I had made a really simple bow saw during my summer holidays. I was trying to see if I could make a project from start to finish using only hand tools.
I cut some poplar (Mostly guessing but the shape of the leaf makes me pretty sure.) and started shaping the log. I used a draw knife as a froe (for lack of better option). I then made a bench hook and though between the draw knife and a plane I could get the wood fairly flat.
That is where I was mistaken. Using both of those tools on the wood created the same problem. Instead of slicing the wood it looked like it was tearing little strips instead. Those got caught on the blades of the respective tools.
So I had an exercise in futilely. With every push or pull I got fibres stuck on the blade. Those would prevent the blade from making another cut. So I would remove those and be able to maybe make one more cut.
I eventually gave up and just used my axe to finish. It was rougher but got the job done. I know that green wood will eventually "settle" once it dries but I wanted to try and see what I could do before hand.
The reason I even bothered, and leading to my question, was because Roy Underhill gave me the impression that working was easier. He did not suggest that all the work could be done while green but that initial shaping was easier. There was one specific video where a gentleman made a Winsdor chair and made the same comment when he was using his draw knife on some red oak. In the case with Roy he was making a grease pot out of some black walnut.
Was my green wood too green and I should have waited longer? Am I not interpreting the comments on the work-ability of green wood? Perhaps the wood species I was working on is not the green work-able kind?