Planer to remove polyurethane on oak floorboards?

[hjlssfor1]

I have some salvage red and white oak floor boards that were stained and sealed (polyurethane, I assume) on one side. I planed off the unsealed back sides to remove the ridges, and I now would like to use some of the boards as drawer fronts. I have a helical head planer. Would it be a good or bad idea to use the planer to remove the sealer? My concern is whether the process would gum up the cutters. Thanks, Hank

[charlese]

In my experience, removing a finish with a planer is a VERY QUICK way to ruin blades.

Here's some history - http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... ner#p20754

[Bruce]

What does your owners manual say? I have used my planer (with standard blades) on some boards with poly on them, and the feed rollers have a hard time gripping the board to pull it through. At the very least, you might consider roughing up the surface with some coarse sandpaper. As charlese says, it's probably not a good idea.

[JPG]

Coarse sanding with conical sanding disk.

[hjlssfor1]

Thanks, all, for your assistance. The conical sanding disc sounds perfect, and I will give it a go. Hank

[rcplaneguy]

Citristrip first, removing the gelled finish with putty knife. Then plane away without ruining your helical blades.

[masonsailor2]

I have done something similar a few years ago with oak that was reclaimed from a gym floor. We used a Grizzly with a spiral head and had no issues. It probably will depend on what the finish is. The biggest issue was the dust extraction. We had to stop periodically and unclog the dust collection chute on the planer but it wasn't that bad. I am assuming that you have a spiral head with carbide cutters. I would run a piece through and see how it goes. A polyurethane or varnish is not going to damage the carbide cutters but it could gum them up. Solvent and a brush will cure that. Much the same way you have to clean the cutters with terpentine after planing really sappy would. Using stripper might be an option if you are only doing a few pieces but if it's a large amount that could be a nasty job.
Paul

[dusty]

Any kind of finish, even after it has been stripped, will tend to dull the planer blades more rapidly than normal. It does not "ruin" them; it just necessitates their being resharpened.

[masonsailor2]

Interesting point Dusty. I wonder what the hardness rating of say polyurethane is or how it compares to a hardwood ? The carbide cutters on a spiral cutter head are pretty durable. It takes a lot to dull them. I wonder if there is data for finish hardness ?
Paul

[damagi]

Since you are wanting to do drawer fronts, why not use a bandsaw or tablesaw to cut the poly-side off and then run through the planer to flatten again? Depending on the thickness of the blade you are using you should be able to keep most of the wood. For example, woodgears.ca often mounts a circular saw blade in his table saw because they are much thinner. There is also some of the super thin kerf blades from infinity tools that could work as well.