On Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:02:31 -0500, dpb wrote:

On 08/07/2014 6:25 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:54:13 -0500, wrote:

On 08/07/2014 2:18 PM, wrote:
...

Do the old flooring boards need to be edge plained or process for
good fit during installation ?

Shouldn't -- there should be minimal damage at all on the groove edge as
all your reclamation work will come from the tongue side other than
maybe just a little help to separate once you've gotten the fasteners clear.

A quick pass w/ a belt sander to just wipe of the dust/grime would
probably be all I'd consider...

But, clare, "yes, I've run a _lot_ of reclaimed lumber thru both planer
and jointer" -- and once or twice I've knicked a blade. But, the cost
of a resharpening or even a set of blades or knives pales in contrast to
the cost of several hundred or thousand feet of hardwood new...not to
mention the difference in what 100- or 200-yo stuff is like compared to
present harvest, even in hardwoods as common as oak.

Hardwood lumber, yes. but hardwood flooring, you just install it "as
is" and then run a floor sander over it and refinish it. And even when
planing old lumber, you go over it all 3 or 4 times with a metal
detector, and take the first cut with a "rough" blade that doesn't
care if it picks up a bit of sand or other crap.. Best way to
"repurpose" old wood is with a drum sander.

I've done both...altho late commercial flooring is generally not worth
the planing. Most of the salvaged heart pine in Lynchburg was 5- or 6/4
initially but being pine had quite a lot of wear and all given the age
so sanding in place wasn't really the easy way to get a new surface. If
on has a drum sander it can do wonders indeed; if not the planer works,
too...
Pegged heart pine is a totally different situation than nailed or
stapled oak. And even nailed pine used fewer, larger nails that are
easier to find and remove. But a broken off cut nail can chew up a
planing blade pretty quick too.