Question - Handplaning end-grain

[Dennis Peacock]

Ok...I've made several end-grain cutting boards and I'm sick and tired of spending 2 hours just sanding them flat, flust, and smooth. Can handplaning be done and if so, which one would I need to use? I'm trying to find a better and more effecient method to this madness and knew that I could ask here for any possible answer.

[Jim Koepke]

Ok...I've made several end-grain cutting boards and I'm sick and tired of spending 2 hours just sanding them flat, flust, and smooth. Can handplaning be done and if so, which one would I need to use? I'm trying to find a better and more effecient method to this madness and knew that I could ask here for any possible answer.

One of the problems with end grain planing is the way the edge is likely to break away when planing off the edge. This requires one to always be going inward from the edge.

End grain is often planed, but it requires a sharp blade. It is easier with a skewed blade. The plane can be skewed.

You probably do not have a chance to pick up one of the rarer of Stanley's planes, the No. 64 Butcher's Block plane. I don't think it caught on.

The plane to use would likely depend on how big you make your cutting boards. The method would depend on how you finish the edges and if you smooth both sides. Maybe that is why some people put feet on one side.

The good old No. 4 might be a good start with a very sharp blade and taking as light a cut as it can be set to take.

my 2¢

jim

[Michael Faurot]

Ok...I've made several end-grain cutting boards and I'm sick and tired of spending 2 hours just sanding them flat, flust, and smooth. Can handplaning be done and if so, which one would I need to use?


I've not done exactly what you're looking to do, but here's the way I'd approach it:
You'll want to use a plane that has a low angle to it such as a low angle block plane or bevel-up smoother or jack. The low angle is best for working with end grain.
If the cutting board is small (12" or so), then a block plane alone might good enough. Something bigger and you'd want to use a larger plane like the jack to get it flat and then a smoother--to smooth it. Both Lee Valley/Veritas and Lie-Nielsen make excellent low angle block planes and bevel-up smoothers and jacks.
Before you actually start trying to flatten and smooth things, you'd want to chamfer all the edges to avoid tear-out. You don't have to make the chamfer very big. Perhaps 5-10 strokes with a block plane on each arris.
Work in a systematic fashion where you visually divide up the area into an odd number of rows that roughly equate to the width of the plane's blade. It might look something like the picture below. Start by doing one stroke against each edge where the blue/1 rows are. Then the red/2 areas. Finally the middle green/3 area. Then start the whole cycle over again.
When you're ready to smooth, draw some pencil lines over the entire surface. Again follow the same pattern as before, now when you go over an area, you should be removing just about all of the pencil marks in a given row. If you're not, the area may not be flat enough yet. The idea here is you've got some visual feed back, to verify you've hit the entire surface.
Stop and check your progress frequently. Use a known good straight edge to gauge how flat you're getting things. If you can see light underneath the straight edge--it's not flat. Of course depending on what you're trying to do, you may not need it to be dead flat, just flat enough. Check across the width, across the length and diagonally.
Since you're working end grain, and not with the grain, move the piece around frequently and approach the planing from different sides. This will help even things out if you tend to hit one end or the other a bit more heavily.
Be sure to keep the plane's blade sharp. Working with end grain is more difficult than working with the grain. Working end grain with a dull blade is an exercise in frustration.

I'm trying to find a better and more effecient method to this madness and knew that I could ask here for any possible answer.You may still want to do a little sanding after you're done planing. But you should only need to do so with the finer grits.

[Johnny Kleso]

Search Shooting Board for plans and use it with a LV Low Angle Jack plane would be your best option either that or a Stanley or LN No9 shooting plane..

You can also use a No5 Stanley but you have to keep you blade extra sharp and have it tuned pretty well.. The No5 is a all around plane and first choice for most WWs

[Matt Wilson]

Ok...I've made several end-grain cutting boards and I'm sick and tired of spending 2 hours just sanding them flat, flust, and smooth. Can handplaning be done and if so, which one would I need to use? I'm trying to find a better and more effecient method to this madness and knew that I could ask here for any possible answer.

Over winter I made 3 such boards as gifts. This one I gave to my mother...

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb279/mwilson_24/PC240031.jpg

I primarily used a LV LA Jack, BUT since I did 3 othem I ended up experimenting with a few other planes. I tried a Stanley #5, a Stanley #4, a Millers Falls #22. All these planes worked well, not quite as well as the LV, but good enough that I wouldn't rush out and buy a new plane. I also experimented with a card scraper (It worked OK).

Things to keep in mind:
Sharp is king. Your planing end grain, so be prepared to hone your blade often and I mean often
chamfer your edges to avoid blowing out the sides
be extra careful on the glue up cause it will save you a lot of time later... planing this much end grain really sucks so doing a good job here could save your sanity DAMHIKT :eek:
before you put any kind of finish on your board read this article! http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF11/1121B.htmlHere is a not quite finished picture of the board I gave to my wife (it has since been completed).
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb279/mwilson_24/P2200027.jpg

[Wilbur Pan]

In addition to the excellent tips already posted, take the time to identify the high spots and work on those first before trying to plane across the whole board. An easy way to do this is to flip the board over onto a flat surface, like a table saw, and rub it a little. You'll be able to see little burnish marks where the high points hit the flat surface. Plane away those areas and repeat the process.

If you have a hard time seeing the high spots, sprinkle some chalk dust on the flat surface, which will be picked up by the high spots on your board.

Finally, when planing end grain, you can't skew the plane enough. I've angled a plane more than 45 degrees to the direction of travel when planing large areas of end grain.

[Matt Bickford]

I don't think a shooting board is a good suggestion in this situation. Johnny may not have read the question.

[Joe Meazle]

Dennis,
I did all the end grain on my big bench project with my Veritas Low angle Jack. See, it is not just for use at the Lathe.:eek::o:):D

[Mark Singer]

I would use a hand scraper and it is easy to reverse direction

[David DeCristoforo]

Success in planing end grain is much more a testament to the craftsman's skill in sharpening and "tuning" a hand plane than to his/her skill in "using" one. With a "properly sharpened" blade and a finely tuned plane, cutting end grain is really no more difficult than cutting face or edge grain. While a "low angle" plane is the commonly accepted tool of choice, just about any plane will work fine if it is "set up" properly.

YM

[Dennis Peacock]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'll review it all again to see what I'd like to try next.

Hey Joe....interested in showing me your plane on a cutting board in my shop? ;)

[Joe Meazle]

Sure D,
I am trying to get some suff sold to make some room in the shop, so i am goingto be busy tonight taking Pictures. Heck I even donated to to SMC so I could post in the classifieds as soon as the admin changes my status.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Ok...I've made several end-grain cutting boards and I'm sick and tired of spending 2 hours just sanding them flat, flust, and smooth.

That'd be enough to drive me to get or build a drum sander.


Hand planing? EEEK how about a card scraper?
Maybe a low angle plane really really sharp and set to a fine shaving might do it

[Johnny Kleso]

I don't think a shooting board is a good suggestion in this situation. Johnny may not have read the question.

Yup...:D
I thinking "Cutting BOARD" not Butcher Block :)

I was wondering what the big deal was, I was thinking I would just use a TS to CC the board hehehe

But still I would use my 3x21 belt sander and some 50 grit

Thats to much hard pushing for my bad back :)