# Rough spots in walnut when planing cutting boards



## renovatio (Jul 4, 2011)

This doesn't seem like the right place to post but I didn't see anything that seemed like a better fit. I've been making cutting boards with maple, walnut and cherry. The maple and cherry do great through the planer, but the blades keep "catching" on the walnut and creating rough spots. Is this something I'm doing wrong, or just a characteristic of walnut? Any tips on avoiding it?


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

renovatio said:


> This doesn't seem like the right place to post but I didn't see anything that seemed like a better fit. I've been making cutting boards with maple, walnut and cherry. The maple and cherry do great through the planer, but the blades keep "catching" on the walnut and creating rough spots. Is this something I'm doing wrong, or just a characteristic of walnut? Any tips on avoiding it?


Surprised, I normally find Walnut easier than both the other two. Do you have a lot of cross grain on the Walnut?


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

renovatio said:


> This doesn't seem like the right place to post but I didn't see anything that seemed like a better fit. I've been making cutting boards with maple, walnut and cherry. The maple and cherry do great through the planer, but the blades keep "catching" on the walnut and creating rough spots. Is this something I'm doing wrong, or just a characteristic of walnut? Any tips on avoiding it?


sometime feed it from the other end turn the board around. This will help. Grain run'd different way's in walnut. It could cut at a angle and that will make it pull grain


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## renovatio (Jul 4, 2011)

WillemJM said:


> Surprised, I normally find Walnut easier than both the other two. Do you have a lot of cross grain on the Walnut?


Not sure, I really don't know what to look for as far as grain pattern when buying stock. This is just what my supplier gave me.



del schisler said:


> sometime feed it from the other end turn the board around. This will help. Grain run'd different way's in walnut. It could cut at a angle and that will make it pull grain


I tried that- any time it happens I flip it and run it through the opposite way, doesn't seem to make a difference.


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## renovatio (Jul 4, 2011)

It's impossible to see in this pic, but the rough spot is a little bigger than a quarter in the red square. It does seem to depend on the direction of the grain.


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## Pirate (Jul 23, 2009)

I also had a problem, today, planing Walnut. Changing direction, and taking a lighter cut helped a bit, but still was tearing out in spots. I suspect my knives may need to be sharpened.


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## Itchytoe (Dec 17, 2011)

sharp hand tools may work for you. Or just drum sander. Sand it down to final thickness?


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

renovatio said:


> It's impossible to see in this pic, but the rough spot is a little bigger than a quarter in the red square. It does seem to depend on the direction of the grain.


from the looks around the red square it look's like they grain goes both way's like a know was their so it would tare out one way and than feed board in and it will tare out the other way . Sharp knives and a very light cut and than sand that is the only way i know of with the grain in like a circle ? Just make it like it is sopose to be their ? Only you know ?


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## Pirate (Jul 23, 2009)

Pirate said:


> I also had a problem, today, planing Walnut. Changing direction, and taking a lighter cut helped a bit, but still was tearing out in spots. I suspect my knives may need to be sharpened.


correction. It was Mahogany that gave me the tearout problem.


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

The picture shows cross grain, that is why you are getting tear-out.

You can get rid of that by changing planer blade angles for this specific purpose, or easier you can use a scraping hand plane, or you can use a normal hand plane with a 35-40 degree bevel and 15 degree back bevel. Other alternative is to sand.


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

Pirate said:


> correction. It was Mahogany that gave me the tearout problem.


Doesn't make any differece on wood. wood going in 2 direction's are going to give trouble unless you just skim a little off than sand with belt sander


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## Devildog (Apr 20, 2008)

nice cutting board, btw!


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## renovatio (Jul 4, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I really appreciate it. The planer knives are almost brand new so they're good. After completing another one without issues it was definitely the grain creating problems. I guess I'll just have to choose the pieces more carefully next time. Anyways thank again for the help!


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