Solid Core Door for Assembly Table

[les winter]

I have a solid core door with Masonite facing to be used as an assembly table. It sits on a flat well supported melamine surface.

Problem with it is there is a 1/16" hollow across the width and a smaller hollow along the length. In other words, it's banana shaped, hollow up both across and along.

My thought is to get out my #7 and plane across the width to take down the long edges and then along the length to flatten the lengthwise hollow. When I'm done I can adhere a sacrificial Masonite sheet to cover up the plane marks: I'm not going to be smooth planing this air-craft carrier.

The question is, can I actually hand plane a Masonite face?

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Stew Denton]

Les,

You might be able to plane it, but I don't know, and have only planed Masonite a little. I planed the edge on a small project that I had laminated together with a piece of laminated hardwood. I planed the edges to get them even on the edges.

The Masonite planed fine and easily, but again that was the edge grain, not the face grain. On face grain I fear that it may want to peal off layers instead of plane thin shavings. You might have to take very thin cuts. If the Masonite has a hard flat relatively slick surface, you may want to scuff it with sandpaper to get the plane iron to "bite," but if you do that you will want to clean away any sanding grit thoroughly by brushing, vacuuming, and finally use of a tac rag.

Masonite does tend to contain significant amounts of grit though, and will dull the plain iron quicker than wood does.

Regards,

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

How is the other side?

It might be easier to use shims and then add a cover of a thin piece of plywood.

jtk

[les winter]

Thanks for the responses. Jim, the other side is the opposite, with a hump in the middle. I think I'll try a few strokes with my jointer plane and see what happens. Wish me luck.

[Richard Coers]

I'd wait until the table is made and see if the aprons and structure under the top takes out the hollows. I don't see any fun ahead to surface an entire door covered with Masonite. I wouldn't expect a nice surface.

[Reed Gray]

I know there are self leveling epoxies made for filling low spots in floors. No clue as to how that may work for you.

robo hippy

[scott lipscomb]

Richard +1. I would think that you could pull the door flat with a flat table underneath. I'd test the theory with a 2x4 and a couple of clamps.

[les winter]

Well I did try to pull it flat with a few 2x4's and clamps. Didn't make much difference.

But I can report back about the planing. You can pull nice 10 thou shavings off easy peasy. Really nice. For about 30 strokes. And then the blade edge is toast. Using either a PMV-11 or an A2 blade. Between the two I'm into 4 honings and nowhere near near done. The stuff is abrasive beyond belief. I hone at 35 degrees and then strop. My days of chipped edges are far behind me. This stuff wears the edge into a picket fence.

No fun in my shop today.

I'll soldier on later for another hour and that will be it.

I started with a heavy 1/16" hollow. If I can get to 1/32" I'll be elated.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Cameron Wood]

I also have a solid core door for outfeed/assembly table. It was my mother's project table on sawhorses for many years, in a rather harsh environment.

It is remarkably flat- like .002" feeler gauge max under a precision straight edge.

These doors don't cost much- maybe just get a better one.

I have flattened the Formica surface of my ancestral router table with a router where the particle board swelled at the hole, so a slab flattening rig with a router would be another possibility.

[les winter]

Thanks Cameron. Nix for me on the slab flattening rig. The dust even from hand planing is awful. I put on my respirator.