I want to resaw some 6/4 birdseye maple into half-inch stock. I was told that using my portable thickness planer will tear out the eyes and that I should try to resaw to nearly the half-inch and then sand out the imperfections left from sawing — assuming I don’t have a thickness sander, which I don’t.
If this is true, won’t I have the same tearout problem when I try to flatten one side on the jointer? Also, someone else suggested dampening the board slightly before running through the jointer to “soften” the wood to minimize tearout.
any thoughts?
I want to use the wood to make 5-inch by 7-inch box lids.
thanks in advance
gaf
Replies
I have had good luck planing birdseye in a thicknes planer by taking light cuts and wetting the surface just prior to planing. It can be very finicky though.
There are two sides to this story. The inside of the wood (to the inside of the tree) will chip out more, leaving little pits or holes as the eyes chip out, while the outside of the wood (bark side) will only usually chip out in little cresent shapes. The outside is the side you want showing.
Resaw your boards then use a 'sharp' winged cabinet scraper or card scraper to smooth the birds-eye without any chipping. Good Luck
Stephen Shepherd
Find someone with a drum sander and use it as a thickness planer.
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