Go with the grain. When you’re planing wood, you have to follow the grain of the wood. The grain has a direction, which depends on the cut of the wood. (which is the way it grew). Do that and you’ll end up with thin shavings and a smooth finish.. Go against the grain, and you’ll rip out chunks.

I’ve worked with Ant builds that did the same thing. Instead of using the features of the tool the way they grew, people have fought against them. The result is usually expensive and wasteful.

Many of our tools (in my opinion, the best ones) are optimized to do one thing well: that’s their grain. Go with it, or choose another.

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About Julian Simpson

Founder and Editor of The Build Doctor. Drinks Flat Whites. View all posts by Julian Simpson →