Think I can flatten my bench with a #6?

[Frederick Skelly]

I really hate to use my router to do this. It looks like a task just MADE for building my hand tool skill. (Today, Im a journeyman at best.)

Cosman recommends using a #7. But I just dont foresee needing a #7 for other work I do. So I hate to buy one. I have access to my buddy's #6, but its 17" long, which is 5-6 inches shorter than a #7. I also own a nice #5 with a good blade, though Im guessing thats just too short to start the flattening.

Am I pressing my luck trying this at my skill level and using a #6?

Thanks,
Fred

[Steve Voigt]

Of course you can. Just need to check your progress more often. What's more important is that you have a long straight edge and a pair of winding sticks longer than your bench is wide. If you have those, and they're accurate, you can flatten with a #5 if you have to (not that you'd want to, but you could).

[Jim Koepke]

I have access to my buddy's #6, but its 17" long, which is 5-6 inches shorter than a #7.

It is likely you can do this with a #6.

For me, a #6 would likely be my smoother or pre-smoother on a bench build.

jtk

[bridger berdel]

you can flatten anything with any plane. you could do it with a block plane or a #1 if you wanted.

you'll be able to get it as accurate as your straightedge. the longer plane means you won't have to check as often.

flattening a large top with a tiny plane would amount to self punishment :)

bootstrapping yourself to an accurate straightedge is an interesting exercise in it's own right, and a very good project for handplane skill building.

[Jim Neeley]

Frederick,

You can absolutely flatten your bench with a #6 (at 18"). Other than if you've ground the blades differently, the difference is the extra 6" of length the #6 will "naturally" give you a flatter surface while with the shorter plane you'll need to be more in tune with the peaks and valleys. You may benefit with a long straightedge and some long winding sticks, even fit <gasp!> these are a couple of 6' pieces of <say, 2"> angle iron or aluminum.

If your mission is a coplanar bench that a #8 would be even better and a 48" woodie (if ya could yield it) would go even flatter. I have a #6 and #8 and, when flattening my top I used both. To be honest, I swapped to the smaller plane when I got tired. <g>

If you have a #8, use it. If not, use a #7 if you have it, then a #6, even a #5 or #4-1/2 can be used; it just takes longer because you need to work to a straightedge rather than using the length of the plane to identify and trim the peaks.

As a practical base, just how flat do you need it? My *opinion* is that *I* want a strip about 8"-12" wide along the front pretty darned flat, since that's what I reference from. As for the rest, my tolerance isn't so tight.

Just my $0.02.. YMMV.

Jim in Alaska

[Sam Stephens]

Most of the flattening/leveling should be done w/ a scrub and/or #5 -in your case a #5. Once it's reasonably flat as assessed by winding sticks and/or a good straightedge, then and only then, shift to the longer jointer plane -in your case a #6 -to remove the marks from the #5. Once flat, then switch to a smoother. Starting the heavy roughing work w/ a #7 or worse, a #8 is just silly imo -that's not what those planes were designed for. JMTCW.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys! Im going to give it a go. Should be great traininf and it will be nice to have it flat.
Fred

[Jim Neeley]

Most of the flattening/leveling should be done w/ a scrub and/or #5 -in your case a #5. Once it's reasonably flat as assessed by winding sticks and/or a good straightedge, then and only then, shift to the longer jointer plane -in your case a #6 -to remove the marks from the #5. Once flat, then switch to a smoother. Starting the heavy roughing work w/ a #7 or worse, a #8 is just silly imo -that's not what those planes were designed for. JMTCW.

You are correct, of course, Sam; I said what I said based on some assumptions (Ass-U-Me! :) )

Fred was quoting Rob's use of a #7 and I Ass-U-Me-d he, like I, had watched Rob's online bench build where he moved to his #7 after getting it close with a scrub. The technique he demonstrated, and it's only one of multiple approaches, is to decrease the depth of the scrub cut near the end, permitting him to go from the scrub to the #6. I agree that using a #5 in between would be the "traditional" approach although either work.

As in most things woodworking, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Personally, I'd likely interpose the #5, like yourself, to decrease the number of strokes.

..and opinions are like.. noses, everybody has one. <g>

Kudos for asking the question, Fred!!

Jim in Alaska

[Dave Cullen]

When I started woodworking some 30 years ago I purchased a very nice beech Sojbergs bench that I still use today. As my skills and confidence improved, I checked the top with a good straightedge and found that it had a very slight dip on the end vise which I attempted to flatten with a plane. The iron dug in and ripped out a chunk of wood because I was planing in the wrong direction. That tearout is still there to remind me to never touch my bench with a tool.

