Planing stained wood...?

[Ryan Sparreboom]

I have just received a bunch of free wood. Alot of it is really nice solid mahogany. But it is stained and clearcoated with something, It's finished.

I want to strip it down to raw wood again, but hate doing chemical stripping. Can I just run it through a planer?, assuming I metal detect it to make sure there are no nails or screws in it?

Will the finish wreck the blades? Ridgid 13" planer with carbide blades.

Thanks.

[Peter Quinn]

Should be just fine assuming no metal. Carbide beats lacquer or poly every time.

[Jamie Buxton]

Most clear coats used on furniture contain just plastic resins, and are not going to dull your knives. However, there are now floor finishes which contain silica for abrasion resistance. Silica will eat knives.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Thanks guys. It's pretty old and wasn't used for flooring so I doubt it's much more than a simple varnish or laquer, no silica.
I'm very glad to hear it won't wreck the knives.
Thanks alot!

Ryan

[Ryan Sparreboom]

OOPS, my bad. I just realized the knives are HSS, not carbide. Will it still be o.k to plane the finish off?

[Frank Drew]

Yes, and it's a lot less trouble and mess than using a finish remover, or trying to sand it off. If you're concerned, you can take some of the finish off with one of those inexpensive hardware store scrapers, like a Red Devil.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Awesome. Will go for it then. Thanks!