> . . .Now, some
> of the evil strips are more evil than others, but there's a band about
> 4-5" wide that really has a lot of hard growth rings running parallel
> to the surface, and I'm having a heck of a time trying to fair the boat in
> this area. . .

> . . .Here's what I've done so far: I started by planing the whole boat (where
> practical) with a block plane and then moved on to the ROS with 80 grit,
> and I was careful to change the disk every few feet. By touch, I could
> feel that I was still generating undulations between the rings. I gave the
> fairing board a shot. With fresh sandpaper on, I ran it over the good
> strips and got the satifying sound of a good cut. I ran it over the evil
> strips and got virtually nothing. . .

> . . .Last night
> for the first time, I turned the lights out and raked a flashlight over
> the scraped surface, and I was stunned by what I saw. Although I was able
> to make localized faired surfaces, the overall surface was pretty
> disappointing with waves and ripples. I'm looking for some suggestions on
> what to try next.

> I would be greatful for any suggestions on how to fair evil strips.

> Thanks,

> Ross

The interior of the boat is going to be a pain. Hopefully it won't be very nociceable.

For the exterior I have never found any grain or wood species that my belt sander couldn't tame. The belt sander has a large flat area that should not dig in to the softer surrounding wood, if you keep the tools weight on your problem areas. The abrasive belt moves fast enough to give you significant cutting action even with a medium to fine grit belt. If this tough grained wood doesn't cut fast, it also won't clog your belts very quickly, so don't rush things by using a very coarse grit sanding belt.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson