![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j9zXzhRf87Y/TeqO9NpAeHI/AAAAAAAAFaU/b2NkVJ2I5dM/s200/Burn.Before-After.jpg)
Have you ever experienced burn marks on the edge of your boards from your table saw? Some wood species such as cherry and maple are prone to it.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NBDE_eMkEvE/TeqO-4OBaFI/AAAAAAAAFac/9dTwpZFf8y8/s200/Tearout.Before-After.jpg)
There's nothing wrong with using a power jointer (I still use one), but what if the board has reverse grain and you get tear-out no matter which way you run the board through?
That's also where a handplane shines. You can tackle the edge of a board from both ends to eliminate the problem of reverse grain.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xlR1uJAIqRo/TeqO97po5HI/AAAAAAAAFaY/RUrx_iE8Xjo/s200/Devereaux.jpg)
She was.
She was even downright delightful as she whisked away the blemishes. Good girl, Dev. You escaped the burn pile again. Ha, just kidding.
Maybe.
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You can also use a card scraper, cabinet scraper, or scraper plane for these two problems, but planes have many more uses than those listed above.