Planing farm black paint fence boards

[John Rice]

So my uncle has a large horse farm and just removed a lot of fence. The boards are solid oak and in great shape. The question I have is can I use my planer to remove the fence paint? I know some of the older boards are painted with a very thick black paint. Almost like tar. Some of the newer boards are painted black but with paint that is FDA approved (stopped making the old stuff). I’m not worried about the paint in terms of myself. I painted miles of fencing with that paint when I was a kid so I’ve already been exposed! Just wondering if I am going to ruin my Dewalt WD735.
I have access to probably 1,000 boards (not board feet)

[Matt Day]

The dirt and paint will wear the knives a lot quicker than clean wood, but you can do it.

[Jim Becker]

Can you? Yes. You're likely going to go through multiple sets of knives both because of the paint and abrasive materials that may be adhered to the boards or is embedded in the paint. I think I'd skip the old stuff unless you are sure it's newer than when the lead prohibitions went into effect. It doesn't matter that you were "exposed" back in the day...paint with lead can be bad news and there are good reasons why there are such stringent regulations on abatement, etc. Keep in mind that processing a thousand sticks through your lunchbox planer is also going to add a bit of wear and tear, too.

[John Rice]

It was in the late 90’s so should not have lead in it. I know of people who take truck loads of boards to sawmills near to have boards planed. I believe they charge by the minute. .50 cents or something. I am wondering if they would do it with painted boards? I’ll have to look into it. Thanks!!

[Tom M King]

Sell them to someone wanting fencing boards, and buy plain lumber. If you were anywhere near me, I might be interested in them for horse fencing.

[Andrew Hughes]

You’ll be planing paint and dirt. I can’t imagine it worth the trouble but then again there’s lots of stuff happening today I couldn’t imagine.

[Jim Becker]

Sell them to someone wanting fencing boards, and buy plain lumber. If you were anywhere near me, I might be interested in them for horse fencing.
This is actually a really good idea. Even oak doesn't get much kindness from the weather, despite the paint over the years. There's likely a lot of "wiggle wood" there.

[Lee Schierer]

How thick are the boards now and how thick are they likely to be after removing the paint. is that thickness suitable for the project you have in mind.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I would be very surprised if anyone else was willing to plane them for you. I used to sometimes plane lumber for people who bought it from us, but I would not plane their "reclaimed" lumber, since it is always dirty and usually has nails in it that they missed. In my opinion it's not worth the trouble and expense to plane them yourself, but everyone has their own ideas about what's practical.
Zach

[Richard Coers]

You might be planing an asphaltum based paint. Heat will do no good for your planer and could very easily result in having to strip down the entire machine to clean the gummy paint off of everything! We used old motor oil to treat wood truck beds when I was growing up on the farm too. You could be in for a real mess!

[Christopher Herzog]

Risk vs reward right?

Risk:
Blades are for sure toast, probably multiple sets but does it go from bad to worse? Blade hits something it is not made to and gives it up, how catastrophic can we what if that?

Chemical exposure, you have no idea what is flying in the air with the saw dust. SDS info, not a chance so dust mask or apr at least?

Machine wear and tear, I cannot imagine 1000 boards of this type and how much it will shorten the planers lifespan. That dewalt is what, ballpark 400-500 bucks

Reward:
Best case is oak lumber. Zero guarantee that you get prime lumber. Oak is a couple bucks a foot here rough sawn.

Danger+equipment cost>oak boards in my opinion.

As said above, sell them as fencing and buy the lumber you need.

Stay safe!
Chris

[Charles Taylor]

I use a belt sander outdoors when I really want to reclaim painted lumber. Then I use my jointer and planer as usual.

[Bob Riefer]

Maybe use them as-is for some fun/rustic projects with "character". A couple cornhole sets, planters, simple benches / stools, gates, trays, etc. Around here, people love old-timey stuff that's given another life.

(even still, throw on a blade you don't care about as much)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

1000 boards, if 1x6x8', you have 4000 board ft of lumber, at $2 is $8000 replacement cost. IF you are getting it free, there is definitely room in there to buy a few throw away cheap planers and still be way ahead. If they are 2x or wider, the math gets way better. I'm bucking the general consensus here, I'd do it if the resulting lumber is good stuff, it has to finish out at at least 3/4", and not a huge amount of waste.

[Mark Daily]

1000 boards, if 1x6x8', you have 4000 board ft of lumber, at $2 is $8000 replacement cost. IF you are getting it free, there is definitely room in there to buy a few throw away cheap planers and still be way ahead. If they are 2x or wider, the math gets way better. I'm bucking the general consensus here, I'd do it if the resulting lumber is good stuff, it has to finish out at at least 3/4", and not a huge amount of waste.
I think you are assuming he could sell it for that price.

