Thanks for the quick reply, Marty. That video really just reviewed what I’d already picked up, but it and some other lesson videos did trigger some possible insights. Please correct me if I’m wrong about this, but my impression now is that chip-out is primarily about avoiding putting stress on short grain sections, and avoiding undercuts. That seems to have mostly to do with sharpness of the blade, order of cuts, and depth of cut. If “with” or “against” the grain has a significant impact on the short grain area, my original question really is why that would be.
The benefit of the card trick seems to be mostly about making a smooth straight cut easier to accomplish? Except that I have not experienced that. Straight cuts in either direction come out perfectly smooth (tight curves and circles remain my greatest weakness, but that’s a different issue entirely). You pay a lot of attention to this concept, though; thus the question.