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I have an old barn I build from 4- 20' shipping containers 15 or so years ago (since I have new shop it is now scheduled for demolition).  About the time I finished it I went to an auction and bought a couple of 16' trailer loads of rough-cut lumber that had been stored for about 30 years in another old barn.

Also had a fire in my container barn several years ago so the lumber got a bit scorched in addition to the dust, etc. so sorting it out is a problem.

I'd tried pocket knife, block plane, power planer etc but nothing worked well.

Today I really needed some white oak but didn't look forward to digging through the dirt and ash in the dark and heat to find something.

Then I had an idea -- my cordless drill with a 1" spade bit would quickly cut through the dirt, ash, etc and show me a good grain sample.

Worked like a charm.  Found what I wanted and got on with finishing door.

It happens to me all the time, not the finding of a good way but forgetting so much to of even how I did it the day before and then come up with a new solution which might have been an old one.