Billy Smith wrote:

Maybe I'll just have to try a few pieces to see what it's
like but I'm wondering how many experienced woodworkers
would try this.

You're about to open Pandora's box, Billy.

Once upon a time there was a wood dorker who didn't have a planer or a
jointer. He built projects out of S4S BORG lumber, or whatever he could
salvage. He mostly made things that were functional, rather than
beautiful, and he took pride in his work, in his ability to make something
from nothing, and to make do.

This wood dorker, having in mind to make something beautiful, went to Lowe's
and bought a new Stanley #4. He took it home and tried to do something
with it, but it didn't work very well. He read about the Scarey Sharp(tm)
system, and he finally caved in and bought one of those Lee Valley
sharpening guide flummies after too many mangled edges.

He worked and fiddled, and he had a piece of steel, and he looked at this
steel, and he pronounced that it was shiney. And it was shiney. He
pronounced that it was sharp, and it was sharp enough to shave the whiskers
off a flea's bootocks, it was. He applied this plane to a piece of wood,
and it caused shavings to curl forth, and glassine smoothness to emerge
from the surface.

Then this wood dorker finally made the long avoided trek to the House of
Boards, whereupon came he unto the stack of Boards marked Walnut. He
checked his wallet, asked stupid questions about board feet and prices, and
came home with a much smaller piece of this fabled Walnut than he had
intended to buy. The most glorious wood on the Earth was not cheap.

So this wood dorker came home and he put this piece of walnut into his face
vise, and he proceded to cause shavings to curl forth from its surface. He
pronounced that the board was flat and good, and it was. Close enough.
Close enough.

Skip ahead, and the wood dorker bought a late model blue Stanley #5 from
eBay. Using only the #4 and the #5, and a forlorn Skil 3400 sawdust making
machine, the wood dorker produced an absolutely fantabulous walnut/maple
chess box.

Now the dorker has a shelf full of these planes, and he has decreed that no
lesser wood than walnut shall henceforth pass under the blades of said
planes, unless it contrasts well, or unless it's free. He has a more
mighty and powerful of tooth sawdust making machine (contractor's saw), and
he finally bought a small mechanical curl maker (benchtop jointer) to take
some of the fiddle work out of curling away the crust and revealing the
glorious grain within the magnificent walnut.

He hath proclaimed that thenceforth no S4S shall be admitted to his shop,
and you don't need a bunch of big iron to make stuff out of good wood. All
it takes is patience, practice, and sharp steel.

Go for it, Billy! You're in for an awakening!

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/