: the walnut is about as much fun to plane as red oak, if that tells
: you anything. The grain is fairly tight and somewhat crooked.

I know what you mean. I have a bit of walnut on my Endeavour (much less than on your L), but had to avoid touching it with the plane, or it would tear - actually, chip is more like it. I found that a freshly sharpened cabinet scraper works wonders on walnut.

Great job with that deck pattern - its gorgeous.
Ken