I just finished building a couple of drawers out of Poplar, miserable wood to work cross grain. While chopping the pins and tails I tried to reduce tear out the usual ways, acute bevels, sharper than sharp iron, thin cuts....you know the story. None of it works, there is still tear out of the end grain.

It happens every time I work a soft wood, I explore different methods of sharpening, jigs, Tormek, water stones, and so on and the bottom line ends up my normal process of free hand convex bevel on diamond stones and stropping with Herb's Yellowstone works better than any of the other methods. I keep hoping to find something that works better but no joy. YMMV.

BTW, it's the same story no matter the iron, O1, A2, PM 11, or Japanese white steel. A free hand convex bevel will give as smooth a surface from the get go as any flat bevel, hollow grind, micro bevel, jig or machine sharpened iron and will stay sharp with out fractured edges longer. I could be full of it but I'm beginning to believe some of that longer life is because the stropping causes a slight "dubbing" of the edge and the convex bevel gives more support of the cutting edge.

Fire away....It ain't a religion, I just try to make it work.