planing painted lumber

[jussi]

I'm getting some old planks (for free) that were used as shelving for an old store. They are painted. I want to use them for a display case I'll be making. Is it necessary to strip or sand the paint off before planing? I'm sure they had or have nails in them. Anyone know of a cheap place to get a metal detector? Or is there another way to search for the nails? Obviously I can and will search for them by eye but sometimes there a pieces that are broken and hard to see.

[LCHIEN]

low cost, good metal detector.

http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Detecto...3487091&sr=1-1

This is the small version, doesn't check very large area. Other Lumber Wizard products handle larger areas.
Sold many places other than Amazon.

[birdman]

I use a stud/metal finder that I bought some years back for around $20. It has a sensitivity dial on it. To adjust the stud finder I put a nail under the board and adjust the stud finder so it senses the nail on the other side. I move the nail around a bit to make sure the stud finder light turns off & on. For every kind and thickness of wood you test you will have to re-adjust the stud finder.

I have never hit a nail with my plainer, miter saw, or table saw after using this method of testing. Not very fancy, but has been very effective.

[jussi]

I use a stud/metal finder that I bought some years back for around $20. It has a sensitivity dial on it. To adjust the stud finder I put a nail under the board and adjust the stud finder so it senses the nail on the other side. I move the nail around a bit to make sure the stud finder light turns off & on. For every kind and thickness of wood you test you will have to re-adjust the stud finder.

I have never hit a nail with my plainer, miter saw, or table saw after using this method of testing. Not very fancy, but has been very effective.

That's a good idea. I totally forgot my stud finder can detect metal as well. I'll give that a try first and if it doesn't work I'll try the Wizard Detector.

[Pappy]

HF has one that goes on sale now and then (what doesn't?). Similar to the ones used at security check points.

[bthere]

Paint and the grime embedded in it can dull planer blades pretty quickly. It is probably a good idea to use a belt sander to get the paint off, then brush and blow the grit from the sanding off the surface.

[Warren]

Yup! Go after it with an agressive belt sander before anything else. Then go looking for defects, nails, knots and such. Then go metal detecting for hidden surprises..

[Ed62]

You might want to be careful if the paint is lead based. Wear protective masks when sanding.

Ed