Flattening my workbench top

[Al Navas]

Some of you will remember my workbench developed a bad crown that ran along the entire length of the top. Well, now that heating season is over, I decided it was time to flatten it. You can see how I did it by visiting my blog and watching a short video I made (http://sandal-woodsblog.com/2008/05/20/episode-11-flattening-the-workbench/) .

To the galoots of the world: I hope no one is insulted by my hand plane technique. If you are, please accept my apologies ahead of time http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif .

Thanks for watching!

[Tony De Masi]

Al,

Great job on fixing the top. But I think I need a nap after watching you work so hard.

Tony

[Robert MacKinnon]

Thanks for the video. It inspires me to flatten my bench but I am facing a dilemma. My bench is a traditional European cabinetmaker's bench, well over 75 years old. There is a lot of "patina" accumulated in that top but it needs flattening to remove a dip along its length and a slight twist near the tailvice. Should I repair the defects in the top and, at the same time, the years of use this bench has seen? What do others here think?

[Tim Malyszko]

That was fun to watch. You sure move quick:D. Thanks for posting.

[Al Navas]

Al,

Great job on fixing the top. But I think I need a nap after watching you work so hard.

Tony
Thanks, Tony! THAT is exactly how I felt after I finished. I think some of the old muscles are telling me I did something different... ;)






Thanks for the video. It inspires me to flatten my bench but I am facing a dilemma. My bench is a traditional European cabinetmaker's bench, well over 75 years old. There is a lot of "patina" accumulated in that top but it needs flattening to remove a dip along its length and a slight twist near the tailvice. Should I repair the defects in the top and, at the same time, the years of use this bench has seen? What do others here think?
Robert,

I would personally try to preserve the patina, IF you don't really need the perfectly flat surface. The key might be HOW to do that and still be able to remove the dip and the slight twist. I look forward to learning what the true experts on this say. But, if you don't need a perfectly flat surface, and can live with the small defects, preserving the patina may be the driving factor to keep it as-is.

On the other hand, if you need a truly flat surface, that alone might sway you to go in the direction of flattening it.






That was fun to watch. You sure move quick:D. Thanks for posting.

Thanks, Tim. I learned a lot from this exercise.


For your information, I have posted a follow-up video, showing what I did to the now flat workbench top (http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=84780&highlight=flat+workbench).


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[glenn bradley]

Thanks for the video. It inspires me to flatten my bench but I am facing a dilemma. My bench is a traditional European cabinetmaker's bench, well over 75 years old. There is a lot of "patina" accumulated in that top but it needs flattening to remove a dip along its length and a slight twist near the tailvice. Should I repair the defects in the top and, at the same time, the years of use this bench has seen? What do others here think?

Router sled. Have at it.

[Tom Veatch]

... Should I repair the defects in the top and, at the same time, the years of use this bench has seen? What do others here think?

What do others think?....What I think is that your decision should be based on whether you see the bench as a tool or a museum piece/keepsake. If it's a tool and it's utility is compromised then repair it. If it's a museum piece/keepsake, then move it out of the way to somewhere it can be viewed and admired and replace it with a workbench.

[Jim Knishka]

Tom has a good point. I suspect the original craftsman would stand back, look at it, and decide to flatten it.

[Jacob Reverb]

Neat video, Al, thanks for posting.

I'm wondering what happens next heating season when the RH drops again...won't your now-flat bench develop a depression where the (now absent) crown once was?

Very nice jointer plane, BTW,

Jacob.

[Robert MacKinnon]

Thanks for the great advice, guys.


What do others think?....What I think is that your decision should be based on whether you see the bench as a tool or a museum piece/keepsake. If it's a tool and it's utility is compromised then repair it. If it's a museum piece/keepsake, then move it out of the way to somewhere it can be viewed and admired and replace it with a workbench.

Tom has a good point. I suspect the original craftsman would stand back, look at it, and decide to flatten it.
I also tend to agree with your argument,Tom. This bench is not a unique example of the workbench art by any means. It is a tool in my mind and should be tuned to perform its job, as one would tune a plane or woodworking machine. The patina it has acquired over time was obtained by using the bench and not babying it. I think of all the owners it has had, I am probably the only one who has babied it. When I got it, I had to remove nails, staples and screws that had been unceremoniously plastered into its work surface.

So, I guess its time to break out the router and build a sled to restore this bench to its former glory. The top is 2.5 meters of solid birch and I certainly don't have Al's stamina to use a jointer and raw muscle to whip that sucker into shape.

[Al Navas]

Neat video, Al, thanks for posting.

I'm wondering what happens next heating season when the RH drops again...won't your now-flat bench develop a depression where the (now absent) crown once was?

Very nice jointer plane, BTW,

Jacob.
Thanks, Jacob - EXCELLENT point! I wondered about this, too. The consensus was that it should stay flat - I waited several weeks after the heating season ended, and the size of the crown did not change appreciably. I will have to wait a while, to see what develops next.






... The top is 2.5 meters of solid birch and I certainly don't have Al's stamina to use a jointer and raw muscle to whip that sucker into shape.

lol !!! Robert, I have NO idea how I was able to do it, other than I had to do it - I don't have a good / flat enough assembly table, so necessity dictated I did something quickly. My muscles are still telling me I used some I had not used in ages :D . At my age, anything out of the ordinary lets me know it, too...


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[Mike Weaver]

Thanks for the video. It inspires me to flatten my bench but I am facing a dilemma. My bench is a traditional European cabinetmaker's bench, well over 75 years old. There is a lot of "patina" accumulated in that top but it needs flattening to remove a dip along its length and a slight twist near the tailvice. Should I repair the defects in the top and, at the same time, the years of use this bench has seen? What do others here think?

Al,
Thanks for the video!

Robert,
Your bench is a tool - fix it.

-Mike