Scored some wood, but . . .

[jscott2]

Went to a flooring store yesterday and walked out with a couple of cubic feet of sample boards, all 3/4" thick - oak, teak, and Santa Maria.  Sounds like heaven but the back of the boards are all grooved (typical wood flooring) and some are finished on the surface.  All the pieces are 9 to 10" long and from a couple of inches to 6" wide.

I need a something to remove the finish from the top and the grooves from the bottom.  I don't have a band saw or a planer.  I'd share the boards with anyone who can fix the wood for me.  I'm on the West Island area of Montreal in Quebec.

On another note, how would you folk make these pieces suitable for the scroll saw?

Thanks for your help,
Jim

Corrected the thickness of the wood - 3/4" thick.  Sorry.
J

[GrayBeard]

I also was gifted some flooring scraps of Bamboo.
The first time I used some similar I just toughed it out using my 3 X 21 belt sander and 80 grit belts. It took a while but turned out pretty nicely. Only way for me to do it since I have limited equipment.
When finished it turned out about 5/8" thick and I am sure not perfectly flat but usable.

~~~GB~~~

[termite]

 use a table saw if you have one. i do that with scraps i get from a cabinet shop.

[BilltheDiver]

If you have a drill press or a spindle sander you can use them as a small drum thickness sander by setting a fence an appropriate distance from the drum and using coarse sleeves.  Use a push stick to slide the wood between the fence and drum and out the other side.

[cdrover(Clyde)]

Does your local high school have a mabrication shop? If so the shop teacher may use your wood to allow students to practice with the planner or table saw. The teacher saves by not having to buy stock just for practice purposes and you get your wood planned in the process.

[KarlB]

Actually cdrover the stock is too short for a planer.

GB's suggestion would be your best shot.  If you had a router and a straight bit you could make a jig and take down your stock that way.  (You'd secure the wood first.)

Karl

[dgman]

I have a few pieces of oak and bamboo flooring too. They stay in the scrap wood pile because I don't want to take the time to deal with them!

[jscott2]

I agree the pieces are too short to pass through a planer but I was wondering if a sled would work.  This tip from Woodsmith http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2006/05/26/wb/ looks like a great idea.  It seems to say one could run really short pieces (a couple of inches long?) through.

Has anyone used these and are they safe to use? 

I do have a router and could build a jig like this http://www.thesharkguard.com/sled.php

Don't have a belt sander but GB's idea of using a belt sander is a good one, as is Bill's with the drill press.  Could get a belt sander but I also found a new DW734 planer for $440 (Can.).  Trying to make up my mind.  The planer is quite a bargain, for Canadian prices.

Thanks for all the comments, I always get good advice here.
Jim

[bubbaloo158]

Hi Jim...

It's too bad that they are so short.  I'm in Chateauguay and have a DeWalt planer and I would be more than happy to dress your wood for you.

Having said that, I get my wood from a guy out in the country (Havlock).  He gives me an excellent price on birch... the type of wood I really enjoy working with.  The wood is rough and has to be planned and joined together.  I make up about 3 projects of 8"x11 1/2" at a time.  It is a cheap way to have loads of wood to be used for scrolling.  Some people have told me that it is too much work... but isn't it all a part of the hobby?  It really doesn't bother me when I consider the fact that I have about a year's supply of projects for $200.00.

The shortest length I put through my planer is 12" without any problems.  I mostly use 1/2" thickness for my projects which means a lot of time spent at the planer because most of the rough wood is 1" or more.  But as I said... it is worth it in my books.

Bobby

[peterjf50]

Resaw with a band saw thats what I did

[jscott2]

Bobby, have you tried running short boards through the planer on some kind of sled - like the one in the first link in my OP?  Some say it works but I'd like confirmation before springing for a planer.

Thanks,
Jim
PS, which planer do you have?
J

[KarlB]

This tip from Woodsmith http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2006/05/26/wb/ looks like a great idea.

--- I don't know about this one.  I'm sure they tried it, but they are still going against the manufacturers recommendations.

I do have a router and could build a jig like this http://www.thesharkguard.com/sled.php

--- That's kinda what I had in mind, just a bit simpler than what I was thinking.  As long as your wood is real secure that should work fine!  As a matter of fact you could go to the dollar store and get a couple of cutting boards to use on the bottom of the runners!  (Thanks for the link, I might make that!)

Karl

[dgman]

Here is what I do when I need to plane short boards through the planer. I will attach longer runners on either side of the smaller boards using a hot glue gun. The runners should be long enough to be feed through the planer safely, and approximately the same thickness as the smaller board. The runners will feed the board safely through the planer. Plane equal amounts on both sides. Once you have reached the desired thickness, the runners can be easily broken off.

[jscott2]

dgman, I've got between 50 and 100 boards to do so gluing runners on one at at time would be safe, but very slow.

Some suggest feeding short boards butend to butend would be OK.  Anyone have experience with that?

It's odd that it seems nobody on the forum has tried a sled to handle short boards.  I've found lots of internet comments of people using sleds to flatten and straighten longer boards but not many references to planing short boards on a sled.

On a related note, the recommendations are to take a cuts on alternating sides of the board.  With 1/8" deep grooves on the bottom of the board, ideally I'd only take the 1/8" off the bottom and nothing off the top.  Would I be asking for trouble with warping if I could use a planer, or with a belt sander as GB suggested?

Thanks again to everyone.
Jim

[dgman]

Hey Jim, It sounds like you are thinking about getting a planer! Yes you are probably right about the amount of board you need to attach runners to. I have not made a dedicated sled for this because I usually don't have many short boards to plane. I have done the board butted up against each other, but you have to be fast and accurate. It is a tough thing to do, but It can be done.
It is important to take off equal amounts off both sides. I have seen boards cup and twist because of uneven moisture levels on the board. Your best bet is to try to plane off the back side first, then take a little off the front. You will probably end up with about 1/2" thickness, and if your lucky, the board will stay flat. This is why the few boards of finished flooring stay in my scrap wood box.