Board rehab.

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tripleq

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A couple of months ago I received some advice from John about rehabbing my boards. I followed his instructions by not applying any oil or board butter for a while to let the wood dry out a little and prevent the sandpaper from gumming up excessively. This seems to have done the trick as I got by with relatively few paper changes. I rented a belt sander and used a 80/100/120/150 paper progression although I can't remember if John recommended the 150 or not. It worked out nicely in any case. My two boards are a 22x22 cherry and a 24x22 walnut. The cherry really showed the heavy use it sees but post-rehab both boards are looking almost as good as when they first arrived. The entire process from start to cleanup took about 2 hours.

This speaks to the quality of BoardSMITH products because I bought these boards back in 2005-2006 when Dave was running the show (If memory serves he had just appeared on the scene around that time). Considering the use I've already gotten out of them combined with the fact they'll be with me for a log, long time to come makes these boards an exceptional value.

Thank for the advice, John!
 
Fantastic! Post pics if you would. I'd love to see the pre/post shots.
 
You know John, this was the 1st rehab I did on those boards since I bought them so we are talking over a decade. If I had imagined the difference the rehab would make I would have taken before shots but I didn't. Right now they just look brand new. Another thing that surprised me was that they **really** really soaked in the oil post-rehab.
 
You know John, this was the 1st rehab I did on those boards since I bought them so we are talking over a decade. If I had imagined the difference the rehab would make I would have taken before shots but I didn't. Right now they just look brand new. Another thing that surprised me was that they **really** really soaked in the oil post-rehab.

Gotcha. I'm really impressed that you could rent a belt sander and use it effectively. They are one of the most powerful tools in a woodworker's arsenal, but if you aren't careful, they can do a lot of damage in a hurry. It took me many months of practice to learn proper technique.
 
I seem to remember someone mentioning using a thicknesser to remove the top layer. Ony opinions on this? How much to remove?
 
Gotcha. I'm really impressed that you could rent a belt sander and use it effectively. They are one of the most powerful tools in a woodworker's arsenal, but if you aren't careful, they can do a lot of damage in a hurry. It took me many months of practice to learn proper technique.

Absolutely and a good point to make for those considering a rehab. I have some previous experience with a belt sander. A pricey cutting board might not be the best project for a novice user. A finishing sander might be a safer but slower option.


PS. I assume you are in occasional contact with Dave so please pass along the word that I still enjoy these boards after so many years. My only regret about doing business with him is that I didn't get the chance to buy a custom knife block while he was making them... hint, hint ;).
 
There's a lot of debate on that. It definitely can be done if you have a helical head on your planer (thicknesser), it's just risky. It's typically done with a sacrificial board attached along the back edge of the end grain butcher block to lessen blow out, and the passes are extremely light... like 1mm. Sanding is definitely the preferred way to go.
 
There's a lot of debate on that. It definitely can be done if you have a helical head on your planer (thicknesser), it's just risky. It's typically done with a sacrificial board attached along the back edge of the end grain butcher block to lessen blow out, and the passes are extremely light... like 1mm. Sanding is definitely the preferred way to go.
Thanks John.
 
Wow! A 13 year old board that looks good after a rehab. Maybe I was building them to well. Happy the rehab went well and maybe the board is ready for 13 mor years of use.

When I was building the boards, I used a 4 x 24 belt sander down to just 100 grit and then followed up with a ROS down to 120 grit. The finer grits are okay but just not needed, sometimes you can get wood so slick that finishes have a hard time sticking.

Anyway, I enjoy hearing from past customers and am very happy the investment has paid off.
 
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