My first end grain cutting board

[Ray D]

Planning end grain is a no no in my opinion. Its dangerous to do and can damage smaller benchtop planers if you get kick back. I always take the safe way and run them through a drum sander. You can also use a belt sander, much safer than trying to run em through a planner.

Good to know. I’ve done it a bunch without a problem but it only takes one kickback to change that.

 

[woodtickgreg]

Good to know. I’ve done it a bunch without a problem but it only takes one kickback to change that.

Some guys do it, adding sacrificial boards and taking very light cuts etc. But 45 years ago when I was a kid in school shop class it was always thought to us that you never plane or joint end grain. So I just never do it. Not worth the risk imo.

 

[Ray D]

Some guys do it, adding sacrificial boards and taking very light cuts etc. But 45 years ago when I was a kid in school shop class it was always thought to us that you never plane or joint end grain. So I just never do it. Not worth the risk imo.

I agree with you Greg. When I made my first one several years ago I was surprised to see the videos of guys running them through the planer. I don’t recall them warning us about potential kickbacks but they did talk about significant blade life reduction.
I guess I need to get a drum sander. Have to talk to the wife. Lol.
Thanks for your response.

 

[Ray D]

Oh and that’s funny about the school thing. 40 years ago when cypress slab clocks were popular I watched a guy run one through the planer. It threw bits and pieces everywhere. That’s the first thing I thought of when I watched the video of end grain planing.

 

[Wildthings]

Just wondering. Do any of you end grain cutting board makers run your boards through the plainer? I add a sacrificial piece to the tail end of my cutting boards and run them through the plainer. I take minuscule cuts during each pass and the trim off the sacrificial end board. Obviously I do not own a drum sander. Lol

Ditto!!

 

[Ray D]

I guess I won’t need to use the planer for my end grain cutting boards anymore. It just so happens I got that Performax 16/32 I was looking at. The lady agreed to my $300 offer. That thing was quite heavy.

 

[Tom Smart]

Just wondering. Do any of you end grain cutting board makers run your boards through the plainer? I add a sacrificial piece to the tail end of my cutting boards and run them through the plainer. I take minuscule cuts during each pass and the trim off the sacrificial end board. Obviously I do not own a drum sander. Lol

I won’t run end grain through the planer, even though I changed the head on my Dewalt 735 from blades to carbide cutters. I use a drum sander, more control for some of the very fine adjustments.

 

[Tom Smart]

I guess I won’t need to use the planer for my end grain cutting boards anymore. It just so happens I got that Performax 16/32 I was looking at. The lady agreed to my $300 offer. That thing was quite heavy.

That’s a great price for that machine. You will like working with it. Might take a little longer than a planer on end grain projects but much safer.

 

[chippin-in]

I have read that planing end grain boards is a no no, but I have made 2 boards and planed them both as I don't have a drum sander. I am not advocating this, but this is how I did it.

I took super light cuts - my steel city planer with helical cutting head takes about 1/16" per turn and I do about 1/8 of a turn, so very light.

In order to stop the tear out on the back end I used a 1/4" round over bit on all 4 edges (I was going to round it over anyway). I only tried this on the last board. I used Padauk/Padouk which I found tears easily, but I did not have any tear out on this board.

I added a pic of the board I did.

Thanks
Robert

 

[El Guapo]

Great looking cutting boards! Man, I wish I had a drum sander... or a friend nearby with a drum sander.

 

[Wildthings]

I glue a sacrificial board on the ass end to take the abuse and saw it off when done