leveling benchtop - help!

[C Carruth]

I have finsihed the core of my new bench, made of glued up red oak. When I put the benchdog strip on, using biscuits to keep it lined up, it ended up with a lip of 1/16 or so.

Well, appears the last strips on the side are off, lowering the side, which resulted in the benchdog stip being above the edge of the table, but in line with the center.

What do I do? The local cabinet shop wants to charge me $60 to run it through the sander, and a millwork place wants to charge me $150 to run it through thier finish planer. Neither seems attractive, given it is not a piece of furniture. However, I want the top to be flat for obvious reasons. Also, I have not used a plane in 30 years and am skittish about relearning on this top.

Help!!!!!

[Tom Watson]

I'd go for the sixty dollar deal.

If you don't want to go that way, you can take a router and make a sub base for it that extends about eighteen inches on one side.

Double face tape a half or three quarter thick, widish strip to the bench top for the extended base to ride on and set a straight bit or a morticing bit to a point that will take you within a heavy sixty fourth of the final depth. Clean up with a cabinet scraper or some sandpaper glued to a board that will have the paper riding the cut and the section of the board without paper on it riding the bench top.

I'd still go for the sixty dollar deal.

(Don't go for the planer treatment. You'll have a lot of cleanup to do)

Regards, Tom Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania

[Kevin Slaten]

relearning

How much did you spend on all the wood? How much time and material will it cost you to learn how to handplane again?

Go for the 60.00

[Bay Area Dave]

what do you care what he spent on the wood? are you gonna reimburse him for it?? I bet even your momma can't stand you!

dave

Kev>>I have finsihed the core of my new bench, made of glued up red oak. > > When I >

[Norm Underwood]

You truly are ate up like a dumb ass aren't you?

[Mark Jerde]

The answer is obvious -- buy or build a big sander.

A hand-held belt sander can take off a lot of wood in a hurry.

-- Mark

[<nospam]

Sounds like a good excuse to buy a router and a flush-trim bit to me.

[Scott Goodyear]

When I built my latest workbench, several years ago I glued up two sections, 15" wide out of 3" hardwood strips on edge (that is the maximum width I could get through my planer).

I carefully glued the two sections together but when I checked it the next day the sections had shifted almost 1/32" vertically with respect to each other. My options were to rip the bench apart on this glueline and try again or surface it manually, I don't have access to large planers or belt sanders.

Tried my portable belt sander, seemed really slow Like you, I hadn't used a handplane since I was a kid helping my Dad. Got out a #5 plane I had bought years ago and never really used, sharpened it up and started planing. Used a straightedge to mark the high areas and planed them down, repeatedly checking with the straightedge until the high spots were gone. In an hour I was done, top was dead flat whichever way I laid the straightedge on it..

Getting your benchtop flattened commercially is a bargain. It will save you the expense of buying a shop full of hand tools once you realize what they can do and what a pleasure they are to use.

Scott

[C Carruth]

Ended up taking it to cabinet shop. They will run take of 3/32' via a huge sander, followed by manual final sanding with orbital sander. So, when done, flat and final sanded. Cost $50. I figure i done goood..

[DarylRos]

I am a great believer in learning how to use hand tools properly, and a plane is the most importatn type of tool. That said, spend the $60 and get it sanded.