Softwood End grain - approach

[Simon Pettitt]

Hello,

I've started making a few things from reclaimed scaffold boards, and for once, I'd like to make the end grain of softwood look decent. Usually when I'm using softwood, it's to build something functional so I've never been bothered by the below. But for various reasons, I am using scaffold boards for some projects and want it to look nice and smooth.

I thought I could fill it, sand it or both, but I wanted to ask what other people would do.

both of these looked like the board on the right, but I sanded the one on the left at 80 and 120 and then vacuum'd out to check progress. Not a bad start, but some of the holes(?) are quite deep, and so I wondered if other people have products they would use. If you would fill it in any way, what would you use?

I have some black resin coming to fill cracks in some of these boards for effect...I wonder what it would look like with black filler then sanded back...

 

[--Tom--]

Sharp plane and plane it smooth. So long as the edge is sharp and the depth of cut is shallow will slice through no problem.

Or belt sand til smooth if power is the preferred approach

 

[eribaMotters]

The ends will need a lot of sanding and filling, because as you have found out the grain is very open.
An other alternative would be to put a 2mm x 45 degrees chamfer on the edges and then glue and biscuit joint a strip across the end with matching chamfer. A bit like the breadboard ends used on large tables.

Colin

 

[--Tom--]

Also worth getting a sharper saw blade for the cuts

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Leave the ends a couple of mm over length and run a router across them.

 

[frankendoodle65]

Also worth getting a sharper saw blade for the cuts

This is definitely the best starting point.

What are you using to cut the boards? A finer blade with more teeth, or just a fresh (or freshly sharpened) blade should give you a cleaner cut that needs less work to finish.
The "holes" in the end grain are likely because an agressive cut (or a dull blade) is literally pulling or breaking the fibres out as it goes - soft spruce and pine is particularly prone to this. A blade with more teeth, whether we're talking circular saw, mitre saw, bandsaw, handsaw etc. will take less material in each bite so the wood fibres are better supported throughout the cut and you get a cleaner finish. Hope that makes sense?

 

[Simon Pettitt]

Thanks for all the replies.

Sharp plane and plane it smooth. So long as the edge is sharp and the depth of cut is shallow will slice through no problem.

I do have a nice Bailey no 5 but it's fairly blunt at the moment and I'm a beginner at sharpening. I would like to get to this at some point, but until I'm better at sharpening, I reckon fill+sand might be my short term.

I also have no idea what angle the bevel is that the plane has already, as I didn't make it. I will probably end up putting on a new bevel to a known angle with a jig to start again, which again will be a learning process.

Also worth getting a sharper saw blade for the cuts

This is definitely the best starting point.

What are you using to cut the boards? A finer blade with more teeth, or just a fresh (or freshly sharpened) blade should give you a cleaner cut that needs less work to finish.
The "holes" in the end grain are likely because an agressive cut (or a dull blade) is literally pulling or breaking the fibres out as it goes - soft spruce and pine is particularly prone to this. A blade with more teeth, whether we're talking circular saw, mitre saw, bandsaw, handsaw etc. will take less material in each bite so the wood fibres are better supported throughout the cut and you get a cleaner finish. Hope that makes sense?

It's a Bosch sliding mitre saw (GCM8SJL), with the stock 48T blade. It hasn't really cut that much over the year I've had it, but I don't really know how to tell when a blade has gone blunt...

It doesn't really feel like it makes great progress through a cut though, I feel like I have to push harder than I expect to to keep the cut going, to avoid it going too slow and burning part way through the cut. I'll try and use less pressure though. I've checked everything is aligned using an engineer's square, so I don't think anything on the saw should be causing undue binding.

 

[--Tom--]

The thing with filling is it’ll show unless you’re planning to paint. Better to get the edge smooth.


Burning and a poor surface finish are two signs of a blunt blade- it might not have done much work but old scaffold boards will be full of grit and sand which is a killer of edges.

With an eclipse style jig you’ll find sharpening your number 5 no problem, and you’ll get lots of practice sharpening when working with scald boards

 

[Simon Pettitt]

The thing with filling is it’ll show unless you’re planning to paint. Better to get the edge smooth.


