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Just started stripping and sanding the seats on this Eastport ('67). I invested in a Bosch power planer and that old finish flew off!!! Still used the sanders a bit, but this thing is great.

Here are some pics -- didn't take as many "before" shots as I would have liked -- too excited to get planing!

http://67bweasport.shutterfly.com/act...om/action/

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Using a planer is cheating! :D:D You should be sanding your arms off :@ like the rest of us! :p

Looking good - keep up the great work and that Eastport will be looking like new!

FYI - when you post a link - highlight it and click the "url" button at the bottom of the box you are typing it - it will make it clickable for everyone. You can also follow the directions just above the box you are typing in and make it a word instead of all the really long addresses.

Here is a fixed link to your pictures....

Click here for Busch Leagues Pics

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Wow, your parts look great! I'd hate to learn how little time that took, as I've been stripping my console down using sanders for the past couple weeks on and off. I even toyed with the idea of sending all my parts to a buddy in VT who has a big planner, but didnt like the idea of the parts being cleaned without me!

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I have a 12" planer, and it will strip the finish off in a heartbeat. Only thing is you have to use patience, and take just a fraction off with each pass, so as to take as little wood as possible, or else you will be left with a thin board. LOL.
Another quick method I have used is applying paint stripper, and then blasting it off with a 1800psi electric pressure washer.(not a real powerful gas powered one)
I mentioned this over at CW board a while back, and was told the pressure washer will eat out the grain from the mahogany, but mahogany is a hard wood, and this is not the case. I like this way better than the planer, as it is just about impossible with a planer to not have a slightly thinner board when your done. It would be the only way to strip a wood console, I believe. I use Aircraft type spray-on paint remover on outboard motors, and then blast it off with the pressure washer too, that's a real easy job. Use paint remover made for wood on the mahogany parts.

Rich

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I really don't like sanding very much and this seemed like a good solution. However, you do have to be carefull because one bad pass can leave you with a little less wood than when you started!!!

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How bout a drum sander... I have seen these used for around $200 -

Drum Sander

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Nice looking work, Busch League! Just as you said, be careful to remove only a tiny bit at a time!
This product might not be for everybody, but I've had luck with mahogany filler stains in the past. They can be used to give the mahogany a really nice red color (especially when finished with a true varnish). I have some pictures of a mahogany bar I built a few years back that shows the color you can achieve, but I'll have to pull them off my old computer before I can post an example. Anyway- these fillers can prevent 'blotchy' staining if using open grained mahogany, or just provide a nice color otherwise. Also, they help create a smooth finish with your clear coat. West Marine sells one under the Z-Spar name. Happy varnishing!

Filler Stain

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I guess I have the patience for an orbital, a mouse, a wood block and the number of beers the time allows.

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I definitely have patience for the last thing you mentioned! :D:D:D:D

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The planer is good to use when you need to do more than just remove a little varnish prior to adding a new coat. It's not something you do every year, or even every other year. It should only really be done when you are undertaking a major restoration. If you're careful with it, you can take off only the varnish, and not take any significant amount of wood. But over time, repeated passes, will start to thin down the wood. Also, you have to be careful to avoid "waves" in the wood. You still have to sand it when you're done.

As for the pressure washer, even if it doesn't chew out the grain, it's going to take weeks for the wood to dry out. You're better off just sanding.

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I used a power planer to refinish the 70year old doors in our house and learned after the fact that I should have just sanded them. The power planner worked to well and removed more than I really wanted. Some areas where left with deep grooves that needed a lot of sanding which removed way to much wood.

I found that you are best off to find some one with a thickness sander or instead of a planer use a belt sander.

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I use chemical stripper, messy yet effective, then I use the "Corner Cat" sander on everything. I round off as many corners as I can so that the "poly" sticks better. It (polyurethane) always wears out first on the sharper corners of the wood.
mw

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A 12" planer is foolproof and will do the best job, just don`t be in a hurry, and try to take too much in one pass. I think you can do damage with a drum sander too if you are careless.
Rich

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I've done way more damage to the wood in my 13' using a belt sander than I did using the planer. But again, it's important that the planer you use be of the highest quality and have very fine thickness controls. You need to be taking off no more than 1/64" with each pass. That's enough to take the varnish off, but leave the wood largely untouched. Tom Clark thinks that this will ruin the blades on the planer rather quickly. He's probably right. But I'd be willing to sacrifice ten planers for one perfect looking Whaler.