# Sanding Pupleheart/YellowHeart End Grain Cutting Board



## Brandocalrizzion (Jan 1, 2014)

I am trying to finish my first end grain cutting board. I made it out of Purpleheart and Yellowheart. I had some glue residue left on the wood from the glue up and some saw marks on the wood from the table saw. I am trying to sand it down with my orbital hand sander to get the glue and the saw marks off and having the hardest time working this wood.

I have been using 60, 100, and 180 grit sand paper with my sander. The yellowheart responds much easier than the purple heart does. I have gotten most of it but there is still some pretty good saw marks left on the purple heart and I just can't seem to get the sander to get that stuff off. I do not want to use my planer with end grain and I do not have any hand planes either. As far as I know, my only option is to continue working it with my hand sander.

Does anyone have any advice for me regarding sanding purple heart? The sand paper gets destroyed pretty quickly and I do not seem to be making much progress. I have about 3 hours sanding into it right now.


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## ArlinEastman (May 22, 2011)

Scrappers are your friend. Also Purpleheart is harder they Yellowheart so it will sand faster.

This is something a lot of people do not know. When I was in Panama, South America they have so much Purpleheart that they burn it like Cottonwood here. Big trees too.


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

I have a few suggestions for your consideration. Purpleheart is very hard, but it can be overcome.

The first is to glue a strip of flat grain wood to the back edge of the CB and let the glue completely cure, then run it through your planer taking very light cuts, maybe like 1/64th. The flat grain will prevent the end grain from tearing out. Only try this IF you are very comfortable with the process and your CB is sufficiently thick to take the stress of the planer. A spiral head will work better than blades and feed at the slowest possible setting.

Make a sled and use your router with a bowl bit or similar. Again, take the shallowest possible cuts.

Use 36G paper on your sander. HTH


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Or take it to a cabinet shop and have them run it through their wide belt or drum sander. It will take minutes to achieve a nice flat/finished surface.


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

I did my end grain board sanding with a hand held belt sander. They are not very expensive to buy and will remove way more material than a ros. Also the metal base of the sander will prevent the removal of one wood before the other. It's the soft pad of the ros that allows that to happen.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Bill is a WAY better hand with a belt sander than I am! I can ruin a project quicker with a belt sander then any tool in my shop!


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I can't help you here but in the future use high quality cross cut blade to eliminate the saw marks and save yourself all of this grief.


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## Brandocalrizzion (Jan 1, 2014)

Thanks everyone! These are some helpful tips. I think I will pursue seeing if I can find a cabinet shop around town to help me out. That seems like the best means to resolve the conflict with this project and then apply some of this advice to my next cutting board


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

If the glue is primarily in depressions created by saw blades, then that is tough to get out. Sorry for that.

In addition to all the other suggestions, an inexpensive block plane can be quite handy for a lot of woodworking operations, including excess glue (though no help in the saw blade depression case).


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Hello scraper plane


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