Official Luthiers Forum!

Not a luthier, just a hobbyist woodworker here.....when jointing or planing highly figured wood (with power equipment), it sometimes gives a better result if the surface is slightly moistened with water to soften the fibres a bit. There is less tearout with the moist wood. Any chance that this approach might work in this case?

Just a thought....

cheers

John

Stropping removes the burr, which is a good thing, but not a substitute
for 1) having a solid blade bed, 2) a properly conditioned plane sole, and
3) a fine edge proper, which can be gotten many ways, listed above.

Paying close attention to the effort needed to push/pull the plane
will tell you much. In softer woods, sharpness matters more (generally)
than sole condition; in harder woods the opposite.

I'm as fond of nice sharp planes as the next guy, but unless your rosette is way higher than the soundboard, a scraper or even sand paper on a firm block should be enough to get it level very quickly. Not to mention a drum sander...

_________________
Rian Gitar og Mandolin

95% of the time, I do this job with a scraper.

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John

+1 I was trying to think of a good way to say exactly that and now I don't have to.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com