That old trick with a block plane and a candle actually works

I was fighting tearout on some figured cherry for a customer's table top in my shop last Thursday. Tried every setting on my plane but nothing fixed it until I rubbed candle wax on the sole. Has anyone else found a weird hack that actually saved a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettyfox13h ago

Yeah that works but did you try warming the iron first?

henderson.vera6h ago

Warming the iron? Yeah, because nothing says "safe woodworking" like heating up a cutting tool on purpose. What's next, blowtorching the blade for better grip?