End Grain...A Better Tool for the Job?

[John Kali]

Well, its officially fall, I guess this means I will start making cutting boards for the hollidays. I am looking for an easier way to flatten the end grain on the larger boards. I have a craftsman drum sander. Its the 18 inch model that is pretty much the same as the grizzly, delta etc...It works well, but after many passes, the drum, and wood invariably get hot and the wood gets burn marks.

Im thinking a hand plane would work well to do the initial flattening, then just do a few passes with the drum sander to achieve final flattness. Will the Veritas low angle jack plane work well for what I want to do? Will it be any better/easier/faster than just feeding cutting boards through the drum sander till the cows come home and hand sanding out the burn marks? I want to get the 25 degree blade with the new PM-V11 steel .This will be my first plane, so Im not really sure about which plane, and what angle to get. Im kinda hoping this will be one of those things that once I have it, I wont know how I got along without it for soo long...


Thanks a lot, John K

[Bruce Wrenn]

I would use a router. Build a "bridge" to support router. Router has to travel back and forth on bridge. For a bit, I use a $5 Woodcraft rabbeting bit, with bearing removed, and center stud (bearing mount) ground off. Be sure and add some side support to cutting blocks to prevent tear out.

[David Weaver]

If you're cutting endgrain with a plane, and you're thinking something veritas, I would get the low angle jack and a 25 degree iron. Camber the edges just a little. It should leave a waxy look on the endgrain like you have never seen with power tools.

[John Kali]

Thanks for the info, that is exciting to hear about the finish a plane will leave. Whatever I get, it doesnt have to be veritas. It could be Lie Neilson too, or whatever other brands are good. I just mentioned the veritas jack plane because I know they make quality stuff, and the new PM-V11 tool steel blades sound promising.

[Bill Huber]

What grit paper are you using on the sander?

I use my Jet 10-20 all the time for my end grain boards with a lot of purple heart which burns really easy and I just don't have a problem.
I am using 80 grit and do not take a lot at a time then finish up with the ROS.

I have found that the glue up is really the first step in getting it nice and flat. Good cuts and cauls are a must.

When I say good cuts they have to be 90°, not 89.7 but 90°, if they are not 90° then they will want to walk up when you glue them.

[Stephen Cherry]

If you are planning on planing end grain, you will need to be able to sharpen. This may take some considerable effort, or you may be able to do it very easily. The beginning of sharp is being able to shave hair off of your arm.

I've worked out a system that allows me to take a garage sale plane from dull to pretty sharp in less than an hour. Once you have a plane sharp, resharpening is a part of use. If you take on the sharpening aspects of plane use with some enthusiasm, everything will go a lot better.

If I could only choose one, it might be my LN shoulder block plane:
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1269

[Jim Neeley]

John,

+1 on the LA Jack.. I'm with David.

If you have the opportunity, try the LN and LV out to see which you like best. The angle and shape of the handles are somewhat different between the two; both are awesomely made. If you are going to be using a hand tool a lot, there's a lot to be said for seeing how it fits in your hand.

If you ask around the Neanderthal forum you'll likely find people a short drive from you who have these planes and who'd let you come by and try it out. That's the very best way!! I'm in Alaska or you could try my LV!! :)

[Michael W. Clark]

I don't have a drum sander. I have used a smoothing plane and No.80 cabinet scraper to get it close. I could probably finish it with the scraper, but my scraper sharpening skills and use leave something to be desired. I get it close, then final sand with an ROS. The last time that I started with a ver coarse grit, it took forever to get all the deep scratches out on the end grain. The finer sandpaper grit you can start with, I think the better.

[John Kali]

What grit paper are you using on the sander?

I use my Jet 10-20 all the time for my end grain boards with a lot of purple heart which burns really easy and I just don't have a problem.
I am using 80 grit and do not take a lot at a time then finish up with the ROS.

I have found that the glue up is really the first step in getting it nice and flat. Good cuts and cauls are a must.

When I say good cuts they have to be 90°, not 89.7 but 90°, if they are not 90° then they will want to walk up when you glue them.

Bill, I use 120 grit. It seems to be the best compromise between really deep scratches, and burns. That said, most of the boards I do arent exactly small. I often push the sander to its capacity with 18" wide end grain blocks. I usually do a few at a time, and as I said, after a while things just start to get warm. Especially since with boards that big you have to take a lot of extremely small passes. I suppose I could go to 80 grit, but then I would still be sanding for days trying to get all the scratches out.....Besides, I "need" a new plane :D


If you are planning on planing end grain, you will need to be able to sharpen. This may take some considerable effort, or you may be able to do it very easily. The beginning of sharp is being able to shave hair off of your arm.

I've worked out a system that allows me to take a garage sale plane from dull to pretty sharp in less than an hour. Once you have a plane sharp, resharpening is a part of use. If you take on the sharpening aspects of plane use with some enthusiasm, everything will go a lot better.

If I could only choose one, it might be my LN shoulder block plane:
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1269

Thanks for the info, I have no problem getting my blades "shave-worthy" :)


John,

+1 on the LA Jack.. I'm with David.

