Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Mar 12, 2006 09:19am | #1

   I'd recommend the sander, Angus. Try to get things pretty close in the assembly. The planer won't like the end grain and you may stress the glue joints. They will be tenuous enough without beating on them. You can sometimes get by with wetting the surface before planing but your knives will get dull quickly and there is no guaranty.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   angusj | Mar 12, 2006 10:30am | #2

   thanks for the advice.  That is what i figured but i thought i would run it by someone with more experience.  thanks again. 

2. 
   philip | Mar 12, 2006 10:46am | #3

   You can use even that Dewalt, although a bit on the light side. You need to take a fine cut and use a method of protecting the trailing edge from blow out.
   I have used two methods to preserve the trailing edge . One is to chamfer that edge with a hand plane, so you will have to allow some oversize for that. The other is to glue on a strip of long grain, then saw it off afterwards.
   I'm sure there are smarter ways but I only had a few to do and on the two occasions both those methods were fine.

   Philip Marcou
3. 
   UnclePablo | Mar 12, 2006 02:03pm | #4

   You may want to find a local commercial shop with a wide belt sander. Quick, fast, and almost perfect. Who knows, they may even chuck it through there for nothing( I would).

   Good Luck,

   -Paul 

4. 
   Pondfish | Mar 12, 2006 02:27pm | #5

   A thickness planar will give you a lot of tear out, so avoid it.

   Sanding works, though the end grain is most crisp when it is hand planed or scraped.  If you have hand planes, sharpen them up and use one, cutting from the edges into the center.  Avoid tearout at the edges by not cutting that far.

   If planing is not an option, sand, but follow it with a cabinet scraper.  It will give you a very clean cut and look loads better than sanded end grain.

   Recommending the use of "Hide Signatures" option under "My Preferences" since 2005
5. 
   SgianDubh | Mar 12, 2006 04:11pm | #6

   It can be done Angus. The machine won't like it much as others have said and you'll need to take light cuts. Spelch at the end of the cut could be a problem as Philip described, so his solutions would work if you do go ahead and use a machine.

   Alternatives, as have been mentioned, are sanding machines--  drum sanders, oscillating thickness sanders and hand-held belt sanders along with orbital or random orbital and hand sanding will also do the job.

   There is of course always that last bastion of woodworking that many fear-- hand work, and in this case, with those unmentionables known as hand planes (sic).

   Gawd protect us from people only blessed with hand tool skills. They get all snotty and sneery about lesser mortals that think horsepower first- and get even more upset when some of us use whichever method works best for the job in hand, which might be both, ha, ha--- ha, ha, ha.

   Am I supposed to put one of those daft smiley things in here or something? Slainte.

   Richard Jones Furniture

1. 
   forestgirl | Mar 12, 2006 06:45pm | #7

   Richard, I was hoping you'd stop by the Finishing folder under Skills & Techniques and take a stab at my glittery finish problem ("bizzare finishing problem"). Got time?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   SgianDubh | Mar 12, 2006 07:26pm | #8

   I spotted it FG. I didn't respond because I don't know what's causing the effect you describe. I'm pretty sure I've come across the effect, and I'm pretty sure I've heard of a cause, but my memory hasn't matched them up.

   It crossed my mind that you'd recently been attending ballroom dancing classes in the full regalia-- and then straight into the workshop for a bit of polishing. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture

1. 
   forestgirl | Mar 14, 2006 12:10am | #10

   ['scuze me Angusj for this side-patter with Richard]

   Richard -- do you know anything about the "crystallization test" that the manufacturers cite for their tung oil.  Steve Schoene brought it up, but neither of us has found any information other than the fact that it's a test they do and quote in their specs.  If you "know something" <g> plzzz respond in my thread so I can leave Angusj in peace.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   angusj | Mar 13, 2006 08:59am | #9

   thanks guys i was hoping to get it glued up this weekend but it has come and gone.  I think I'll wait to see how the glue up turns out and maybe I'll try the hand planes.  I have a couple and I don't want to stress the dewalt. I'll let you know how it turns out.

1. 
   BG | Mar 14, 2006 12:56pm | #12

   Angusj,
   If you don't get a flat glue up...if the glue doesn't hold...all of a sudden you've got 1 1/2" CUBES FLYING ALL OVER THE PLACE...destroying the blades and throwing the timing off on your planer...DAMHIKT.
   It sits in four sections of my shop now testifying to my folly. One section was planed and sanded...fell apart when the water soaked in..

3. 
   philip | Mar 14, 2006 10:18am | #11

   'Am I supposed to put one of those daft smiley things?'- No, but you can take a medal.Philip Marcou

6. 
   rubydog | Mar 15, 2006 03:33am | #13

   Hi Angusj,

   I do a lot of kitchen island tops with end grain maple. When I make one I start with 8/4 pieces cut to 12" (my planer capacity) and glue enough together on the side grain to get the final width. Now I've got a bunch of glue ups 12" long by whatever width. I run them through the planer to get the glue lines smooth. Unhook the planer from the dust collector and remove the dust collector hood. The shavings are so big they would clog your ducts. Let 'em fly; they sweep up easily. Be ultra careful of the exposed knives. I'll then rip (technically crosscut) 3 pieces at 3 7/8" each from each "board". Stand them on end grain, stagger the glue lines, and do your final glue up.

   The advantages here are not having to clamp in 2 directions and gaining a much easier time aligning the top surface.

   I just belt sand. Start with 36 grit. Keep the sander moving and attack from all directions - there's no grain direction after all. Get rid of the glue lines and work your way up to 150 grit, which will leave no visible scratches.

   A kitchen island with a thick chopping block top will instantly become the heart of your home. We regularly have meals standing at the island, cooking while eating. Usually a bottle of wine and a few candles scattered amongst the chicken bones and onion skins. Good times...

   Steve

7. 
   wdrite | Mar 16, 2006 09:27pm | #14

   Planing endgrain for a butcher block type cutting surface on a planer is a foolish thing to do.  It might blow apart and if it does could injure anyone around or seriously damage your machine.  Not worth the risk.