue (it is a veritas router plane and I’m still getting used to trying to keep the iron sharp - it’s small and fiddly)? Or is sapele prone to this. Granted, router planes aren’t usually used for finishing surfaces that you can see but it would have been nice to get a smooth surface. The sapele was an offcut someone gave me so no idea about how decent it was to begin with. Many thanks

 

[Spectric]

I think this is just something you can get with Sapele and technique plays a large part.

 

[Fitzroy]

Sapele is prone to tear-out. A router plan has no mouth so nothing to support the wood and prevent tear-out so I find they can grab very badly, especially if the cut is too heavy. A lighter cut, and a shearing cut where you try and slice side to side can help.

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes, it’s well known for its interlocking grain, another way to do that is to put it over a tablesaw repeatedly to remove all the waste, obviously this also takes out the ends which you would then have to make new bits for and glue in.

 

[Ollie78]

As said this is the way Sapele can behave. I suggest routing it a bit deeper (with a router or trimmer) and insetting a thin sheet. Could be a contrasting wood so it looks nice.
Normally a cabinet scraper or very high angle plane can tame it a bit, though not much help in the bottom of the box.

 

[gold_bantam]

Thank you everyone for your responses. It’s the first time I have worked with sapele so it’s good to know what it’s character is. Great suggestions about table sawing it or placing another piece over the top. I love how there are usually always solutions available. I will work on technique and sharpness too of course.

 

[thetyreman]

yes sapele can be bad for tearout, you need very sharp blades to work it, definitely take very light cuts, make sure that the back of the blade is like a mirror as well as the bevel itself, on my veritas I had to spend a really long time flattening the back of the blade, it's a pain in the buttocks but absolutely is key to getting the best surface possible, also try angling the blade about 20 degrees off centre to create a skew, and it's worth making a longer extended platform for the router plane, 10mm see through acrylic is great for it.

 

[gold_bantam]

yes sapele can be bad for tearout, you need very sharp blades to work it, definitely take very light cuts, make sure that the back of the blade is like a mirror as well as the bevel itself, on my veritas I had to spend a really long time flattening the back of the blade, it's a pain in the buttocks but absolutely is key to getting the best surface possible, also try angling the blade about 20 degrees off centre to create a skew, and it's worth making a longer extended platform for the router plane, 10mm see through acrylic is great for it.

Thank you. That’s interesting. Was it much out of flat? I guess I was hoping that being Veritas I wouldn’t have to worry about that. I dislike flattening a lot but understand it’s a necessary evil. I’ll have a look at mine.
Never thought about using clear acrylic as the platform before. I suppose it’s flat and frictionless, that’s a great idea.

 

[thetyreman]

Thank you. That’s interesting. Was it much out of flat? I guess I was hoping that being Veritas I wouldn’t have to worry about that. I dislike flattening a lot but understand it’s a necessary evil. I’ll have a look at mine.
Never thought about using clear acrylic as the platform before. I suppose it’s flat and frictionless, that’s a great idea.

one of them was lower at the actual cutting edge and higher at the back edge, it took considerable work to get it flat again, but in the end is well worth it, I like using scary sharp paper for it on a glass plate.

 

[BillHoughton]

one of them was lower at the actual cutting edge and higher at the back edge, it took considerable work to get it flat again, but in the end is well worth it, I like using scary sharp paper for it on a glass plate.

Aren't router plane blades supposed to be lowest at the cutting edge, with some clearance behind?

 

[thetyreman]

Aren't router plane blades supposed to be lowest at the cutting edge, with some clearance behind?

I don't know, but I flattened it anyway, probably had a dud blade.

 

[joshvegas]

You've MADE a dud blade.