Planing farm black paint fence boards

[John Rice]

So my uncle has a large horse farm and just removed a lot of fence. The boards are solid oak and in great shape. The question I have is can I use my planer to remove the fence paint? I know some of the older boards are painted with a very thick black paint. Almost like tar. Some of the newer boards are painted black but with paint that is FDA approved (stopped making the old stuff). I’m not worried about the paint in terms of myself. I painted miles of fencing with that paint when I was a kid so I’ve already been exposed! Just wondering if I am going to ruin my Dewalt WD735.
I have access to probably 1,000 boards (not board feet)

[Matt Day]

The dirt and paint will wear the knives a lot quicker than clean wood, but you can do it.

[Jim Becker]

Can you? Yes. You're likely going to go through multiple sets of knives both because of the paint and abrasive materials that may be adhered to the boards or is embedded in the paint. I think I'd skip the old stuff unless you are sure it's newer than when the lead prohibitions went into effect. It doesn't matter that you were "exposed" back in the day...paint with lead can be bad news and there are good reasons why there are such stringent regulations on abatement, etc. Keep in mind that processing a thousand sticks through your lunchbox planer is also going to add a bit of wear and tear, too.

[John Rice]

It was in the late 90’s so should not have lead in it. I know of people who take truck loads of boards to sawmills near to have boards planed. I believe they charge by the minute. .50 cents or something. I am wondering if they would do it with painted boards? I’ll have to look into it. Thanks!!

[Tom M King]

Sell them to someone wanting fencing boards, and buy plain lumber. If you were anywhere near me, I might be interested in them for horse fencing.

[Andrew Hughes]

You’ll be planing paint and dirt. I can’t imagine it worth the trouble but then again there’s lots of stuff happening today I couldn’t imagine.

[Jim Becker]

Sell them to someone wanting fencing boards, and buy plain lumber. If you were anywhere near me, I might be interested in them for horse fencing.

This is actually a really good idea. Even oak doesn't get much kindness from the weather, despite the paint over the years. There's likely a lot of "wiggle wood" there.

[Lee Schierer]

How thick are the boards now and how thick are they likely to be after removing the paint. is that thickness suitable for the project you have in mind.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I would be very surprised if anyone else was willing to plane them for you. I used to sometimes plane lumber for people who bought it from us, but I would not plane their "reclaimed" lumber, since it is always dirty and usually has nails in it that they missed. In my opinion it's not worth the trouble and expense to plane them yourself, but everyone has their own ideas about what's practical.
Zach

[Richard Coers]

You might be planing an asphaltum based paint. Heat will do no good for your planer and could very easily result in having to strip down the entire machine to clean the gummy paint off of everything! We used old motor oil to treat wood truck beds when I was growing up on the farm too. You could be in for a real mess!

[Christopher Herzog]

Risk vs reward right?

Risk:
Blades are for sure toast, probably multiple sets but does it go from bad to worse? Blade hits something it is not made to and gives it up, how catastrophic can we what if that?

Chemical exposure, you have no idea what is flying in the air with the saw dust. SDS info, not a chance so dust mask or apr at least?

Machine wear and tear, I cannot imagine 1000 boards of this type and how much it will shorten the planers lifespan. That dewalt is what, ballpark 400-500 bucks

Reward:
Best case is oak lumber. Zero guarantee that you get prime lumber. Oak is a couple bucks a foot here rough sawn.

Danger+equipment cost>oak boards in my opinion.

As said above, sell them as fencing and buy the lumber you need.

Stay safe!
Chris

[Charles Taylor]

I use a belt sander outdoors when I really want to reclaim painted lumber. Then I use my jointer and planer as usual.

[Bob Riefer]

Maybe use them as-is for some fun/rustic projects with "character". A couple cornhole sets, planters, simple benches / stools, gates, trays, etc. Around here, people love old-timey stuff that's given another life.

(even still, throw on a blade you don't care about as much)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

1000 boards, if 1x6x8', you have 4000 board ft of lumber, at $2 is $8000 replacement cost. IF you are getting it free, there is definitely room in there to buy a few throw away cheap planers and still be way ahead. If they are 2x or wider, the math gets way better. I'm bucking the general consensus here, I'd do it if the resulting lumber is good stuff, it has to finish out at at least 3/4", and not a huge amount of waste.

[Mark Daily]

1000 boards, if 1x6x8', you have 4000 board ft of lumber, at $2 is $8000 replacement cost. IF you are getting it free, there is definitely room in there to buy a few throw away cheap planers and still be way ahead. If they are 2x or wider, the math gets way better. I'm bucking the general consensus here, I'd do it if the resulting lumber is good stuff, it has to finish out at at least 3/4", and not a huge amount of waste.

I think you are assuming he could sell it for that price.