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Shellacked Board thru Benchtop Planer?

2K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  Vininnh 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Odd that I can't find this anywhere…

Can I remove shellac with a benchtop planer?

I assume this is a bad idea, but I can't seem to find a source that confirms this…
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've read over and over (and believe) that planing finish off boards will dull your knives much more quickly. That said, I don't see why. The planer knives are cutting into the wood under the finish, by the time it pulls the chip I'm betting the knife may not have even touched the finish. So, do it but you may have to sharpen your knives. BTW, shellac is one of the easier finishes to remove with a card scraper.
 
#4 ·
Id run it through the planer without much worry. Like Ed said DNA will "melt" the shellac back into a liquid-ish form and should help it come off. I just had to strip down a project with a base coat of shellac and it came off like butter with a handplane and i didnt notice any dulling of my plane iron.
 
#7 ·
It will dull your knives faster, absolutely. The planer rotor head is cutting into the top of the finished board as the feed rollers push the board forward. Bits of finish will melt as this happens, sticking to the blade and creating more resistance as the blades cut through, heating up the blade, causing more build up. All of that dulls the blades.

But Jay makes a good point, which is the time saved might make it worth it. For a small board with shellac, go with the DNA and a scraper to remove it. If you're prepping a bunch of reclaimed boards, plane away.
 
#9 ·
As finishes go, I think shellac is less likely to dull the knives a
lot compared to other finishes. It's pretty soft compared to
things like lacquer and the heavy finishes used in factory
furniture. Shellac can be softened with modest heat…
so putting the boards in the sun under a black tarp or
something like that should cause the shellac to get soft
and gummy. Then you'll find you can get it off with a
paint scraper easily I think.

The alcohol is a good solution too I suppose. I've stripped
french polish that way.
 
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