Replies

1. 
   roc | Sep 25, 2010 11:27pm | #1

   Can a woman be too pretty ? Can a bench be too flat ?

   Four hours and no answer.  Hmmm I suppose they are turning you over to me.  I think most here would say your bench is flat enough and to enjoy it.  I find that for planing thin stuff like drawer sides and thicker longer stuff you can have a situation where the board is developing a crowned surface or getting thinner on opposite diagonal corners and with good technique and good/sharp tools it just keeps getting worse for no apparent reason.

   For example you get it nearly perfect and you take a set of full length passes over the board to bring it to final thickness and it now has a crown or a twist.  Logic says if it was flat and you took full passes  all across the board's width then it should still be flat.  What the heck happened ?

   If you have that experience you may want to look at making the bench even flatter (more flat ?).  What happens is you may have a combination of a blade that is beginning to dull just a bit and grain that tends to deflect the blade rather than cut readily then the thin or long board bends down into the low spot and isn't planed AS MUCH IN A PASS as the ends of the board that are better supported by the rim of the dip in the bench surface.  Also the plane has a natural tendency to grab more of a cut as it enters the wood at the end of the board so that end of the board can easily have more wood cut if you you don't watch your technique.  The low spot along the board and the thicker cut at the beginning combine to cause crowning so you have two things that you need to finesse.  You can compensate by more passes over the  crown and a lighter  pressure or a bit of lift at the beginning.

   It is nice to have a very flat bench and just plane without all this "holding your tong just right" if you know what I mean.  Several thousandths here and a few there tend to compound into enough of a crown or twist in the work it can be frustrating if you don't know why it is happening.

   Obviously you may have to flatten the bench again and again while it is new and for weather changes over a years time.

   Experiment and keep the above in the back of your mind and report back with your findings.

   PS:  What  . . . no photographs of your bench ?

    If at all possible we would like to see your new bench.

2. 
   RalphBarker | Sep 26, 2010 11:26am | #2

   depends, I suppose

   As Roc intimates, "how flat" depends on where the variations are, how you use the bench, and your age. Some operations use the bench almost as a reference surface, like a granite plate, for other things it doesn't matter as much. I'd say you're pretty close to "being there" in terms of flatness, though. How much additional time and effort you spend is up to you.

   What does age have to do with it, you ask? Well, older woodworkers are more prone to flatterlance than young ones.  ;-)

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Sep 26, 2010 09:14pm | #3

   Flat??
   Hey Ralph,

   Seen some really nice things made on benches that were decidedly not flat, or level for that matter. If I need flat, the TS usually works for me. My benchtop is basically 2 solid core doors screwed/glued together which is as flat as I need.

   Regards,

1. 
   roc | Sep 26, 2010 09:34pm | #4

   Got hand planes?

   Kidderville,

   How much hand planing do you do ?

   How much hand planing is the OP going to do?

   Does any one hand plane any more ?

   So many questions so little time.

3. 
   swannyww | Sep 27, 2010 12:05pm | #5

   workbench

   As much as I love a good work bench I found that using a masonite or plywood top on it to protect it pays off.  It also usually hides any imperfections in the solid wood top.  My favorite top is white melamine covered mdf.  It is easy to see and cleans up glue easily.  I also use a moving blanket on top of the bench when I am doing the final sanding so as not to marr the sometimes delicate surface.  I also using the same idea on my  finishing table with plastic on a roll, because the finishing area can become a real mess over time.

4. 
   ResIpsaLoquitur | Sep 27, 2010 02:06pm | #6

   you don't need to make it any flatter right now, and when the time comes to make it flatter you will know when and likely how.

1. 
   VAM | Oct 02, 2010 03:22pm | #7

   Thanks

   Thank you for your responses.  I just noticed that Lie-Nielsen ships their $2500 bench flat to within ten one thousandths.  I'll use the bench for a year, see how un-flat it is then, and re-flatten it if necessary.