First time user (on my second project) and encountering a consistent issue where pocket depth cuts come out ‘scratchy’ or uneven in parts. (see photo below for example). My assumption is that this is a function of the wood quality and it not being perfectly level - I’m using simple pine hobby boards from Home Depot - as on a single project some depth cuts turn out great while others don’t. But before I invest in a planer to get more level boards to start, wanted to check with the community and see if 1) this is likely the actual issue, or 2) if there is something else I should try before spending the money.
Easiest thing to do is to adjust the Depth per Pass so that the number of passes is increased by one, and the ultimate pass is removing only a shallow thickness of material, e.g., if one is cutting a pocket to a Max Depth of 0.5" with a Depth per Pass of 0.125", resulting in four full depth passes, reducing the Depth per Pass to 0.124" will result in 5 passes, where the final pass only removes 0.004" of material.
Appreciate all the help and quick responses! Didn’t even know ‘depth of pass’ was a thing. I’ll start paying attention to it/playing around with it. Thanks everyone!
