That's a great thread title!
I've recently picked up some old pine which in a former life was a flooring joist. It's beautiful wood underneath, but it is coated with dirty, sooty residue.
I'd like to use this wood for my first 100% hand tool built project. This means my normal method of cleaning the wood, a belt sander, won't work.
What would skilled Neanders recommend as a replacement strategy for removing this grime?