Could you resaw them on a band saw so you are cutting below the paint layer rather than thru the paint?
Could you resaw them on a band saw so you are cutting below the paint layer rather than thru the paint?
HMmmmmm....I wonder what a 36 grit [or 50 grit or even 80 grit] belt in the wide/belt sander would accomplish. A very good dust collection is a must!
I have done this only once, would not try again. 3 years ago my shop landlord ran three primed 1x12x12' boards thru the 24" planer, killed the sharp
knives right away. You may have better luck.
Epilog Mini 24-45W, Corel Draw X6, Photoshop CS5, Multi Cam CNC
I have sanded paint off of old maple gym floor boards to make into a banjo, mandolin, dulcimer and fiddle for a customer who has a sentimental attachment to that particular old gym floor. I've done it with a drum sander, and have scraped off what I could by hand. The drum sander handled it fine, but it does dull the paper relatively fast and I have spent well over an hour just to process maybe 10-20 board feet into clean, usable lumber. It would not be practical for larger volumes or bigger projects in my opinion. Another thing is that oak is a porous wood, and the paint is likely to have soaked into the pores, I think. I've only done it with maple.
I had some 2x2 cedar spindles left over from my deck that had been coated with exterior deck stain, but had never been exposed to outside. I tried planing off the stain, but after just 10 or 20 feet, the knives were toast. So, no I don't think it is worth doing.
Pressure washer may get some dirt and crud off before for planning. That is how they take the bark off redwood before it goes into the sawmills. The bark can be over one foot thick.
Bil lD
Scott Vroom
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
John
Pick up a hand power planer, they can usually be had pretty cheap on Craigslist, or even new. It's the Devils tool for most jobs, butt for what you want to do, it will work just fine.
Set it for a light cut, and it will remove most of the old crud. It will also conform to the twists and bows of the old fencing boards.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)
Are you sure it's paint? We used drain oil cut with Kerosene on our fences. Keeps the critters from chewing on the fence boards. With periodic applications it can build up like tar.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
When I have boards that are dirty or finished, I take off the top layer with a scrub plane.
First test a few pieces.
What use do you have for the lumber?
If reselling, the value might be kinda low. It probably was not prime quality when new, and after a few years of weather it will be um,,,,'relaxed' into new shapes.
If for your own as yet unspecified projects just take home a modest quantity of the best looking stuff. When you use it you can cut it to rough size before resurfacing it. That will minimize the pain.