AdamAronson Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hi all, The enclosed graphics represent the state of affairs of the bottom of the front slab after glue up. In the bottom view the arrows point to the high side of each joint. The right and left views illustrate the actual heights. I've watched the flattening strategy video and understand the concept Marc illustrates of flattening one side to match the higher boards on the other side but well, my glue up didn't go quite as well as simply having boards slide by each other. There's a lil' twist as play as well even though all the laminations are tight. I imagine this results from "doing the best I could" with my Ridgid 6" jointer. Any suggestions on how to approach this? Which side (left or right) should I flatten with my #7? The good news is that I have 4-1/2" of thickness to "play" with. Thanks, Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Since you're gonna have to remove nearly a quarter inch from a good portion of your bench, I'd be looking to go router sled method. That's gonna be a TON of hand planing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamAronson Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hi Eric, I do have a planer (a 12" DeWalt) and am planning on using that once I get passed the initial "rough flattening" of the bottom with the hand plane. Also, These slabs are ~92" long... what would I use as a sled? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Also, These slabs are ~92" long... what would I use as a sled? You mean for the rails for the sled? You could use regular studs, jointed on one edge. Did you not see Marc's video on this? Check it out... http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/flattening-workbenches-and-wide-boards-with-a-router/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamAronson Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 You mean for the rails for the sled? You could use regular studs, jointed on one edge. Did you not see Marc's video on this? Check it out... http://www.thewoodwh...-with-a-router/ Ah! You DID say "router sled", didn't you? Sorry, in my morning caffeine haze I read that as "planer sled". Yeah, the router sled is an interesting idea. I'll watch the video again. My only initial concern is whether I trust my jointer to joint two sides of a stud flat enough to be accurate enough for this procedure. Or, am I overstating the concern? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Uh, no, I think I'd want them pretty flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allencrane Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Adam, You will certainly learn a lot by taking the purist approach and flattening this by hand. However, you will take off the absolute minimum and get to perfect flatness if you have access to a cabinetshop with a large belt sander. You might consider this cheating, but the results are going to be fantastic. I had a similar issue - though my problems were more significant because I elected to do a single massive slab and not a split top. I did an initial scrub with my No. 5, but was really glad that I used the cabinetshop belt sander. My only regret was that by using the belt sander, I lost my excuse to get the No. 7 LN that I really wanted! Good luck! Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamAronson Posted July 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Hi Allen, Thanks to everyone for the replies. For the front slab I ended up using the 8" jointer and 15" planer at a friend's shop for starters finishing it off at home on my 13" planer. The end result is excellent. I have yet to tackle the rear slab but plan on getting the bottom flat by hand. Its almost there - the Glue Up Gods were smiling down on me that day. After flattening the bottom I'll run the beat through the planer. I think I'll get some help this time - my back was none too happy with me after doing the front slab "a la solo". Allen, I do have a Delta wide belt sander and considered that as well. Truth is I purchased it used a few months ago and never made the effort to tune it up and make sure that the sanding drum is parallel to the drive belt. Thanks again! Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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