# Look what I did! End grain cutting board through planer.



## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I have read of several guys that have successfully done it. I figured most of the naysayers which up until now included myself have never actually tried it. So, I decided to give it a whirl. It actually worked pretty good. It was way faster than my drum sander. It can't be good for planer blades, but mine needed changed anyway. Even though it does work I still don't recommend you try it. 



















I also used my jointer to clean up the edges, but from earlier experience I already knew this would work.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Glad it worked out well for you mate, but please, anybody reading this, don't try this one at home. Its 50/50 on this working, and when it doesn't work, well, you end up with a very thick slab of maple launched at a considerable rate of speed. It also blunts the blades incredibly fast, and yes, I'm speaking from experience on both counts. 

On a happier note, good looking boards there mate, I really don't want to detract from that. Glad you got out with all your fingers intact too


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## arvanlaar (Dec 29, 2014)

Wait I must be missing something... How do you usually make a cutting board? I guess you can use a hand plane right? But what other methods are there?

That is a nice looking board though!


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## wlc (Apr 3, 2015)

Your saving grace was the maple strip in front. 
Try it without one.:smile:

I'v seen MTMWood do it many times in his video's, in most cases he uses a sacrificial strip.


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## wlc (Apr 3, 2015)

arvanlaar said:


> Wait I must be missing something... How do you usually make a cutting board? I guess you can use a hand plane right? But what other methods are there?
> 
> That is a nice looking board though!


Drum or belt sander.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

hwebb99 said:


> I have read of several guys that have successfully done it. I figured most of the naysayers which up until now included myself* have never actually tried it.*


I read idiotic stuff every day on this site from guys with little to NO real world experience and mostly just laugh it off and find a different thread to read.

A good many of the members here only 'know' what they read in a stupid magazine and they seem to believe that particular way must be the way the professionals do it... :no:

Great job BTW. Looks flawless. :thumbsup:


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Thanks for the compliments guys. I think the board looks really good. This board has edge and end grain maple in it. The edge grain wood is much brighter when oiled. I will post a picture of it oiled tomorrow.


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## ed_h (Dec 1, 2010)

I've done endgrain planing quite a few times. I consider it a useful technique, but it has to be done carefully. In my experience, sharp knives, light cuts, and a stout machine contribute to a successful job. Also, the trailing edge of the workpiece shouldn't be endgrain--it will split off.

Ed


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

Nice work!!

By all accounts here you have looked into the eyes of death, and lived to tell about it... 

You are now part of the brotherhood, I'm proud to be a member myself.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Here are the end grain boards I have made.
























The jointer works great for cleaning up the edges. I have used it to clean up the edges on every board.,


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

Wow looks awesome. I got tons of tear out when I tried to clean up edges on one's I built.

Are you concerned at all at mixing edge and end grain? I've seen guys talk about wood movement causing splitting.

They look awesome....


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

was2ndlast said:


> Wow looks awesome. I got tons of tear out when I tried to clean up edges on one's I built. Are you concerned at all at mixing edge and end grain? I've seen guys talk about wood movement causing splitting. They look awesome....


 I never thought of that. I honestly don't think it will be a problem, but only time will tell. These are all gifts for family members, so I can fix them if they crack.


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## Pcride (Jun 4, 2012)

I didn't know planning end grain is dangerous! Good to know. I guess if you take no more than 32th or less at a time there would be less worry on the planner?

The jointer I could see creating a dangerous situation. The correct way to finish the shape of the cutting board is to 1) make the board slightly larger then, plane your work then use a table saw with sled to cut your final size. No need to use a jointer. This will avoid chip out. Take a look at MTMwood on YouTube.


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## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

End grain is incredibly hard on planer and jointer blades, so light passes are a must. What saved you was the edge grain on the trailing end of the board. If it had been edge grain, the chances of nasty blow out would have been great. I don't know that I'd call it "dangerous", but probably not a good idea to stand directly behind the planer as it finishes the pass.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

The jointer is taking very light passes. The boards are over 20 inches long. I don't have a cross cut sled that big. Also if you didn't glue up the board perfectly square the table saw makes it square. This makes your last strip crooked, and it is extremely noticeable. The jointer cleans up the edge, but doesn't change the shape of the board.


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## H from Hunarmand (5 mo ago)

hwebb99 said:


> Thanks for the compliments guys. I think the board looks really good. This board has edge and end grain maple in it. The edge grain wood is much brighter when oiled. I will post a picture of it oiled tomorrow.


Hi,
Just read your comment. I may be wrong, but we do not make a board with end grain and edge grain simultaneously. It looks good, it is easy to do... but when the woods are subject to tangential and radial shrinkages, the end grain will split. Plain and simple. 
We’ve made a lot of cutting boards. And this is one of the first mistakes we ever made. 
Hope this helps.


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