My plank was bigger, but it ripped it in half, because it was so twisted, that it would yield maybe 25-30 mm thickness if I did not rip it. Now I have 40 mm. I will construct it in a way that the top can be removed, so that I can replace it for some 70 - 80 mm slabs later in the future.
Hand planing long boards for workbench top
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johnnyb
Established Member
is this the best board to make bench from? if its twisted bowed etc then these boards tend to continue to shift. some boards of the same species will be extra stable and need hardly Any planing. surely these boards are the better bet.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
How would you flatten the bench?
Not speedy, not easy. You can only see the edge of the face if you have it upside down. There could be all sorts of hollows on the other side for starters. Flipping and trying to do it upside down just makes no sense at all. It's easier of you look at the surface right way up and check for high points, twist and straightness in the normal way.
I'd give Charlesworth a miss too.johnnyb
Established Member
ps I would rather drop a baulk on my toe than hand plane something big flat but I have made lots of stuff and timber selection for purpose trumps any method used for flattening. flattening wood is never ever the most interesting bit for me.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
To be realistic a board which is already twisted might not twist any more. It's a sign of drying already having taken place.
Stability not really an issue with a workbench - almost any old cr ap will do, though heavy is better than light. Sellers recommends CLS for convenience. Redwood is most common option because its available in a good range of sizes
johnnyb
Established Member
that's not my experience a board that's twisted will twist everytime the humidity changes because its full of tension. also quarter sawn must be best for something that needs to remain flat.(notveasy or cheap but best) cls is just for ease of access for beginners. the ideal boards I'd select for this would just need very light thicknessing not flattening at all. then would then stay flat.
With the question in your post of how to do it quicker I’d suggest look up scrub planing with a heavy set, heavy camber blade. Older woodies are ideal for this as the worn mouths allow big shavings. Work at 45 degrees to the board and focus on the high spots. Shavings of a mm thick can be taken and the work go quickly.
Means checking for flat to mark where to plane down regularly as fast work means fast mistakes.
Taking paper thin shavings with a fine set plane isn’t always the best approach, though is what most discussions centre on.
Means checking for flat to mark where to plane down regularly as fast work means fast mistakes.
Taking paper thin shavings with a fine set plane isn’t always the best approach, though is what most discussions centre on.
I personally do not think that anyone can take 1 mm thick shaving with a hand plane for a prolonged period of time. Now I have a decent radius on my jack plane and the width of the shaving is less than half the width of the plane blade and I can take 0,4 mm in one pass.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
It's why scrub planes are so narrow and you aren't supposed to take long lengths of shavings with them either.
Short fast strokes on the high spots is the order of the day when using one.
And you're supposed to select your wood for the job, not use any old twisted krap.
Short fast strokes on the high spots is the order of the day when using one.
And you're supposed to select your wood for the job, not use any old twisted krap.
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Only if I could. We have a mill where they put the boards on my car as they go from the lot. I do not have the ability to select the boards myself. And the workers does not seem to be willing to any negotiation. I should be glad that I have any wood at all.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
It's normal procedure at a mill to get what you're given, which is why they don't like supplying retail users.
Normally twisted stuff is used in short lengths to minimise the problems that you are experiencing, otherwise you'll end up planing the lot away to get it flat. Also buying quatersawn will not eliminate any twist, as it is caused by the way the tree has grown not the way it is converted.
A tree with spiral grain makes twisted boards no matter which way it is converted.
Normally twisted stuff is used in short lengths to minimise the problems that you are experiencing, otherwise you'll end up planing the lot away to get it flat. Also buying quatersawn will not eliminate any twist, as it is caused by the way the tree has grown not the way it is converted.
A tree with spiral grain makes twisted boards no matter which way it is converted.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
Scrub planes are useful but a bit over-sold IMHO. For most purposes a well cambered jack is first choice with typical sawn timber. I use a scrub but more often than not on reclaimed timber where you need a deep cut to get rid of the rough surface or paint etc. Depends on your definition of scrub and camber I suppose.
Not sure about old woodies either - a scrub needs to be narrow bladed to facilitate a deep cut.
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Jacob
What goes around comes around.
Exactly. Otherwise all the good stuff goes first and the quality of the stock goes down fast. If you can't choose it's fairer all round.
It's easier with softwoods as they are efficiently graded and you should get stuff straight off the stack of the particular grade.
Hardwoods should be graded too - I remember buying some big pieces of sycamore from a mill now long closed. The chap helping me load it said I was very lucky as this rippled stuff had obviously been on the wrong heap. They set it aside for turners and musical instruments etc. and charged more. It was wasted on me!
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I made a mistake in that I wanted to have the top from two wide slabs with a gap in the middle. So that the front and back top boards have mortices to accept the legs and there is a gap where a thinner board goes (well in the middle). I chose the only two boards that yielded 250 mm width and cut the rest for the legs and aprons. When I checked those widest boards for twist, I had no other option, but to rip them in half. If I knew beforehand that I would need to rip them anyway, I would have chosen straighter boards for the top and made legs from those twisted ones.
I have seen that there are shops in the U.S. where each individual board has a price tag and you can walk around and pick what you want. I assume that those boards are way overpriced. In Slovakia, we cannot buy pre-planed hardwoods in big box stores, only softwood is available.
I would like to have a shop like this:
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
Selected has a high price, for obvious reasons.
johnnyb
Established Member
most places will at least listen if your specific about what your doing. so what goes on under the top is secondary to the top.i want 2 straight bits for the top 250 wide if they can help with that then bring the list for the undercarriage out.
this piece of mahogany is 21 inch wide and 54 inch long. it was made from 24 inch baulks it's simply never moved in 25 years. perfect bench top.
this piece of mahogany is 21 inch wide and 54 inch long. it was made from 24 inch baulks it's simply never moved in 25 years. perfect bench top.
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To some extent it is self-limiting. My local mill lets the customer select which boards they want. I tend to buy 50mm thick timber, 150 to 200 mm wide and typically 4 or 5 m long. Quite soon I loose interest in shuffling a pile of those and pick boards at or near the top. Or perhaps I am just weak/lazy.
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