Renzo Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 Hi... I'm making a whack of cutting boards for christmas (everyone who sees mine LOVES it so gonna make a few for family and friends). I've gotten pretty good at having them relatively flat after the final glueup although not perfect. Against everything I read i ran the first one through my DeWalt 735 planer. I stood as far back as i could and hoped for the best, and actually all was fine, although sounded like a small cat was being put through instead of some end grain. I don't want to risk putting more end grain through (both for safety and for the wear on the planer). So thinking i'll pick up a belt sander or even hand planer. Anyone have any suggestions as per models etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 Don't do that again. You got lucky. BTW, it's killer on the knives and it can damage the planer if you're unlucky. I vote for a belt sander. I don't have one since I have a drum sander, but the Bosch compact belt sander looks very very nice. I wouldn't want to hand plane that much end-grain. Don't get too aggressive a belt at first and press down hard against the platen to get a level surface (well if you move around; not pressing hard can telegraph the belt undulations to the project) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmocyb Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 I agree with Paul-Marcel, I have a 3" X 24" belt sander and it makes short work of tasks like yours with great results. Be careful though, use bench dogs, a block, anything, as you may get a flyer because of the belt gripping the end grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renzo Posted September 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 I agree with Paul-Marcel, I have a 3" X 24" belt sander and it makes short work of tasks like yours with great results. Be careful though, use bench dogs, a block, anything, as you may get a flyer because of the belt gripping the end grain. Hahah yeah, that'd be about as bad as what i was expecting with the planer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renzo Posted September 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 I'm considering this one. The Bosch doesn't seem to be available within 10 mins of my house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpLev Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 hand planing that much end grain is NO FUN (I just attempted same thing). I personally reverted to using a router and sled which can be seen here: http://lumberjocks.com/PurpLev/blog/17193 Otherwise , the Dewalt belt sander is a great machine, and has an attachment that holds it on the bench as a stationary sander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jherndo Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 Assuming you don't have or want to buy a dedicated thickness sander you still have a few really good options. The router & sled is a great method but you still need a good random orbital sander to finish it. Another method that I'm looking into is to create a sandflee type device using a drill press or lathe. Here's a decent tutorial: http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-plans/sanding/extra-long-drum-sander/ The difference you'll want is to make it longer, but attach velcro to the outside and use a velcro backed sandpaper. (You'll also need a fence.) Then you put the piece through, only taking off very small amounts at a time so that the piece is just touching the sandpaper as the RPMs raise it off the jig. Don't get aggressive with trying to take a lot off at once because you don't want a lot of sideways pressure on your drill press spindle. If you've never heard of a sandflee check out woodcraft's video on it so you can see the theory behind this method. I've also seen people make thickness sanders out of a lathe. Personally, this seems like it's a good way to launch a cutting board across the room but some of the better ones look almost downright safe and I bet you could use the same sandflee theory of using velcro to prevent the piece from pinching hard and being sent into orbit. Look around and I'm sure you'll find lots of plans for this kind of thing. Free handing it with a belt sander is going to take a real delicate touch, so be prepared to have a few turned to scraps (or for outdoor use) until you can practice and get the surface night and level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don reilly Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 I dont know how many you might call a lot but on my last project I had 40 raised pannel cabinet doors that I wanted to get sanded down, I ended up taking them to a company that does just that sanding, I got all the doors sanded both sides super smooth in about a hour of work time me helping being the catcher, then all I had to sand after that was the detail on the pannels, stiles and rails, it saved me a bundle of time. and everything the same thickness. just an idea for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renzo Posted September 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 I dont know how many you might call a lot but on my last project I had 40 raised pannel cabinet doors that I wanted to get sanded down, I ended up taking them to a company that does just that sanding, I got all the doors sanded both sides super smooth in about a hour of work time me helping being the catcher, then all I had to sand after that was the detail on the pannels, stiles and rails, it saved me a bundle of time. just an idea for you. Hah.. well a lot for me probably means five Definitely want to do them myself. What i actually need is a drum sander! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don reilly Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 Hah.. well a lot for me probably means five Definitely want to do them myself. What i actually need is a drum sander! Oh! ok I didnt know that that was what you were trying to get, a new tool Ha Ha . Thats how I got my horizontal boring tool for those cabinet doors I made, told the wife I had to have that tool for her cabinet doors in her kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renzo Posted September 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 Oh! ok I didnt know that that was what you were trying to get, a new tool Ha Ha . Thats how I got my horizontal boring tool for those cabinet doors I made, told the wife I had to have that tool for her cabinet doors in her kitchen. Not sure a new $1500 tool would fly for a few cutting boards.. haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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