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There are two types of identifying characteristics you can use to determine grain direction: rays and vessels. “ The general angle of the rays on the plainsawn face of a board invariably point in the same direction as the wood's fibers, ” says PopularWoodworking.com.
As the Workshop Companion puts it, “ you want the cutterhead to cut with the grain, shaving the slope downhill. ” To visualize this, imagine a grassy hill. If you stand atop the hill and push a lawnmower down one side, you're mowing downhill; this is the direction you should be planing in regard to grain orientation.
If you stand atop the hill and push a lawnmower down one side, you're mowing downhill; this is the direction you should be planing in regard to grain orientation. If you were to stand at the bottom of the hill and mow upwards, it would be rather difficult. You'd be pushing against the natural slope of the hill and the grass would not cut as evenly.
Reading the Grain. Reading grain direction correctly can be more difficult than you might suspect. Because boards are cut along the vertical axis of a tree, the angle of the grain within a board can be slight, but no less important. Grain usually runs from somewhere within (or through) a piece of wood to the surface.