I'm trying to make an end grain cutting board and I've been using a scrap 2x12 for practice. I noticed it has a slight cup, so I placed the concave side down on a planer sled and tried using the pencil trick to flatten it. After flipping it over, I noticed some wobble, so I planed the other side again using slightly different wedges. Unfortunately, I'm still getting a small wobble—about the thickness of a fingernail. The original piece of wood wasn't very cupped, so I'm confused about why my adjustments aren't working. I haven't had much experience with planers before now. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated, and feel free to roast me if I messed up!
3 Answers
One effective method to address cup is to rip the board down the middle, then mill both halves to square and glue them back together. It’s a bit more work, but it can solve the issue without leaving a wobbly board!
You definitely want to face joint one side of the board first before running it through the planer. If you don't have a jointer, you can flatten one side by hand using a hand plane. It's a crucial step for getting a good flat surface to start with!
Keep in mind that planer sleds aren’t always spot on. I recommend using plastic shims and hot glue to secure the board properly for more accurate results. When making a cutting board from strips, your pieces can be slightly off, since the pressure from clamps can usually hide minor imperfections!
I don’t have a jointer either. Would it work to just use clamps to flatten it while I plane, or is that risky?