jig for making table top flat

Apr 17, 2006 3 Replies
J

Hello again! one year and seven months ago I bought a 3x6 Maple tabletop from Grizzly. I don't normally use it for large projects and I haven't checked it for "flatness" in awhile, but this past weekend I laid my level across it and the level rocked(!).Needless to say I was surprised and more than a little bit irritated, it has a 3/16' bow on one end and 1/8" bow on the other.


1) its out of warranty.
2) I don't have my reciept.

I live in a very rural area in western WA. Three hours from a city large enough to have a sander capable of sanding it flat. So, I have to make it flat. I don't own a jointer. My questions for the group are; Does MDF normally have a straight enough edge to use as rails for a router sled? Do I make both sides flat?



In this case "flat" is within 1/16".



Thanks, jaquestion



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H

Normal, especially in a damp clime. I buy grizzly stuff, and as long as you consider their stuff to be a bargain that requires some tweaking, it shouldn't be a disappointment.

Take the high spots off with your plane, belt sand the whole top, slap some erl on it, and get back to work.

Rout the top with mdf sleds? That's just crazy talk.

-- Timothy Juvenal

formatting link

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M

Normally? Well - I guess if you mean does it come from the store with a straight enough edge, then yes. But even if it didn't, you could saw it to a straight edge.

That's up to you.

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N

jaq:

One important thing to consider here is how the table is actually sitting. If the feet are not on a level >plane< with each other, it can easily pull the top one way or another while it tries to settle in.

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