HELP! My planer is scalloping my board!

[Kurt Cady]

I'm trying to finish up making some cutting boards for Xmas, but my planer is making the task difficult.

After gluing up the panel and sending it through the planer, the surface is scalloped. I've tried taking light passes on either side of the board to remove them, but it isn't working. The board appears to be flat (not cupped)

Has anyone seen this before? Any ideas?244524

I've tried to post a picture, but not sure it worked.

[John TenEyck]

Do you mean scallops across the board, like coming from the knives? If so, one of the knives is too high or too low.

John

[Kurt Cady]

Do you mean scallops across the board, like coming from the knives? If so, one of the knives is too high or too low.

John

No. I think the picture is working now. If you look at the end of the panel, the scallops are along the panel - perpendicular to the end grain.

It's a straight knife planer - not spiral

[Rob Holcomb]

I've had that happen, primarily with Cherry. It happened because I didn't orient the grain correctly so some strips were going one direction while others were going the other direction so when I fed it through the planer, the boards entering with the grain going the wrong way ended up with the scalloping. Try turning the board around and sending it through. You run the risk of the same thing happening to other boards but maybe they will be fine. Just take a light pass so if it does damage other boards you always can hit the board with a belt sander to fix the issue.

[Jim Neeley]

Have you checked your cutters for dings? A ding where some of the metal is pushed proud will leave longitudinal cuts.

[Kurt Cady]

Have you checked your cutters for dings? A ding where some of the metal is pushed proud will leave longitudinal cuts.

I know it isn't a knife ding, I have a small one of those too!

[Kurt Cady]

I've had that happen, primarily with Cherry. It happened because I didn't orient the grain correctly so some strips were going one direction while others were going the other direction so when I fed it through the planer, the boards entering with the grain going the wrong way ended up with the scalloping. Try turning the board around and sending it through. You run the risk of the same thing happening to other boards but maybe they will be fine. Just take a light pass so if it does damage other boards you always can hit the board with a belt sander to fix the issue.

Interesting, I'll try that out. I do know I didn't pay all that close of attention to grain direction.

I was hoping to avoid running the whole panel through the drum sander. The planer is much quicker!

[Myk Rian]

I was hoping to avoid running the whole panel through the drum sander. The planer is much quicker!
But many people would argue the sander is the better choice for the finished surface.

[Howard Acheson]

Is it just me? I'm not seeing any picture.

[Kurt Cady]

I've had that happen, primarily with Cherry. It happened because I didn't orient the grain correctly so some strips were going one direction while others were going the other direction so when I fed it through the planer, the boards entering with the grain going the wrong way ended up with the scalloping. Try turning the board around and sending it through. You run the risk of the same thing happening to other boards but maybe they will be fine. Just take a light pass so if it does damage other boards you always can hit the board with a belt sander to fix the issue.

Have you had this happen without having any tearout? I don't have a tearout

[Richard Coers]

Proper dust collection? If overloaded, chips can get recycled around the head and get trapped between the cutter and the board.

[Kurt Cady]

Proper dust collection? If overloaded, chips can get recycled around the head and get trapped between the cutter and the board.

Plenty of DC and the scallops are on the order of 12" long

[Kurt Cady]

But many people would argue the sander is the better choice for the finished surface.

This is happening at the panel stage, prior to cutting strips and turning them end grain up. Will def use drum sander for flattening the end grain

[ed vitanovec]

What model planer are you using? Have you done this process before?

[glenn bradley]

Plenty of DC and the scallops are on the order of 12" long

Interesting. So these are not blade alignment issues which would be close groups of scallops. These are more like waves in the sea and only on some boards. I would have to go with material characteristic but, this is a new one on me ;-)

[Kurt Cady]

What model planer are you using? Have you done this process before?

Its a Ridgid 4330. I've made a dozen or so cutting boards before. On some I noticed it, barely. On some it was perfectly flat. I'll try to get a better pic

[McKay Sleight]

Time to get your #7, #3 and scraper out. Plane the piece to 1/16" proud then finish with the hand planes. I do this as standard fair as I do not want any mill marks on the finished piece. It really is not much work.

[Mel Fulks]

I just looked up that machine. I don't think any of those machines with thin proprietary knives leave a surface as good as that made by the thick knife type. If it doesn't make the marks on a softer wood,it's the thin knives.They may be dull,too.

[Ted Calver]

Are these end grain cutting boards?

[Kurt Cady]

Are these end grain cutting boards?

Yes, but it is happening at te flat panel step.

I ended up running the panel through the drum sander, then cutting into strips.

[Bill Huber]

You are running them long grain into the planer correct.
If you run them cross grain you will get something like you are saying with a harder and then a softer board.

[Peter Froh]

I've had chips get lodged under a section of the blade causing that section of the blade to cut deeper than the rest. Take your blades out and make sure they are clear of this possible problem.

[Kurt Cady]

You are running them long grain into the planer correct.
If you run them cross grain you will get something like you are saying with a harder and then a softer board.

Yes. Running them long grain into the mouth of the beast



I've had chips get lodged under a section of the blade causing that section of the blade to cut deeper than the rest. Take your blades out and make sure they are clear of this possible problem.

I don't think it's that either. The scalloped areas were only about 12" long - then flat after that.

I gave up trying to figure it out this weekend. Another weekend maybe. I had to get back to getting stuff done. I cut the panel into 20" lengths and fed them through the drum sander to flatten them out before segmenting and turning end grain up.


Thank you everyone for the ideas. My first thought was that the board was cupped, the pressure from the rollers flattened it out at the knife, then it cupped again. This didn't make sense and I can't think of a scenario will that will occur.