I haven't posted here in a long while, but I got some great help from you guys starting out! (Although I'm still a beginner by all accounts.)
My job's been taking a lot of my time and woodworking projects go extremely slowly.
I have a 2.5" x 30" x 60" benchtop, beech boards laminated face to face. I finally found some time to restore the vices and install them.
2 weeks ago, I flipped the benchtop upside down and put it on my assembly table, and started chopping out a mortise to recess the front vise. Very pleased with the results of my first time doing this, by hand, but ultimately the bench was sitting top-down for 2 weeks.
Incidentally the humidity has been dropping like crazy in that time. I attached the end vise yesterday and noticed things were out of square. I stepped back and grabbed some straightedges and the benchtop is cupped, with the crown on the top of the bench- a little more than 3/32". So the bottom of the benchtop, which is facing the ceiling, is drier than the 'top' of the benchtop currently facing the floor. The benchtop is still upside down but I put a bunch of 2x4s underneath it to get airflow going around it.
I would very much appreciate advice on what to do next. I'd prefer not to remove the front vise if I can avoid it. My current plan is to apply a finish to the underside of the bench, flip it right side up again and put it on its base, then leave it that way for a week. Then plane the topside back to flat and apply a finish on the topside.
Is this a good strategy?