I more and more find that my "techniques" simply compensate for my 
errors and inadequacies.

 I have lots of strips of hardwood with dowel legs that fit in my 
dogholes that I use  as stops.  I shim them so the top of the strip is 
the thickness I want on the stock and use them as a visual indicator 
(and a bit of a jig,).  Works well for me -- nice positive indicator 
and easy thing to sight on if needed.

 I mostly use a herringbone pattern going  in to the center for any 
substantial stock removel . This corrects  my unfortunate tendency to 
plane too much around the periphery and too little from the center-- 
Jeff Gorman's "dreaded droop" . It also mostly avoids blow out.

John Lederer
Oregon, Wisconsin

Louis Michaud wrote:

>OK, maybe tearout is not the correct word. Blow out, splinters, divots ?
>In difficult hardwood this occurs sometimes along the edges when using
>a scrub and planing along a diagonal. The bevel is planed along the edges
>"with" the grain first, then planed on the cross grain edges. No blow outs
>at the ends. I use the bevels mainly for a visual reference. I can scub/plane
>a lot faster without having to bend and squint at the gauge lines. Insurance
>against blow out is secondary. The final plane strokes, along the grain, with
>a #6 or #7 bring it to the final thickness.
>
>  
>