# Can you plane polyurethane from boards?



## NotHandyMan (Nov 27, 2011)

I just got several boards of nice reclaimed oak, about 1" thick x 6" x 10'. I was told they were taken from a very old door. They have a clear finish on one face that looks like poly. It's an old finish, but it pretty much covers every inch of the boards.

My question is whether I can run the boards through a planer to remove the layer of poly and maybe 1/16" or so, or do I have to use chemicals to remove the finish. I really do not want to do that. I'm concerned that the planer cutting through the poly might damage the surface of the boards, or the poly might dull the planer knives - or worse.

The situation is made more difficult (for me, anyway), because although it _looks _like poly, it might be something else. It seems to be pretty old.

Thanks in advance for your advice.


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## Al_Amantea (Dec 30, 2014)

Yes, you can run it through the planer to remove the finish and reflected the piece. The poly will wear on the knives a little, but it works fine. 

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## NotHandyMan (Nov 27, 2011)

Thank you, Al_Amantea! I'll give it a try.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Poly should be pretty easy on the knives, easier than the wood is. It's just plastic after all. Paint will kill them though, especially white paint. The titanium dioxide (I think) used as a pigment tears the blades up


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I think poly would wear on the knives a lot. I've quit trying to surface any wood with any finish because it isn't worth the damage to the knives.


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## gmcooter#2 (Oct 22, 2016)

You need a spiral head for your planner. I have one and plane paint and poly. I use alot of reclaimed lumber. The was pretty expensive but worth to me because I plane mostly reclaimed lumber.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I don't think the poly will necessarily dull the knives, but it might gum them up. I have a theory that if you take a deep enough cut, that the planer will cut more wood than finish, reducing the tendency to gum up.


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## Al_Amantea (Dec 30, 2014)

Quickstep said:


> I don't think the poly will necessarily dull the knives, but it might gum them up. I have a theory that if you take a deep enough cut, that the planer will cut more wood than finish, reducing the tendency to gum up.


Possible, and I get where you're going with this, but I don't believe there would be a difference. Any paint or other film finish on lumber will always contact the knives first, and if abrasive enough, will continue to affect them no matter the depth of cut. 

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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

I never run lumber through a planer to remove a finish. 
The old finish can gum-up on the blades. Any time saved by the process is lost to clean the planer. 
I think nice saw a guy try to remove Formica by running it through a planer. A very dumb thing to try.


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## Al_Amantea (Dec 30, 2014)

Toolman50 said:


> I never run lumber through a planer to remove a finish.
> The old finish can gum-up on the blades. Any time saved by the process is lost to clean the planer.
> I think nice saw a guy try to remove Formica by running it through a planer. A very dumb thing to try.


I can imagine that didn't end to well for the planer, the board, or the guy! 

Ouch

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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I hope emsennett posts his results in surfacing the wood.


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## Al_Amantea (Dec 30, 2014)

Steve Neul said:


> I hope emsennett posts his results in surfacing the wood.


So do I 

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