Proper way to flatten a workbench top

[dennis davidson]

I have a 16 year old Ulmia brand workbench, European Beech, and the top hasn't been smoothed or flattened for about 6 years. I have a nice assortment of hand planes, but not certain what is the best procedure to obtain a smooth and flat top. Smoothing plane, Jack, Jointer first or last? I presume a high angle frog is best for Beech. My last attempt got it flat but with considerable tear-out. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[ken hatch]

Dennis,

A little tear out on a bench isn't a big problem, in fact makes the top a little gripper. I would start with winding sticks and a Jack with a fair amount of camber to get rid of any wind. After that use the same Jack to take down any high spots. Once almost flat and true change to a longer plane to get it flat and finally the smoother if you feel the need. I would hate to think about pushing a high angle frog over a slab the size of a work bench while taking anything but the thinest shavings.

ken

[Mike Brady]

I use a No. 5 length plane with a toothed, or toothing iron in it. The length of the plane helps isolate and remove the high spots and the toothing iron removes wood quickly and allows me to plane in any direction, which makes the job easier and faster. I leave the slightly rough texture as is and unfinished to provide better grip of workpieces. I can do the same thing with my No. 7 and a toothed blade.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I just did initial flattening of my first real bench, built of beech, about 2 weeks ago with a LN #7. It could have used a dose of sharp when I started, but I liked the surface it produced. Angled at 45deg, #7 left a surface comparable to 80-100 grit sandpaper. Even with 2 coats of thinned BLO, the top still has a good 'grip'.

[Prashun Patel]

I re-flattened my maple and ash benches.

I planed across grain with a jack, then at 45 with the jack, then at 45 with the jointer.

On my maple, I stopped there. On my ash, I used a #4 to smooth.

[lowell holmes]

A scrub plane is what I would would use. I have a 1 5/8" iron (from Lowe's) that I ground a radius on the cutting edge. After sharpening it, I put it in a #3 Bailey and the plane becomes a scrub plane.
Identify the high spots by shading then with a pencil lead. You scrub the high spots, and when your through, you can plane the top flat again.

The top should then be flat.

[Tony Shea]

I personally would only use a jointer for the entire operation. Where it is such a large surface I go cross grain with the jointer set for a heavy cut, then go with the grain, then at a 45, then with the grain. Once the bench is flat I set the jointer for a very light cut and go across the grain on the entire bench. This leaves a slightly rough surface that is still tearout free. I have found this surface to be much more pleasurable to work on without stuff sliding around than a smoothed out surface. To each their own.

[Brian Holcombe]

I do 95% of the work cross grain then knock off the highs with a smoother...good for another year.

[Pat Barry]

What would be insightful would be to know how much it is out of flat and where the problems are before you start willy nilly falttening. Use a straightedge to go across the table top and note the high points. Best would be to do this procedure both front to back at regular intervals (2 inches for example) and then right to left (assuming you have a long enough straightedge to span most of or preferably all of the top. Use a feeler gage under the low spots to see how much variation there is. Scribble some pencil marks on the high spots and work your way down using whatever plane you have at hand. Usually, for final flattening, longer is better but even a number 4 can get the job done well enough.

[lowell holmes]

I would just skim my bench top using my 607 Bedrock. That would bridge the low spots while taking down the peaks.

I would shade the top with a #2 pencil so I would know what progress I was making.

[Robert Engel]

I would first locate high spots and mark them. Take care of them with a 5 or 6, then use winding sticks and check every foot or so along length.

After tuning out any wind, finish with a jointer.

I don't get too anal with it just get it close.

[Scott Archi]

I'm finding this thread helpful as I intend to build a laminated work bench top. Not trying to high jack the thread but I was wondering if all I have is a LA jack would that be sufficient?

[Pat Barry]

I'm finding this thread helpful as I intend to build a laminated work bench top. Not trying to high jack the thread but I was wondering if all I have is a LA jack would that be sufficient?

Yes - that would get the job done but a scrub blade might get things started better depending on your lamination quality. Note - don't forget to make sure the grain is all running the same way on your laminations. This is the single most important thing to minimizing tearout during flattening.

[Michael J Evans]

Yes - that would get the job done but a scrub blade might get things started better depending on your lamination quality. Note - don't forget to make sure the grain is all running the same way on your laminations. This is the single most important thing to minimizing tearout during flattening.

X20 what pat said.
I ignored that advice and have some serious tear out issues, that I'm trying to deal with right now.about to just call it good enough.

[dennis davidson]

Thanks guys, all helpful hints and good suggestions.

[Jeff Heath]

To add to what's already been stated above.....

Assess your bench first. You need winding sticks. Measure how far it is out of flat, or how much twist or warp exists, if any. As stated, mark the high spots, and measure how much material you need to remove to get it flat. A shop made straight edge will work wonders.

There's no need to go after it with a heavily cambered iron in a scrub or jack plane if you're just a little off. You won't know until you assess. Getting after it blindly with a heavily cambered scrub plane might create more work for you than you already have. You won't know until you measure/assess.

I don't even own a scrub plane. Nothing against them, but I like the heavier, longer jack plane with a cambered iron. Same thing, just bigger.

In a perfect world (which does not exist) you'll only remove the high spots, and finish up with a #7 or #8 lengthwise to smooth everything out in the same plane, within reason. No need to make it look like a $20K dining room table top unless you're "that" anal. Then, have at it....whatever makes you happy.

[george wilson]

Sometimes when you flatten a warped board,it stress relieves it even more,and it warps worse.

You might try thoroughly WETTING the CONVEX side. When it dries,it pulls the board flatter than it was. I know this seems counter intuitive,but the furniture conservation shop did that all the time. They would have a table top that was out of flat,but they wanted to preserve the ld varnish and patina. of the top side was the hollow one,they would wet it like that.

I even saw them put plexiglass over the water,to give it more time to really soak into the wood. They would leave the plexi on the convex surface for WEEKS sometimes. Then,when they removed it,the 200 year old wood would have a better chance of pulling flat.

Bringing antiques over from England caused all kinds of trouble from the change in climate. Tall case clock door frames ( the kind with glass in them so you could see the pendulum ) ,were among the very worst problems. Doors with loose panels in them were just as bad.