Need to resurface & thickness plane old barn wood

[RandyinNC]

I'm dismantling my brother-in-law's 100+ year old barn a little at time to see what kind of lumber is there, condition, etc. So far it's mostly white oak and some pine but I'm hoping to be surprised by some chestnut or maybe walnut too. The unpainted wood looks to be flat sawn and was probably cut and put up fairly green. As a result it varies a lot in thickness and has some cupping and twists. I'm looking for a source in the Charlotte area that would mill it into some decent dimensional lumber for my use in cabinetry and other projects. Right now I don't need to have any of it re-sawn, but maybe when I get to the posts and beams...
Anyone know of possible contacts for this?

Thanks in advance

Randy

 

[Robert Arrowood]

My first question is,do ya have a metal detecter?Thats the first question the person at the shop will ask you.Being thats it's an old barn no telling how many nails are in it:nah:.

 

[nelsone]

Welcome to the site Randy! Glad you found us! I don't have an answer to your question, but hopefully some one will come along that can help.

Please post an introduction for yourself in the who we are section!

Sounds like you have a good deal on some potentially great lumber. You may want to give serious consideration to investing in a jointer and planer and mill this yourself! In the long run it will benefit you to work with rough cut lumber anyway.

 

[Mike Davis]

I would buy a small planer just for that project along with a dozen sets of knives.

 

[RandyinNC]

When I get serious about this project I know I'll need to get a metal detector and save everyone some aggravation, and knives. I'm wondering if the best way to deal with the lumber is to have it drum sanded instead of running it through a thickness planer. I have run a few boards already through an industrial planer of dubious sharpness and let me tell you, this is some HARD wood.
Anyway, if anyone has experience with this kind of project I'm all ears. The wood I've done already has a lot of character and will make some nice pieces. It ranges between 4/4 and 8/4 and some boards are 12-14 inches wide.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Randy

 

[scsmith42]

HI Randy, and welcome to North Carolina Woodworker!

If it were me, I would purchase a planer and a metal detector. Brush down the boards real thoroughly before planing them. I've had instances where the boards were so dirty that I scrubbed them with an aggressive brush and water prior to planing them.

Sanding them will probably take a lot longer than planing, and any metal fragments will tear up the belts.

In addition to looking at your cost to purchase the planer, check into the cost of replacement blades. You might want to spend some extra $ up front if the blades are significantly cheaper.

 

[Mike Davis]

Look at the cost of the replacement blades before you buy the planer. Some planer blades are much less than others.

You can use one set for the first rough run through, then change to a good set to finish up.

 

[ScottM]

If you have a hand held belt sander you can make one or two passes before planing. Those belts are cheaper then a wide belt sand.