What tool do you use?

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Chef Niloc

Banned
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
1,032
Reaction score
1
Hi Dave
Just wondering what tool do you use to surface your boards after laminating them together? I could only imagine that surfacing and grin wood would reek havoc on a planer machine blade (if work at all), I'm thinking you use A helical blade planer or drum sander, right?
 
I rent time at another shop on their 37" wide belt sander. We start at 60 grit, change to 80 grit then finish at 120 grit which makes the boards very flag and quite smooth. The wide belt does a terrific job and doesn't take that long. Then I get back to the shop for trimming, final sanding and oiling.

I can't use a planer because it will destroy the knives and produce blow out at the ends. That is one of the quickest ways to enrage a good woodworker, damage his machines. Even though I use spiral heads with carbide inserts on the jointer and planer, I wouldn't think of running end grain through them.
 
Thanks for the answer Dave.
BTW would a drum sander do a better job than a large belt sander?
Also does that mean that 36 inches is the biggest you can make a board? Reason I'm asking is I've been dreaming about/planning to order a long board to fit one of my work tables, don't remember exactly, would have to measure again but I want to say it's 44" x 17?
Board the size will run me about 80-$100 bucks, right?:angel2::whistling:
 
I've wondered about the planer. There are quite a few end grain board "plans" online that say to use it. Always seemed like a bad idea.
 
Planers are meant for face or edge grain wood, never for end grain. If a plan calls for using one to flatten an end grain board the instructor simply doesn't know what they are doing. If they are using a straight knife planer, the end grain will chip the HSS blades and dull them in a minute of use. The carbide inserts in a spiral head will wiork better and last longer but will blow out the trailing end grain on the back edge something fierce!

A wide belt sander will work better than a drum sander. Most drum sanders aren't made for the heavy work a wide belt sander can do. I have a double drum sander. It does a terrific job but the wide belt sander works quicker and more precisely. The wide belt sander I rent time on costs over $25,000.00 and is a dream to use.

If size is important, LOL, I know of several other shops in town with wider sanders I can rent time on. Some use three heads and are up to 57" wide.
 
Just watched the. Russian video. Two huge mistakes, running the end grain through a planer and using Tung oil with a heavy metal drier. Never food safe!
 
Back
Top