Shopsmith Forums

any thoughts on running an end grain cutting board thru a planer ----I always thought this was a no-no but saw it done on youtube----is it safe if so what precautions need to be taken

If you can, cut a small chamfer with a router along the edge where the planer blades will exit. his should minimize the tearout. Another method is to plane halfway across the board and then lift the blades and reverse the piece and lower the blades to the original setting and plane from the opposite end
Bill V

I think there's a sawdust session where Nick showed how to use the conical disc sander in vertical mode to thickness plane a board. I think I would be tempted to try something like that.

Attach a sacrificial board on the ends, maybe with turner's tape, and plane away.

All good tips here but I would worry about tear out of the end grain, If me and using a planer, I would do all that was suggested here and only take a 64-32nd at a time unless you have a conical head on yours, other thought is a drum sander if you have access to one. I am lucky, my wood supplier has both.

ERLover wrote:All good tips here but I would worry about tear out of the end grain, If me and using a planer, I would do all that was suggested here and only take a 64-32nd at a time unless you have a conical head on yours, other thought is a drum sander if you have access to one. I am lucky, my wood supplier has both.

I have a Performax drum sander and that would be my choice. However, my SS Pro Planer with minimum feed speed might work. Another reason for the SS planer.

I would also use abrasives of some sort. I agree you could use the SS planer with very slow feed rate and very small increments but you may trash the planer knives.
Paul

masonsailor2 wrote:I would also use abrasives of some sort. I agree you could use the SS planer with very slow feed rate and very small increments but you may trash the planer knives.
Paul

Very small feed and very small cutter depth. That is what the SS planer gives you that no other planer does. Kind of like a hand plane but of course not quite. IMO worth the price.

Why would you trash the planer knives? It is still just wood. End grain harder to cut than long grain? Maple harder than Pine?

I would be concerned re glue squeeze out and that in the joints.

JPG made a good point, I made some tables a few years back and laminated a different wood in the center of them, all excess glue was wiped off of them, I had 16 legs, I joint 2 sides on my jointer I developed nicks in the blades right where the lamination was, I figured it was from the glue in the joint itself.