cleaning oak boards

[hammer n nails]

I have aquired some oak floor boards t& g but the back of the board is covered in some sort of glue/ sealent i have tried scraping it off but is rock hard any ideas for removing it i have tried sanding it with a corse grit on a angle grinder but just clogs up

 

[marcros]

I would think it is bitumen. Scraping would probably be best.

 

[andersonec]

Try a paint stripping heat gun and paint scraper.

Andy

 

[n0legs]

If they are covered with pitch/bitumen I wouldn't go with heat to remove it.
What happens is the pitch goes thin and penetrates deeper into the wood, possibly ruining decent timber. Also there's the fire risk.
As Marcros said scraping them off to start with then get the sander on them with the roughest grit you can get. Make use of this cold weather and leave them out for the night, the pitch will chip off easier.

I used to strip and then re-use old parquet flooring. I had a jig set up where I would lay a load of blocks face down/pitch side up and then use the floor sander to clean them off.

 

[hammer n nails]

No its not pitch its brown coulored will carry on scraping mabe a wire brush on a angle grinder will try that on a small bit

 

[Bod]

Old pearl glue?
Will it soften in water?

Are the boards thick enough to take resawing? Just cut it off!
A cabinet scraper may be quicker than an angle grinder. (think Stanley/Record No.80)

Bod

 

[dzj]

Sharpen some old blades and use a thicknesser.

 

[blackrodd]

Sharpen some old blades and use a thicknesser.

+1 For above.
Most adhesives will heat up while attempting to sand and just end up clogging even 40 grit.
chipping off any excess while cold and then plane up with old sharpened sacrificial blades.
Regards Rodders

 

[hammer n nails]

Thanks for replys will try the scraper ahd put some old blades in the thicknesser

 

[blackrodd]

Thanks for replys will try the scraper ahd put some old blades in the thicknesser

Just a thought, make sure you're extractor is working well, you won't want the glue/crud to block up around the cutter block, or you may well curse me!
Rodders

 

[owenmcc]

Thanks for replys will try the scraper ahd put some old blades in the thicknesser

Just a thought, make sure you're extractor is working well, you won't want the glue/crud to block up around the cutter block, or you may well curse me!
Rodders

Important additional advice.

 

[SteveF]

can u make a jig and use a router to take of a couple of mm?

Steve