Plane

Plane

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Reclaiming a Red Oak Plank


There was a board sitting in my grandpa's old building. Probably around 50 years old, complete with dirt, grime, and what looked to be at least one used motor oil spill, it waited patiently for its day in the sun. That day is not today; today was, however, I set it on the first step of its journey.


Today was the day I reclaimed it...

Dramatic right?


Really all I did was plane off the junk. It was an inch and an eighth thick, so there was plenty of room to spare; it's down to 3/4" now.

Lord only knows what my grandpa had this board for, when he got it, or even if he knew he had it. It's still in great shape, and I'm sure I'll find something to do with it. It goes to show you though, that hardwood lasts a long time, and you can bring back old used lumber and with a little machining have it in great shape.

I also took a picture of what it looked like after a few passes through the planer. You can see where the knives had carved away high points, exposing the clean red oak below the grime, oil, and age. It makes an interesting contrast.


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