[Doug Garson]

Could you resaw them on a band saw so you are cutting below the paint layer rather than thru the paint?

[Ira Matheny]

HMmmmmm....I wonder what a 36 grit [or 50 grit or even 80 grit] belt in the wide/belt sander would accomplish. A very good dust collection is a must!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I think you are assuming he could sell it for that price.

I'd think on replacement cost basis. I have to buy a big pile to get ok under $2 here, a just as you want, but the math indicates an opportunity my exist.

[Robert L Stewart]

I have done this only once, would not try again. 3 years ago my shop landlord ran three primed 1x12x12' boards thru the 24" planer, killed the sharp
knives right away. You may have better luck.

[Richard Coers]

HMmmmmm....I wonder what a 36 grit [or 50 grit or even 80 grit] belt in the wide/belt sander would accomplish. A very good dust collection is a must!
My guess would be an instant layer of melted paint on the abrasive. Heat and paint makes goop. Probably wouldn't last a foot in a wide belt.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have sanded paint off of old maple gym floor boards to make into a banjo, mandolin, dulcimer and fiddle for a customer who has a sentimental attachment to that particular old gym floor. I've done it with a drum sander, and have scraped off what I could by hand. The drum sander handled it fine, but it does dull the paper relatively fast and I have spent well over an hour just to process maybe 10-20 board feet into clean, usable lumber. It would not be practical for larger volumes or bigger projects in my opinion. Another thing is that oak is a porous wood, and the paint is likely to have soaked into the pores, I think. I've only done it with maple.

[Frank Pratt]

I had some 2x2 cedar spindles left over from my deck that had been coated with exterior deck stain, but had never been exposed to outside. I tried planing off the stain, but after just 10 or 20 feet, the knives were toast. So, no I don't think it is worth doing.

[Andy D Jones]

1000 boards, if 1x6x8', you have 4000 board ft of lumber, at $2 is $8000 replacement cost. IF you are getting it free, there is definitely room in there to buy a few throw away cheap planers and still be way ahead. If they are 2x or wider, the math gets way better. I'm bucking the general consensus here, I'd do it if the resulting lumber is good stuff, it has to finish out at at least 3/4", and not a huge amount of waste.

+1

Even if it wore out 3 dewalts, a byrd head and a set or two of carbide inserts (4 sides each).

But your time might be more valuable...

I was thinking if the black paint migrated deep enough into the grain, it might be pretty.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Bill Dufour]

Pressure washer may get some dirt and crud off before for planning. That is how they take the bark off redwood before it goes into the sawmills. The bark can be over one foot thick.
Bil lD

[scott vroom]

Pressure washer may get some dirt and crud off before for planning. That is how they take the bark off redwood before it goes into the sawmills. The bark can be over one foot thick.
Bil lD

I've actually observed the process, at the old Pacific Lumber mill in Scotia, Humbolt County probably 40+ years ago. Super strong hydro jet strips off the bark in an enclosed tumbler that rotates the redwood log.

[Mike Cutler]

John

Pick up a hand power planer, they can usually be had pretty cheap on Craigslist, or even new. It's the Devils tool for most jobs, butt for what you want to do, it will work just fine.
Set it for a light cut, and it will remove most of the old crud. It will also conform to the twists and bows of the old fencing boards.

[Rob Luter]

Are you sure it's paint? We used drain oil cut with Kerosene on our fences. Keeps the critters from chewing on the fence boards. With periodic applications it can build up like tar.

[Bill Bukovec]

When I have boards that are dirty or finished, I take off the top layer with a scrub plane.

[Jim Becker]

When I have boards that are dirty or finished, I take off the top layer with a scrub plane.

Absolutely a valid method...but the OP has a thousand boards to process. :)

[Tom Bender]

First test a few pieces.

What use do you have for the lumber?

If reselling, the value might be kinda low. It probably was not prime quality when new, and after a few years of weather it will be um,,,,'relaxed' into new shapes.

If for your own as yet unspecified projects just take home a modest quantity of the best looking stuff. When you use it you can cut it to rough size before resurfacing it. That will minimize the pain.

[Scott T Smith]

Sell them to someone wanting fencing boards, and buy plain lumber. If you were anywhere near me, I might be interested in them for horse fencing.

This is an excellent suggestion from Tom (as always).

Personally, there is no way that I'd consider running those boards thru my equipment. Some of the older ones might even be treated with creosote.

[johnny means]

We hit lumber like that with a hand held brush sander before planing. It gets off most off the dirt and grime. Be sure to check every inch for metal.

[Ronald Blue]

Seems like it might be most valuable as fence boards again like Tom said. Unless it's something special and there is nothing else you could be doing then go for it. It just seems like a lot of time invested for meager gains. What's that old saying? Polish a t*** and polish a t*** and what do you have.....a t***.