Recycle used wood

[venkatbo]

Hi folks,

Recently I was able get some pine and oak furniture. I was able to break them down neatly to boards. I've eliminated all metallic objects such as nails etc.

However, they have some dark stain and polish. What is the best/safe way to remove the stain/polish.

Thanks,
/venkat

[crokett]

I've reused wood this way several times. My experience is I am always sanding projects after machining anyway so I've stopped removing the stain before starting work on a project.

That is a long way of saying sanding works

[Wood_workur]

Could you plane the wood down?

[venkatbo]

I was worried about planing - because I was concerned with the possibility of the polyurethane (?) coat ruining the the blades on the planer...

Sanding seems to be the safest bet - may have to sand off 1/16" - 1/8" to get rid of the old stained surface.

Thanks,
/venkat

[JSUPreston]

My current project is redoing an old desk my MIL had as a child for my son. Thing fell apart from old, weak glue. I've been using 80 grit on my ROS to get the old stain & poly (i guess) off of it. I've gone through about 15 5" sheets so far, and am not finished yet. Here's what I have learned:

On my project, 80 grit is the way to go. Any finer, and it won't take it off.
80 grit clogs up pretty quick, so have a large supply to go through.
If you have a DC that you can hook up to the sander, DO IT! Also, wear breathing protection. DAMHIKT.
Take your time. The stuff on the desk I am doing takes a while to get off. If it seems like it should be going a little faster (i.e.: looks like the sandpaper isn't working), take a break, get some water, and replace the sandpaper.

Good luck.

[venkatbo]

Thanks JSUPreston.
Do you happen to know the thickness od material removed... Would it be (1/16" - 1/8") or even more ? Wondering how much of the thinkness I'd lose in the process...

Thanks,
/venkat

[JSUPreston]

I wasn't really trying to remove wood, so I stopped just as soon as I saw bare wood. I think the stain was actually in the finish. I did sand a few spots intentionally, but that was to make joints a little better. In other words, if I removed any wood, it wasn't much at all.

My plan is to go over this a couple of more times working to around 220 before putting a new finish on it. Hopefully, I can then make this last another 30 to 50 years.