That being said, yes a #6 is adequate. Pay attention to grain direction. My mistake happened because I'm a righty and was uncomfortable planing left to right as the grain demanded. Take light cuts and check progress often.

But do practice on something else first. Become an expert with a plane before taking it to your precious workbench.

[Terry Beadle]

Before you completely dismiss a router...consider that it can save you a lot of time getting the bench sides ( both top and bottom ) near to flat. Then use the #6 or #5 to go for flat. The winding sticks are essential as is a good accurate straight edge ( 2 ~ 3 foot long ).

Making a simple jig for the router base plate to ride in is easy and doesn't have to be sophisticated. Pop a 3/4 inch surfacing bit in the router and knock down the high spots. No sense in breaking your arms and joints getting rock maple ( or what ever you are using ) near to true. Near flat is with in 1/8 th of an inch.

Just a comment to save some sweat.

Enjoy the bench !

[Steve Voigt]

Some of the advice in this thread is really making me scratch my head.

- Why would you use a smoothing plane on your bench, once it's flat? If you've used the double iron on your #6 properly, you should be able to get a tearout-free surface. But if there is a little tearout, so what? A flat bench with tearout is infinitely preferable to a smooth bench that's not flat.

- What's the point in even having a bench if you can't plane it, scrape it, drill holes into it if necessary? Become an expert with a plane by making and flattening your bench, not the other way around.

- The router thing may save you some sweat, but it will take you far longer than using a plane, will not look nearly as nice, and will not help you learn any worthwhile skills the way that using a plane will.

[Chris Fournier]

You could definitely do this job with a sharp #6, or #s3,4,5,7,8 as others have mentioned. Show us your flat bench top when you're done!

[Frederick Skelly]

Got it done!

Youll all laugh and shake your heads, but my buddy Rod is out of town so I couldnt borrow that #6. So yeah, you know what happened - I did it all with that #5 and then smoothed it with a #4.

There was no twist but a noticeable cup had developed down the center. As you predicted, I worked my tail off using the shorter planes and a straight edge. Took me about 4 hrs. Its not perfect, despite my best efforts. But she's straight and "flat enough". (I couldnt get the last 1/32" of that cup out over about 2 foot stretch. I was afraid to push it harder at the risk of it getting "out of straight" along the length of the bench. Beginners jitters.) Anyway, maybe Ill make another run at that when I can borrow Rod's #6.

All in all, Im pleased. I think it was a decent first try and I learned more about handling my planes. And even with that cup, the bench is noticeably improved.

Thanks for all the help and advise guys!
Fred

[Sam Stephens]

Some of the advice in this thread is really making me scratch my head.

- Why would you use a smoothing plane on your bench, once it's flat? If you've used the double iron on your #6 properly, you should be able to get a tearout-free surface. But if there is a little tearout, so what? A flat bench with tearout is infinitely preferable to a smooth bench that's not flat.



to make it smooth of course!

[Kees Heiden]

Ah, yes, but a bench doesn't need to be smooth. ;) A bit of texture helps to keep your projects from sliding around.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Some sections of my bench have a fair amount of tearout, and some don't, and have become a bit more burnished in use. I can feel the difference between them in use in some applications - some spots a single holdfast will be fine for something like a drilling operation, others it takes two to keep from spinning. There are probably other factors in play, but it seems to help a little.

I had to flatten and re-level a section of wooden subfloor and studs (about half the area was subfloor, half the area was open studs, some that needed to be shimmed up to the level of the existing subfloor, some that needed to be trimmed down) around 32" square to accept another layer before putting another layer of subfloor on top and laying a shower basin. I could have just raised the whole layer, but it would have made a really unsightly gap/transition between the shower basin and surrounding floor.

Because the opening was recessed, and planes didn't fit (and I don't have any bullnose or chisel planes, or suitable power tools for the job) after trimming the shims for the studs on the bench and installing them to have the beginning of a working planar surface, I then leveled everything else in situ. I used broad chisels and a block plane for some parts.

The work went surprisingly quickly, and while the surface was not the flatness we shoot for with a workbench, I had to remove a fair amount of work because of both the twist and the out of level-ness present. (Almost an inch over 32 or 33 inches!) It was simply a matter of carefully using edges and levels to determine where material needed to be removed. Almost like that sculpture joke about just removing everything that's not the final piece.

So as others have said, given enough time and care, you can flatten with anything. Machinists flatten things to finer tolerances than woodworkers with scrapers.

My next piece of work, tapering a bunch of pieces to add to some studs, I got to use my jointer plane, though, and really appreciated it.