Can this cutting board be saved?

[Bob Nieman]

I have been slowly (it was supposed to be a Christmas present) working on a Wood Magazine cutting board, running into challenges here and there. The initial glue-up went awry, with a couple strips no laying flat with the others after I clamped it). I thought I took care of that with a hand plane (that required a couple months acquiring sharpening supplies and a couple starts and stops and getting the plane in shape). I ran it through a planer on a sled and then turned it over through the planer on its own. I (lightly) sanded a little to reduce the snipe too. Finally I thought it flat enough and it measured 5/8" all along the long edges, so I cut it into 1.25" strips.
59494
I put them together and discovered that the middle is thicker than both sides. More than a 16th thicker. That means if I clamp one end, the other ends up more than half an inch wider, with lots of gaps--it acts like a fan. I thought some gentle persuasion from a clamp could take care of it, but one strip ended up cracking in the middle. No easy solution comes to mind. I am pretty frustrated (and cherry and walnut are impossible to buy locally to replace it). I tried various congurations, but the results are the same.

Any ideas how this happened? I can't understand how it ended up convex. I don't think the sanding was the problem, although you can see gaps between the cherry sections that are likely sanding related. I haven't noticed problems with the planer like this before (but I haven't planed anything this wide either).

[Dan Oliphant]

Bob, you didn't mention if you had a jointer or not. If you do, then my suggestion would be to carefully joint one side of each section, you will have tear out on the trailing end that will need to be cut off later place back on your planer sled to clean up the oposite side, again expect more tear out so don't cut any off until you have both surfaces flat and parallel. If you don't own a jointer, then hopefully you know someone that does. Otherwise it is time to start over on this project.

[Joe Jensen]

Did you sand with a hand held sander? The pieces do not look completely flat. If you did used a hand held orbital or other sander, it's likely that the board was not sanded completely flat. I'm not sure you can get great results with hand sanding and glue-ups like that...joe

[John D. Thompson]

I have been slowly (it was supposed to be a Christmas present) working on a Wood Magazine cutting board, running into challenges here and there. The initial glue-up went awry, with a couple strips no laying flat with the others after I clamped it). I thought I took care of that with a hand plane (that required a couple months acquiring sharpening supplies and a couple starts and stops and getting the plane in shape). I ran it through a planer on a sled and then turned it over through the planer on its own. I (lightly) sanded a little to reduce the snipe too. Finally I thought it flat enough and it measured 5/8" all along the long edges, so I cut it into 1.25" strips.
59494
I put them together and discovered that the middle is thicker than both sides. More than a 16th thicker. That means if I clamp one end, the other ends up more than half an inch wider, with lots of gaps--it acts like a fan. I thought some gentle persuasion from a clamp could take care of it, but one strip ended up cracking in the middle. No easy solution comes to mind. I am pretty frustrated (and cherry and walnut are impossible to buy locally to replace it). I tried various congurations, but the results are the same.

Any ideas how this happened? I can't understand how it ended up convex. I don't think the sanding was the problem, although you can see gaps between the cherry sections that are likely sanding related. I haven't noticed problems with the planer like this before (but I haven't planed anything this wide either).

Hi Bob,

It's hard to tell from the pictures. It looks as though you may have gotten a little happy with the sander but, I think your primary problem may stem from your planer. If the cutterhead is not DEAD parallel to the bed, you would have a panel that is thicker in the middle.

You can check for the out of parallel very easily.

1) Unplug the planer.

2) Crank the cutterhead up about 3" or so, depending on the size of your favorite machinist's square.

3) Rotate the cutterhead by hand so that the knives are out of the way.

4) Place the square on one side of the platen with the tongue pointing straight up.

5) Lower the cutterhead until it just barely touches the tongue of the square. What I mean here is that the square willscrape the bottom of the cutterhead with barely perceptible resistance when you slide it back and forth under the cutterhead. You will probably hear it before you feel it.

6) Move the square to the other end of the cutterhead and make sure it acts/sounds/feels the same way.

Hope this helps!

JT

[John D. Thompson]

Hi Bob,

I just want to say that, with all respect to Dan, it strikes me as being very dangerous to attempt jointing those pieces. Because they are now cross-grain strips, the possibility that a piece would break off and launch itself off that cutterhead at speed would be enough for me to place those strips in the kindling box. Sorry.

JT

[jim gossage]

what about running them through a drum sander at a local cabinet shop?

[Bob Nieman]

While I do have a 6" jointer, I don't think I will try putting the strips through it. I have to look at them and see if it is convex on one side or both. if only one, maybe some very careful table saw work migt help. If the planer is the problem though, I doubt I will be that lucky.

I obviously sanded too much in places (the cherry shows it), but I think the planer is the more likely culprit. I am not ready to put them in the scrap bin--I am more creative than that--but I don't think I will end up with a cutting board.

As for cabinet makers and big-time sanders, I am not aware of any in town. Maybe 70 miles away. Every time I buy what little hardwood I can find here I get the third degree about what I am going to use it for--I don't think they sell much.

I did pick up some very nice and cheap cherry last time I was in Phoenix. Not much walnut left though. The whole thing just adds to the frustration of trying to learn how to do it on my own.

[Joe Jensen]

While I do have a 6" jointer, I don't think I will try putting the strips through it. I have to look at them and see if it is convex on one side or both. if only one, maybe some very careful table saw work migt help. If the planer is the problem though, I doubt I will be that lucky.

I obviously sanded too much in places (the cherry shows it), but I think the planer is the more likely culprit. I am not ready to put them in the scrap bin--I am more creative than that--but I don't think I will end up with a cutting board.

As for cabinet makers and big-time sanders, I am not aware of any in town. Maybe 70 miles away. Every time I buy what little hardwood I can find here I get the third degree about what I am going to use it for--I don't think they sell much.

I did pick up some very nice and cheap cherry last time I was in Phoenix. Not much walnut left though. The whole thing just adds to the frustration of trying to learn how to do it on my own.

Bob, I'm in the Phoenix area and I can help you find some very helpful and friendly sources for wood. They even ship so you can order what you want without coming to Phoenix. Where are you in NM?...joe