Re-using old redwood

[Woodchuck]

I have this old 100% redwood picnic table that has seen it's days When my Dad made the table some 40 years ago he coated the redwood with linseed oil and since then it's had a coat of poly. What I would like to do is reuse the wood for a future project, may another picnic table but smaller. Would it be safe once I take this old table apart to run the wood through my TP planer and jointer to straighten and clean the wood up. Over the years the wood surface has gotten weather and is no longer smooth.

Thanks from a newbie

[Hoyt Weathers]

I see no problem, in general, with running the old redwood through your planer. Before you do that, just be danged sure you check each surface inch-by-inch for metal thingies. I have a compass which I slowly slide over old wood for an indication of iron or steel inside the wood. That does not take that much time. Only once did I detect anything bad inside the wood. I just dug it out and then it was okay.

Hoyt W.

[jo4hn]

I use a fair amount of recycled redwood (some guy's deck). Start by brushing and vacuuming the surface crud. Then as Hoyt said, check for metal. If the wood is really cruddy, I make a light pass with a belt sander. Then you can joint two sides and bring the planer to bear. Makes some beautiful wood. mahalo, jo4hn

[Wilson]

I reclaimed an old western red cedar deck...just used old planer blades. Worked great. Soaked it in Cabot stain and it's fine. Wilson

[philski]

Woodchuckster, You most certainly may reuse old redwood. You will probably find it drier than that you would buy from a lumber yard but very machineable and a few passes through a saw/planer/jointer and it will look just like new.

Enjoy!

Philski