: I am working on the deck pattern of my guillemot and have gotten on
: to using some 1/4 by 1/4 walnut strips. The prob I ran into
: today while trying to work a taper into the end of a strip was
: my plane didnt want to cut at all. I have used it on cedar,
: pine, lyptus. It was sharpened before I started on the lyptus
: and I did eight tapers, they seemed harder to cut than the soft
: woods, but the walnut is like planing a rock! and the end of the
: taper keeps breaking off just as I almost have the fit right!

: Is my plane dull from the lyptus?, or am I missing something? is
: there a trick to making tapers in hard, dense woods like walnut?

: two cents please,
: thanks
: dave g

I've had the same problem with cherry and a little problem with mahogany. Specially with really thin strips it helps to back up the strip onto a board that's much more substaintial, so the force required for planing is absorbed by the larger board and not the strip.
Doesn't have to be attached to the bigger board, but a clamp to hold it in place makes planing the taper easier as you don't have to hold the plane and the strip.

Bill H.