[OP]
Member
Re-finishing a cutting board - which way is the grain?
3 questions
1. which way is the grain going in any of these pictures, or more importantly, which way should I use a hand plane across the surface and/or edges.
2. any guesses on wood identification
3. recommendations for how to remove the finish. use one of those solvents first or just have at it with the no 4 smoother?
tia
Photo Feb 14, 6 29 24 PM.jpg
Photo Feb 14, 6 29 33 PM.jpg
Photo Feb 14, 6 30 30 PM.jpgPhoto Feb 14, 6 30 00 PM.jpgPhoto Feb 14, 6 30 06 PM.jpgPhoto Feb 14, 6 52 08 PM.jpg
Last edited by Mishkin Derakhshan; 02-14-2018 at 11:54 PM. Reason: added photo of endgrain
Friend of the Creek
Going by the second photo on the bottom set, it appears the grain is rising from right to left. So I would start there (planning right to left). However, it does appear that there are three boards glued up, so the center board or the opposite board may not go in that direction. To help with planing direction, it woukd be great to see all four sides. I’d also like to see the face grain more clearly before taking a guess at edge planing direction.
You could always just try a light cut in one direction. if the blade starts to dig in, stop and try the opposide direction. whichever direction cuts smooth will tell you which way to go.
Last edited by Phil Mueller; 02-15-2018 at 12:19 AM.
Member
Pssssst! - use a scraper, won't matter which way you scrape. You're trying to remove finish, not reduce thickness, right?
Member
That cutting board is a glue-up of 3 separate pieces, so there's no guarantee or reason to expect that the grain orientation is the same.
With that said, that's not difficult-looking grain, and there should be no trouble (and definitely no tearout) planing against it with a close-set cap iron on a bevel-down plane. I'd say just start working it and read it as you go.
Member
If you use a properly set up plane, it won't matter which way you plane either.Originally Posted by Joe Bailey
Member
Looking at the 5th picture (with the Henckels logo) the bottom board would plane best left to right. The middle board has a grain reversal, but a slight preference for left to right. The top board right to left. Each of these individual boards would be planed in the opposite direction on the other side. It appears that the boards were not chosen for grain direction when the cutting board was assembled.
If you are picking one side as a face side you could experiment on the secondary side. Otherwise take thin shavings and take your time. The wood does not appear to be something from Europe or North America or something I am familiar with, but my instincts are that is is not terribly prone to tear out.
Member
The OEM likely sanded it without paying attention to grain orientation to minimize chipout.
I would try a good cabinet scraper. If no love - switch to the sander....
Moderator
I too would - and do - use a scraper to refinish a cutting board. But then again, I don't aim to completely remove any patina or scratches, but just to clean it up so it looks respectable and will take a new coat of oil evenly.
Member
IF you were truly correct, there would be no occasion for a which a scraper would be preferred over a plane.
I think you're really saying that you can't read the grain.
Member
There is no situation for which a scraper is preferred over a plane.
Member
I Strongly disagree -- but then, that's just your opinion
Contributor
Probably should rip the cutting board between boards 2 and 3 and re-laminate it together with the grains all running the same way, then proceed to planer it down.
Member
For domestic hardwood with relatively shallow grain like that, there is no occasion for which a scraper would be preferred over a plane. If you find yourself reaching for a scraper then that means that your planing technique is deficient. I do use scrapers sometimes for burl and the like, but even then I'm humble enough to admit that I should be able to plane them, and that the scraper is a crutch to cover for technical deficiencies with the plane.
Bottom line: Warren is right as usual.
No, I'm saying that in this instance you don't need to obsess over it because it's in a range where it doesn't matter enough to be worth overthinking. That's why I suggested to set the cap iron tight, start working it, and read the grain as you go.
EDIT: If you go back to the scraper iron cross-section I posted a couple weeks ago, it is blindingly obvious that hooked scrapers and close-set cap irons create the same edge/"breaking" profile and have the same cutting and chip breaking mechanics. In principle there is nothing that one can do that the other cannot ("in principle" because it's much easier to achieve very small "cap iron setbacks" in a scraper, and larger ones in a plane). There is no magic here - just edges, setbacks, and angles.
Last edited by Patrick Chase; 02-15-2018 at 1:12 PM.
Member
Why?
You don't need the grain running the same way to be able to work that board if you have halfway reasonable planing skills. I would say choose orientation based on what produces the best figure and stabiiity, and rely on skill and technique to deal with whatever grain results. It's actually on roughly the same level of "not hard at all" as traversing on a convex board...
I practice intentionally planing boards with grain much worse than that against the grain literally every single night. They do not tear out. Of course there are cases where you can get somewhat better "sheen" in final finishing by working with the grain, and that's a reason to plan your strokes carefully to try to follow the wood's grain boundaries when you get to that step, but only if you're not subsequently going to sand.
Last edited by Patrick Chase; 02-15-2018 at 1:07 PM.
Member
The argument you present at the beginning of this post is far different from the all-encompassing statement Warren made.
Give it another shot if you'd like, but this post of yours does not address his statement, or my response to it.
Last edited by Prashun Patel; 02-15-2018 at 2:05 PM.
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