Burning and a poor surface finish are two signs of a blunt blade- it might not have done much work but old scaffold boards will be full of grit and sand which is a killer of edges.

With an eclipse style jig you’ll find sharpening your number 5 no problem, and you’ll get lots of practice sharpening when working with scald boards

I'd never actually touched a scaffold board before this week, it's been 50% birch ply offcuts that I get given and 50% DIY store CLS (building stud walls, etc). I don't think it's had any non-new timber on it before this weekend and it's only occasional weekend use, so I'm a bit dissapointed it's blunt already. But it certainly adds up as a reason. Any recommendation for a good crosscut blade that'll be better than the stock?

I'm not sure what an eclipse jig is, I have this (Axminster Workshop Honing Guide), a diamond stone and a strop at the moment.

 

[frankendoodle65]

I used to have the smaller, cheaper version of that saw and got pretty decent cuts from the stock blade. As --Tom-- says above, it's possible you've knackered the blade quickly if they're reclaimed scaffold boards?

Another thought, and humour me here because I'd expect that saw to cut softwood pretty easily, what's your cutting technique? A sliding mitre saw should be pulled all the way forward, then lowered and pushed through the wood in one smooth motion. If you lower the blade into the wood and then pull towards you, you're working against the rotation of the blade (also potentially dangerous as the saw may kick back violently!)

For really nice cuts I'd be looking at a 60 tooth blade or higher on that saw, you should be able to get a really nice finish straight off the saw with minimal clean up. Something like This on the cheaper end will help, though you can spend a bit more on other brands and probably get even better results.
Hopefully someone around here can recommend the best blade for you, I'm certainly no expert!

Edit: looks like we posted at the same time, so you've ruled out one reason to have a prematurely dulled blade! Cut any pallet wood with it? Or it's possible you just got a duff blade, it happens.

 

[--Tom--]

That’s the eclipse style jig so you’re all sorted.
I’ll let other recommend saw blades, I’ve had good experience with CMT though

 

[Simon Pettitt]

I used to have the smaller, cheaper version of that saw and got pretty decent cuts from the stock blade. As --Tom-- says above, it's possible you've knackered the blade quickly if they're reclaimed scaffold boards?

Another thought, and humour me here because I'd expect that saw to cut softwood pretty easily, what's your cutting technique? A sliding mitre saw should be pulled all the way forward, then lowered and pushed through the wood in one smooth motion. If you lower the blade into the wood and then pull towards you, you're working against the rotation of the blade (also potentially dangerous as the saw may kick back violently!)

For really nice cuts I'd be looking at a 60 tooth blade or higher on that saw, you should be able to get a really nice finish straight off the saw with minimal clean up. Something like This on the cheaper end will help, though you can spend a bit more on other brands and probably get even better results.
Hopefully someone around here can recommend the best blade for you, I'm certainly no expert!

Edit: looks like we posted at the same time, so you've ruled out one reason to have a prematurely dulled blade! Cut any pallet wood with it? Or it's possible you just got a duff blade, it happens.

Interesting. My cutting technique is pretty much as you say - sliding towards the fence. For some reason, I tend to score a line all the way back along the board (front to back) by maybe 10mm, then lift up, slide back to the front and cut the rest front>back full depth. Not really sure why I do it! And no pallet wood before. Just birch ply and CLS really. Maybe I've just cut more with it than I think I have!

I'll see if I can find the cash for a new blade, that 60T looks like a good idea. Maybe I should try and brush/scrub the surfaces of the board around the cut line to try and keep grit away from the blade.

Thanks

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Try Leading UK Supplier of Multi Tool Blades & Accessories - Saxton Blades
They're good value reasonably priced blades for hobby use. A 60T blade will be fine, an 80T maybe even better. If you're having to push the saw the blade is blunt, and it certainly shouldn't burn.

 

[2 Rivers]

I use AW Tools, Sheffield, they still make the saw blades in Sheffield. I you phone them they will tell you exactly which saw you need. You will surprised how cheap they are too