"Fred the Red Shirt" wrote in message
...
I'll add that beech has an interlocking grain that resists splitting,
which is important when tapping a wedge into a square cornered
mortise to hold a plane iron in place.

Even some of the old planes that show splits, the splits
are only part-way through, whereas a wood like red oak
or maple would have separated.

Beech has kind of a rubbery feel when handplaning or
paring. Hand planing leaves a very smooth surface.


Yep, oily feel. As to resistance to splitting, dream on. The prominent
ray figure provides the same express route to the firewood stack as the even
more prominent rays in oak.