Straight Line Sander? Flattening End Grain cutting boards help.

[Patrick Irish]

I currently do not have a drum sander and using a ridgid 13" planer. When I make end grain cutting boards of different thicknesses of woods, I find sanding them flat to be a pain. My belt sander skills are either lacking or it's very difficult to flatten with a belt sander.

My dad suggested an straight line sander like below, they are used in the auto industry. They are 2" x 17" roughly and seems like it would flatten a board pretty good. Any thoughts on this?

It's a pain for me to head to the cabinet shop and wait several days for $40 to flatten a board. I hope so soon find a used drum sander or get my 16" old powermatic running and try planing end grain with it, carefully of course with sacrificial runners etc.

I have a couple hand planes too but need to perfect my skills in the that. The current board I made is about 1.5" thick but wavy in spots. I can put little rubber feet on it and no one would know but I'd rather avoid the feet and square the board up.

[Bill Dufour]

Any cooks here. Does it really matter if a cutting board is flat? Is suppose it should be flat enough not to rock other then that I do not know how much it matters. I have seen old ones worn hollow from use.
Of course being ww's we want them to start out nice and flat on both sides for some unknown reason.
If we were car designers we would never allow a flat surface to show. All the car bits you can see are always curved because that is the way they are supposed to look. curves look more sleek, stylish and streamlined to car designers.

[Larry Edgerton]

I use one on occasion. Very aggressive, but would work for your situation. I follow up with a random orbit air board, one of my favorite sanders.

[Steve Eure]

I honestly don't see the problem with using a planer on an end grain cutting board. I've done it for a few years with very little problem. I always take very small cuts and it may take several passes to get the desired results, but it will work. BUT, you need to make sure your knives are sharp and take light passes as said before.
I know what the experts say about blowout on end grain, but I haven't had that experience. My suggestion is if you are worried about it, make a board out of scrape and try it. If it doesn't work for you, you won't have lost anything.

[Cary Falk]

I would make a router sled and then finish with a ROS.

[Earl Rumans]

Build, or buy, yourself a Flatmaster sander. http://stockroomsupply.ca/shop/drum-sanders.html They work great on cutting boards and lots of other projects that you need to have a flat surface. I have a 24 inch one and it was a lifesaver when I was making several end grain cutting boards for Christmas presents one year. I now have a Jet drum sander but I still use my Flatmaster for certain projects because a regular drum sander will not necessarily give you a flat surface.

[glenn bradley]

I would make a router sled and then finish with a ROS.

Ding, ding, ding. Cary hits another winner. +1 on this in the absence of a drum sander.

[Patrick Irish]

Ding, ding, ding. Cary hits another winner. +1 on this in the absence of a drum sander.

I've made a router sled for a big coffee table slab. For a cutting board, it seems a little more difficult in order to get the board flat first and not wobble then plane it. I can see it working, just more setup I guess.

[Warren Lake]

Before I built a stroke sander i used a 3 x 21 belt sander you can do good work with one of those when you develop a feel for it. The auto body file might be fine but is not a hard pad on the bottom and a belt sander is. The plus is you can start from pretty coarse grits. I dont see it being that good though but then im used to stroke sanders they were the main stay of many small old school shops. I dont see a photo to see what you are starting with and that would have some info for us to see how uneven or just what it is like easier to comment from there.

[Patrick Irish]

Pics of the board. You can see the amount of light coming through in the middle and how wavy the edge is. I used a 3x21 belt sander so far.


I'm not opposed trying light passes in my planer however it's a 13" and this board is nearly 13". I also worry about the 1/4" mahogany alternating joints.

[Patrick Irish]

[Bradley Gray]

Nice looking board.

I'm curious if you have made end grain boards with long grain edging before?

I would be concerned about the cross grain construction blowing up when it gets wet.

[Andrew Hughes]

I agree good looking board. But the long grain wrapping the outside needs to go Mother Nature will tear it apart.
It will most likely bulge and crack.

[Patrick Irish]

I've made borders on several and no issues. I should a a guy I sold one to hownits holding up. They were glued and clamped for at 12 hours. I could add some dowels on the side about 2" deep, did that to another. But honestly, after a mineral oil soak and then oil and beeswax top coat, water heads up.