Hi,

I used some maple and mahogany to do a design on the forward deck on my Great Auk and it works. It doesn't work very easily tho. Once you have it stripped, I wouldn't touch it with a power tool. With strips of different hardness it is so easy to wear down the softer stips and leave the harder ones proud. A block plane set for a very fine cut and then a fairing sander and a whole lot of sanding and it should be good to go. (And you get a great arm and shoulder workout for less then the price of a gym membership!)

Good Luck

Bob