Best way to plane rough cookie?

[Chris Helmes]

I'm looking for some advice on the best way to plane an extra large maple cookie (28 inch diameter) The cookie is very rough and about 1/2 an inch off from being level. I have a stationary planer but it's attached to a table saw so I can only get 6 inches along the edge of the cookie. It's also very heavy so would prefer another method if possible. Would a portable handheld planer do the trick or would it not have enough power to plane the end grain of a maple cookie. Thanks in advance for any advice/ideas.

[Mike Spanbauer]

What the heck is a maple cookie?

Does it have chocolate chips? :p

If you're referring to a walnut circle such as cutting board, I'd suggest a hand held beld sander - OR the best would be to call around and find a cabinet shop with a widebelt sander for rent.

mike

[Greg Hines, MD]

The other way to do it would be to put an extension base on your router, along with rails of some kind that are higher than your workpiece, then use a router with a straight bit to plane it flat. The larger diameter bit you use, the faster it will go. There are bits made for this kind of work, but a 3/4" straight bit will work fine.

Doc

[Don Inghram]

Scrub, Jack, Smoother. Handplanes of course. :)

[Jim Becker]

I'd use a shop-built trammel frame and a router for this task.

[Peter Quinn]

I'D THROW THAT SUCKER IN THE FIRE PLACE AND MAKE ANOTHER! I'm not kidding. Planing end grain maple is dangerous with power tools, tough on hand tools, and expensive in a sander. It sure burns nice though.

If you are attached to this 'cookie' in some way I'd look for somebody with a drum or wide belt first, use the router rails idea as a back up. Next question I'd ask myself is just how flat does it need to be? Can you attach feet to the bottom so it doesn't rock in use and just take out the worst of the crown with a belt sander?

My PC Porta Plane door planer has a spiral carbide head and plenty of power for that job, not sure about a standard electric hand planer. Might be a good excuse to drop $500 on a porta planer? Or maybe not.

Good Luck. MPQ.

[Frank Drew]

I'm with Mike... what in the world is a maple cookie?

Taking off 1/2" of end grain maple with hand tools would try the patience of a statue, but it might not be too difficult to take the unevenness out with a radial arm saw using either a regular blade or dado blades, making sure the work is fixed and stable, of course, and taking lightish passes. There will still be lots of cleanup to get a nice finished surface.