Figured grain - how do you folks work with it?

[Tom Fischer]

Hi, I started a thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?200747-Case-construction-no-floating-panels)about making some bedroom furniture.
Instead of making that thread really long, just thought I'd start a new one.

Originally black walnut, the DW wanted cherry, which I also have in my wood pile.
I have enough for a couple pieces.
I pulled some boards out and started to dimension them.
Many have curly figure. Kind of cool, since the tree was along my driveway some years ago.
It was about 30" at the base, but directly under the power lines. The power company pruned the tree into the hereafter.
After it died, and I called my local Woodmizer man.
***
Anyway, my Delta 12" thickness planer is not doing a great job on the curly grain.
I changed the cutter blades yesterday, brand new.

258374

***
I know that tool companies also make spiral cutters and wide belt sanders.
For example From Grizzly,

G0453PX 15" Planer with Spiral Cutterhead ...$1845 w/shipping

G0459 12" Baby Drum Sande ... $674 w/shipping

How do you folks deal with curly stock?

Thanks!

tom

[Ed Labadie]

Spiral cutterheads on both jointer & planer. You don't want to use a drum sander for dimensioning stock, takes forever, they are a more of a finish machine. I use my Woodmaster for flattening large panels.

Ed

[Tom Fischer]

Spiral cutterheads on both jointer & planer. You don't want to use a drum sander for dimensioning stock, takes forever, they are a more of a finish machine. I use my Woodmaster for flattening large panels.

Ed

Thanks Ed, can I assume that means a new machine?
I see that a company offers an upgrade (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Accu-Head-Helical-Cutter-Head-FITS-Delta-Dewalt-Ryobi-Ridgid-Portable-Planers-/151003849366) ($250) to my lunchbox Delta 22-540. Any thoughts on it?

[Bill Wyko]

Either go to a shelix head or use a drum sander. |I get close with my planer then use the drum sander for the rest. DS will take a while but if you're not doing production, you'll still be done in one afternoon. Use 80grit and take your time. After looking at that helical head, that will probably be your best & cheapest rout. Should be smooth as 2000 grit.

[Andrew Hughes]

Before I got carbide inserts in my machines I back beveled my knives even a small amount works great.Turns the cut into a scrape lite pass and slower feed on the jointer only is the only downside.Very nice looking cherry Tom

[Tom Fischer]

Before I got carbide inserts in my machines I back beveled my knives even a small amount works great.Turns the cut into a scrape lite pass and slower feed on the jointer only is the only downside.Very nice looking cherry Tom

Thanks Andrew - you mean just run a fine stone over the edge, flatten slightly, then put a burr on it?
I can try that.

Looking at these helical planers, don't think I even have room for one, unless I have to :cool:

[Alan Bienlein]

I just run it thru my Ridgid TP1300 with the helical head I installed from Accu-Head.

[Orlyn Gaddis]

Over the past few years I've been working exclusively with figured woods (crotch and fiddle back figured walnut, tiger-striped and quilted maple). These figured woods are a real problem on the planer. When I have planer blades sharpened I specify a back bevel for the scraping action as mentioned above. If you have a wide enough planer it also helps sometimes to feed the work piece through on a diagonal (provides a shearing cut similar to that of a spiral/helical head). These techniques help some but do not totally eliminate tear-out. As with a previous poster, I get the thicknessing close with the planer and finish up with 80 gr on a thickness sander. I did consider ordering one of the after market helical cutter heads but when I inquired with the manufacturer about availability for my 20 inch planer I got no response. That always really irritates me when a manufacturer is unresponsive even before a sale. Makes me very wary about their after sale customer service.

[John TenEyck]

Unless you plan to work with figured woods a lot, buying a new planer makes no sense to me. But if you don't already own a drum sander, that would make a lot of sense because you will use it on nearly every project. Like some others posted, I use my straight knife planer to get close and then finish with the drum sander. How close? Depends upon how nasty the wood is, but normally about 1/32" thick per side. It does take 4 or 5 passes per side through the drum sander, but it's perfectly flat and smooth when I'm done.

John

[Joe Shinall]

Either go to a shelix head or use a drum sander. |I get close with my planer then use the drum sander for the rest. DS will take a while but if you're not doing production, you'll still be done in one afternoon. Use 80grit and take your time. After looking at that helical head, that will probably be your best & cheapest rout. Should be smooth as 2000 grit.

Ditto on this. When I bought my Grizzly 15" planer I had to clean it up really good and adjust it in so I did a lot of research on everything there is about blades and such in a planer. I never even turned it on with the original cutterhead in place. I bought a shelix and never looked back. Cuts like butter. Have never had tear out even in birds eye maple. If you are to use a DS, also as Bill says, 80 grit and just take your time. I used my DS while I was cleaning/rebuilding my planer and it did take a while and use up the paper good but it worked.