If you have the opportunity, try the LN and LV out to see which you like best. The angle and shape of the handles are somewhat different between the two; both are awesomely made. If you are going to be using a hand tool a lot, there's a lot to be said for seeing how it fits in your hand.

If you ask around the Neanderthal forum you'll likely find people a short drive from you who have these planes and who'd let you come by and try it out. That's the very best way!! I'm in Alaska or you could try my LV!! :)

Good Idea, I will deffinitely try to do this.


I don't have a drum sander. I have used a smoothing plane and No.80 cabinet scraper to get it close. I could probably finish it with the scraper, but my scraper sharpening skills and use leave something to be desired. I get it close, then final sand with an ROS. The last time that I started with a ver coarse grit, it took forever to get all the deep scratches out on the end grain. The finer sandpaper grit you can start with, I think the better.

Hmm, I actually havent made an end grain board since I got all my scrapers early this year. Im not perfect at getting a burr, but I think I can do a satisfactory job. That may be a good trick to help get the burns out. Like you said, I would really like to avoid starting off with higher grit because deep scratches in end grain are a pain to sand out.

[Jim Matthews]

If you're doing them in small batches, you'll likely enjoy using a low angle plane (sharp as possible, as mentioned).
You'll need a backing strip all the way around, perhaps applied with double sided tape or hot glue, to prevent blow out at the ends (aka spelching).

If you're doing them in larger volumes, I would second using a router with a two-pass method and a sled.
One to get to a consistent depth, the second with a rounded profile (http://www.amanatool.com/bits-fv/45981.html)for the finish cut.

I wonder if the speed of the router bit will raise pitch in your material and result in burning, anyway.
It's very difficult to generate that much friction with hand planing.

[Carl Beckett]

This is a good question!

I prefer a hand plane finish on end grain. By a lot. The finish is so much smoother.

But hand planes can leave their own marks, especially when doing end grain. And it's going to be some work!

Having said that I still think it's your best bet.

The other approach I have had good luck with is wet sanding. Put your oil on and go at it with your ROS and some wet/dry paper.. About 320 grit. It will slurry a bit and fill pores, and the silica carbide 'cuts' a little better than a garnet or other abrasive. This only works for oil finish.

[Jeff Duncan]

Going to a coarser grit will get them sanded out much faster! Starting off with 120 grit is way too fine which is making your sander work too hard and burning your belts prematurely. Start with 80 grit and you'll work the machine less, and get the boards sanded faster. If you don't want to change the grits after sanding with a coarser grit belt you can simply work up through the grits with a ROS and still save yourself some time.

good luck,
JeffD

[John Coloccia]

Switch to Heavy Duty Abranet on your drum sander, and most of your burning problems will go away IMHO.

[Steven Hsieh]

Burn marks means you are either pushing it too hard or you need new sandpaper.

[Gordon Eyre]

I bought a LN low angle block plane several months ago and have used it on end grain many times. The polished look of the end grain is super unlike anything achieved with sandpaper. I do not hesitate to recommend a good low angle plane for your work.

[John Kali]

Hmm, seems like maybe I should get some new sandpaper, and a plane :D

All the comments on the finish a plane leaves makes me think I should get the 80 grip paper on my drum sander, then use the plane to take out the deep scratches. I love my woodworking, but standing around for a couple hours with a ROS in my hand isnt my favorite thing to be doing in the shop.

Thanks again for all the input!

[Prashun Patel]

Man, you guys are gluttons for punishment. I can't imagine flattening an end grain cutting board let alone boardS with a plane, no matter how well tuned. Even a router will likely require some cleanup of ridges and bit marks.

I think the best tool for this grunty job is a belt sander. I made 3 a few weeks ago, and that was enough to convince me.

Also, keep in mind that a cutting board will likely be finished with oil, which will leave a matte finish. This, and the fact that it'll take some abuse mean that any aesthetic diffs between a sanded and planed surface will likely be shortlived.

[Erik Christensen]

I agree - belt sander is the way to go. I just did an end grain top for a mobile cart - about 22"x38" - hard maple, purple heart & mahogany. I tried both 22" drum sander and LA jack - was not happy with the time to complete on either so I pulled out the belt sander - much better tool IMHO. You can keep it moving quickly so it never heats up any one spot and with a low angle light it is easy to see where you need more work. Only downside from any sander is the tendency for sawdust from darker species to discolor lighter ones, but to me it is a cutting board & the ones I make are not to hang on walls as art but to be cut on.

[Ron Kellison]

A "dish cutter" bit also works well and doesn't leave any edge on the cut because the corners are radiused.

Ron

[Brian Kincaid]

Bought a hand-held belt sander to flatten end-grain cutting boards. Works great!
Also use it on dovetails, I like to cut them to stand proud 1/64 or so (half a pencil mark).

-Brian

[Larry Edgerton]

I have an original Stanley low angle jack, and it is my favorite plane. If you were going to take all my planes away but one, thats the one I would keep.

But don't even think about it.........

Larry