Workbench project and a question

I worked in a big shop with a big 36” SCMI Drum Sander…normally those machines take 1/32” at each pass, so depending how is your top now, could be an easy option. If you decide to go this way, look for a Custom Doors and millwork shop.
A second option could be this.

-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.

What I did with my soon to be retired workbench and what I will do with my new workbench that I’m building is make the top in 3 pieces to fit my planer. Then after each section is planed and smoothed, I’ll use the router to cut 1/4” spline slots on each side of the workbench top. Make some 1/4” splines and glue everything up. As long as you wipe up the glue carefully after clamping the top together, you shouldn’t need to flatten the top at the end.

Sure you can get it sanded. but you can also glue it together and use a router and a jig that lets you smooth the top by running your router from side to side until flat. The sander is easier if it’s in you budget.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

It looks like my top is going to be “almost” flat with a very slight dip in the center of the slab. I think I’ll try hand planing and a belt sander and see how I make out. If I don’t mess anything up, it shouldn’t take too long. If I do, I’ll go with the router jig.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I run all of my tops through an Acura Duel Drum Sander. In your case I would run it through at 120 grit then 220. You should be able to take small passes. Somtimes what looks like a deep dip comes out very easy.
Using a belt sander will give you waves no matter how good you are.

-- John, Charleston, SC, http://www.americanworkbench.com

You should be able to glue these 3 together dead even. I see no need for anything except a scraper to get the glue off and an orbital for good measure. Just make sure you stagger your clamps so you’re not cupping the entire top.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

I glued the first 2 sections together this morning and they appear to be dead flat so far. I used cauls and clamps from both sides using enough pressure to pull the joint together for even squeeze out but not so much that I risked bowing the top.

Even if the top is flat, I’ll still have to do something about the tear out. The grain in my boards switched directions end to end. I ran the slabs through my planer only taking 1/64” per pass. The last pass was about half of that. My planer knives had just been sharpened so I think I got the best I could get with what I have.

I bought the maple from a molding shop going out of business. I got a really good price of about $1.50 per BF and I bought all they had left. The grain is pretty crazy but I managed to get enough clear pieces for the top.

I recently built two dinning tables. On the first one I used a LN # 7 plane to flatten the table top. The second one I took to a local cabinet shop. They ran it through the big drum sander for me. They only charged me a couple of dollars. If I had to do the two tabled again, I would take both to the cabinet shop and run them through the drum sander. Hope this helps. pkennedy

-- P Kennedy Crossville, TN

We frequently sand things like that for customers at my door shop. We just insist they remove the glue because it will ruin our belts, which are rather expensive. There have also been some good suggestions already if you chose to do it yourself.

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!

I found a millwork shop less than 10 miles away who says they can do it on a wide belt sander. They said they would charge less than $45 as long as it doesn’t take over an hour. I’ll let the glue cure over the weekend and give it a try next week.

Using a long straight edge and feeler gauges, I can’t find any areas of the table more than 10 to 12 thousandths out of flat. This is measuring all different angles and spots on the top. Winding sticks show absolutely true.

Sounds great! the price is VERY reasonable
The machine will leave that top really nice…..

Please take your camera and bring to us some nice shoots about the process…;)
Looking fordward to see the finished top.

-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.

Nothing beats a wide belt sander for flattening large glue ups. Was my favorite piece of equipment next to the CNC router at the cabinet shop I worked at. We would plane and rip everything a 1/16 oversize and run it through the sander. The best thing about the wide belts as opposed to the drum sanders is ease of changing grits. I could start at 30 or 60 and work my way through 180 with just minutes between belt changes. We used to get walk ins from local contractors doing counter tops and table tops and we would sand them out for them for usually under 50 bucks..sometimes if they were good glue ups less than 20 bucks! Well worth the money

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

Go to Moai’s reply, and his “second option”. A large part of having a workshop is doing it yourself. Why take it out to someone with a sander? After building my worbench top {which is vertical laminations like yours} I built a router jig with a sled and rails, got a bottom cleaning router bit, and did the deed. Dead flat, and it was a lot of fun.

By the way, beautiful workbench.

-- "non illegitimis carborundum"

Just for future reference. Socalwood recently posted a rail and router set up. Can link at, http://lumberjocks.com/projects/17765. Don’t know how to directly embed the link but this should work. His system is two rails and a sled. Looked relatively cheap and always available once built. Food for thought. Looks like you got this project beat. Nice looking table.
BTKS

I’ll be taking my top to have it run through the belt sander this morning. I think this is the best option for me and this top.

The grain in the top is pretty wild and I’m afraid the router set up could cause some tear out. If that were to happen I would still be in the same boat and have to do some sanding to clean it up anyway. The belt sander should get rid of the tear out from the planer and leave a smooth flat top with minimal stock removal.

I’ll post how things go later today.

Being the Neanderthal that I am, I just flattened my benchtop with a tiny high angle Hong Kong style wooden plane. The quartersawn beech switches grain directions a bit and was giving me major tearout with a well tuned #4 smooth plane. Plus the fact the boards are laminated and narrower than the big plane’s blade. Hours of fun. If it weren’t flat already, I’d probably do it the same way again. But I’m weird.

-- Ooo, er.

I’m back from the millwork shop and all I can say is WOW. The top looks good, it’s flat and the tear out is gone. Sorry I couldn’t get pictures but no cameras in the shop. They did let me watch, however.

The machine was a Nortech 36” dual oscillating belt sander. Totally computerized and pretty much automatic except for loading and unloading the work. The belts they had on the machine were 100 and 120 so that’s what they used. One setup pass and two sanding passes were all it took on the face. I let them take 2 passes on the back side too. Total cost $35 and well worth it. I couldn’t have bought a router bit and built a sled for that cost.

I may hit the top with a ROS at 150 or 180 grit, but I haven’t decided yet.

Thanks for all the input.

I got the top into my shop and decided to check it out. I measured the thickness in several places on each side and the ends. I used a dial caliper and can find NO variation in thickness. Every measurement I took was exactly the same. I checked the flatness with a guaranteed straight edge and cannot even slip a .001 feeler gauge under it. I know I took a short cut going this route but I am really happy with the results.

The total material removed during the sanding was 3/32 between the 4 passes.

As a bonus, the owner of the shop has agreed to let me purchase lumber along with him and to share the shipping costs. I don’t know what this will mean to me yet but on my next project I hope to find out.