I finally got a smooth finish on poplar without sanding for hours

Been building cabinets for about 6 years now and poplar always gave me trouble with tearout on the planer. Last week I had a small vanity to do and figured I'd try something different. Slowed my feed rate down to almost half speed on the planer and took super light passes, maybe 1/64 at a time. Also made sure my knives were fresh, I had been running them way too dull. The finish came out glass smooth, barely needed any sanding before paint. Saved me about 45 minutes of sanding on that little project. Has anyone else tried messing with feed rate on tricky woods like this? I always just ran stuff through at full speed before.

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_green19d ago

Cutting feed rate that much just wastes time on the clock man. I'd rather spend a few extra minutes with sandpaper than stand there waiting on the planer to crawl through every board.

viola_cooper6219d ago

Oh man, I feel you on the tearout struggle! Poplar is sneaky like that, seems soft but acts up when you least expect it. I started doing the same thing a couple years back, slowing the feed way down on tough spots like where the grain changes direction. Its kind of a trade off but I figure the time I lose feeding slow I make up for not fighting with a sander later. Also check your roller pressure if you can, too much can leave those dents that are a pain to sand out. A sharp set of knives really is the game changer though, I learned that lesson the hard way too.

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