Planing Figured Maple

Advice on avoiding tear-out damage when planing curly maple. December 12, 2008

Question
What happens if you plane 8/4 quilted maple before you dry it? Or is that just a bad idea? I ask because it planes on a knife planer easily green, but after it is dry, the planer just rips out the figure.

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
You can plane it green, but it will not be flat or smooth after drying. It will have varying thickness too. If you are getting chipped grain, then the planer could use some adjustment... small cuts, smaller rake angle, correct MC, etc. (many people plane such lumber without much difficulty). If you are really concerned and have just a small amount, then have it abrasive planed.

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From contributor A:
Take small passes and make sure your knives are sharp. That should give you the results you're looking for when planing kiln dried figured maple. I plane birdseye maple and curly maple frequently and that gives me the best results.