Perhaps more than most woodworking topics, debates on surface preparation elicit strong opinions. No doubt handplaning takes more finesse and practice than sanding, and pushing out fluffy shavings with a card scraper takes practice. But which method produces the best surface for applying a finish? When I started woodworking, I took a class on surface preparation. I remember the awe I felt as the instructor, with a few swipes of a well-worn Stanley No. 4 handplane, revealed the fire inside a piece of cherry—a staggering contrast to the slightly chalky, sanded surfaces I was used to. I was sold, and quickly bought a very used No. 6—in retrospect, a bit overenthusiastic for a starter plane.
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