newb question about end-grain cutting

[henry blint]

I have an old spindle shaper with wing-cutters, which I'm using instead of a router table. I've built a little coping sled, to cut tongue-and-groove on the end-grain. As a test, I ran a piece of poplar through. I had a groove cutter, a spacer, and another groove cutter stacked.

Is poplar always as fibrous as the picture shows, or is this an indication that the cutters are very dull?

Thank you.276089

[Ethan Melad]

it could also just be that the cutters are set a hair too short ; that is, the overall height of the stack (cutter, spacer, cutter) is slightly smaller than the thickness of the stock, so the bottom cutter is not cutting all the way through the bottom, and the top cutter is not clearing the top. do you have shims to add between the spacer and cutter?

[Mel Fulks]

You said ,old shaper. If it only has one speed it is probably just 8000 rpm and that's too slow for carbide cutters that are only about 3 inch diameter. If it has more than one speed ,use the fastest . Some poplar can just cut a bit fuzzy anyway.

[David Hawkins]

Have you checked the moisture content of the wood? A high moisture content can often produce that result.

[Stephen Cherry]

You said ,old shaper. If it only has one speed it is probably just 8000 rpm and that's too slow for carbide cutters that are only about 3 inch diameter. If it has more than one speed ,use the fastest . Some poplar can just cut a bit fuzzy anyway.

Yup- I've seen that also in popular. One idea would be to hit the area to be coped first with a couple of coats of shelac (zinsler bullsey from the home depot). Maybe that would hold things together to allow it to cut?

Small cutters want 10K rpm.

[Ray Newman]

I experienced similar results with popular. Score the work with a sharp utility knife to eliminate/reduce the" whiskers". And as others posted it could also be rotation speed and/or cutter sharpness.

[Jeff Duncan]

Some woods will do that occasionally when you cope them, even harder woods like oak and maple. It gets worse as your knives dull, and it looks like yours maybe due for a sharpening? I just take a sharp chisel and slice it right off before glue-up.

good luck,
JeffD