> I've run into a bit of a snag on the Wee Lassie II and could use some
> suggestions from the group. I'm using redwood I milled from mostly
> flat-sawn lumber, some quarter-sawn. I would have bought all flat sawn,
> but my selection was limited. I was careful to keep all the strips from
> the same planks together as I milled them so I could balance the strips on
> either side of the boat. I started at the sheer laying the
> now-quarter-sawn strips (I will refer to these as 'good' strips) which
> carried me up to the bilge. From there to the centerline, I layed the
> now-flat-sawn strips (I will refer to these as 'evil' strips). Now, some
> of the evil strips are more evil than others, but there's a band about
> 4-5" wide that really has a lot of hard growth rings running parallel
> to the surface, and I'm having a heck of a time trying to fair the boat in
> this area.

> Here's what I've done so far: I started by planing the whole boat (where
> practical) with a block plane and then moved on to the ROS with 80 grit,
> and I was careful to change the disk every few feet. By touch, I could
> feel that I was still generating undulations between the rings. I gave the
> fairing board a shot. With fresh sandpaper on, I ran it over the good
> strips and got the satifying sound of a good cut. I ran it over the evil
> strips and got virtually nothing. I could tell it was just gliding over
> the top of the waves. I switched to a cabinet scraper, and by touch, this
> was giving me pretty good results. I thought I would be able to scrape the
> whole boat, and then go over it with a light sanding (ligthly enough to
> not generate more hills and valleys) with the fairing board. Last night
> for the first time, I turned the lights out and raked a flashlight over
> the scraped surface, and I was stunned by what I saw. Although I was able
> to make localized faired surfaces, the overall surface was pretty
> disappointing with waves and ripples. I'm looking for some suggestions on
> what to try next. At this point, the only thing I have planned is to get
> some different (sharper) sandpaper, and put the hard sanding pad back on
> the ROS sander (it's got a medium stiffness pad now).

> I would be greatful for any suggestions on how to fair evil strips.

> Thanks,

> Ross

Ross, You've gotten a lot of good advice, and if I may, I'd like to add a little tid-bit if I may. Paul is correct about the belt sander being the best choice if you still want to take a crack at smoothing out the waves. Because of it's long surface you will get a better cut, and just don't bare down on it. The sander will do the job, just let it float on the surface and guide it with both hands. Also, redwood is one of the softest woods there is, and it has been my experience that you should never use more than 100 grit on the sander. That is gonna remove all the wood you need and then you can go back with a lighter grit on the ROS to clean it up. Two things I learned over the years was that with the "Flat-Grain"(EVIL) material you don't want to work on one spot for any length of time. Your best technique is to work a large area, with long strokes and NEVER work in one spot trying to level something. With long strokes, you don't get any too deep in the soft wood and with good clean, sharp belts it cuts everything about even. When you go over it with the ROS, do it in long quick strokes as well.

To get rid of most of the highs in your surface now, use the flash-light and check out the surface as before. On the high spots take a pencil and laying it down sideways and shade the high areas. Then, if you can, circle the No-No areas where you definitely do now want to cut and then, go back to the belt sander and work the pencil marks off. It works best if you let the belt cut towards the grain. When the pencil marks are gone, do it again. You probably won't get it perfect, but, you will get the worst of it.

You've already discovered that the "Verticle-Grain" ( Good ) is much easier to work with. It is always best to do the bulk of your cutting with the belt sander ( 100 grit or higher ) and then spend as little time as possible with the ROS cleaning up. It's a smaller surface and tends to ....tilt ( for lack of a better word ) into the soft grain. When doing cabinet work, I almost never used anything but 100 grit belts or pads on anything. The orbital cuts smoother than the belt sander and makes a plenty smooth surface. It's a proven fact that going too fine on any surface ( although it feels good ) can be detrimental to finishing, as it closed the pores? in the wood and finishes do not adhere as well. Oh yeh, there are those who will say that you need to use 0 grit cause of the glue, but, that should be done with the scraper, as much as possible. Samding the glue only loads up the belts and 80 grit eats wood way too fast. Sorry that's awfully long winded. I have to get off the computer real quick as we are having a wind storm and the lights are flickering. Hope all that does you some good. You probably had it done before i got done writing it, bit, heck, I love to talk anyway. More Food for Thought

Rehd