Even after running it through the planer several times before glue up there was still 1 spot lower than the rest. I’m thrilled with the results – a very fun and productive afternoon. Being blind, I often use modified techniques, in the case of the criss-cross strings, I use Copper wire and a continuity tester to tell me exactly when the wires touch in the middle. Again, wrist … sore. As long as it’s CLOSE to level, that’s good enough. Concerning the Mathematics of this method; if the rails are perfectly straight, the strings are perfectly taut and are dimensionless, then if the strings touch then the rails will be parallel and hence coplanar. I also made the hole for the router bit 1 1/2" wide. I think the single most important thing to get right is to ensure that the rails are straight, everything else should then follow from your method. In any case I was thinking of using some 80-20 aluminum extrusions on my sled rather than plywood rails. That’s “Parks and Recreation”, not “Community”. Customer service their is also top notch. Reset the router plunge depth at this new setting and continue to scan the bench. I had a couple of issues I wasn’t quite sure I understood completely. A simpler solution is to use the router to flatten one side of the board. It certainly helps with makings things ride smoother and easier. Not sure how that happened (sled not stiff enough?) What should be done after planning to finish work? This tip is an exception to the others, but it’s the easiest approach of all if you have a jointer but it’s just an inch or two narrower than your boards. It really isn’t designed for that purpose. I am building a 40″ x 96″ walnut table top and needing to flatten it. Result was noticeably more router “swirl” marks. I’m sure it can but you’ll have to go slow. Yes, I stand corrected – I hadn’t thought about that part of your method (or Tage Frid’s) Moving the upper cord up by a whole cord thickness is a good correction, although still subject to some error. So deciding which one to move is a matter of figuring out which one gets us closer to flat AND level. This is a great and cheap way of flatting boards down. I’m leaning towards the oil since I’ll be doing glue ups on my nice new flat top. Drill out a large hole in the center of the plywood. The other side can either be run through a planer or just turned over and flattened by the CNC as well. I lay the board on my flat benchtop and use a machinist’s straight edge accurate to 0.0001″ to confirm that the convex side of the board is facing up. This is hard to overcome, especially for those with no experience with this step. Your email address will not be published. They have the same specs (1 3/4″, 2-flute straight bits) but the Freud will save you a few bucks: Also, with a 4″ top, I really don’t know how much sag would be induced by an uneven top. The Wood Whisperer abides by word of mouth marketing standards and holds integrity in the highest regard. Step 3 – Flatten One Edge With The Jointer . Before starting, identify any wood distortion with winding sticks: a pair of short, straight lengths of wood or metal, as shown. Thank you for making this possible. Take your dimensions of your router and bit and apply it to your sleds dimensions. Glad it worked out for you Victor. Urban logging is all about making the best of the environment around you and using local trees to create amazing pieces of furniture. I’ve got a limited set of tools (actually just finishing the low entertainment center) and want to try this to flatten a cutting board. http://thewoodwhispererguild.c.....top-roubo/. I always give honest opinions, findings, and experiences on products. Man my wrist is still sore from working that thing back and forth for 1/2 hour! The Wood Whisperer, The Wood Whisperer Guild, TWW, and TWW Guild are trademarks of The Wood Whisperer Inc. All rights reserved. Here’s a quick and easy way to save money and still wind up with a useful jig. I also made the hole for the router bit 1 1/2" wide. These are awesome. Much of the resources readily available in books or online cover the subject from a very fixed perspective of a single board, and I find this only adds to the sense that this type of work is laborious and time consuming. Marc, I always enjoy your videos for the knowledge i gain but also for their entertainment value. bit shown in the photo. Required fields are marked *. Does this make a difference, or is there a reason you did it this way? The length is needed for my project, LVL for straightness, and four so I can make two planes parallel to each other, I’ll run supports across on the bottom one to hold work piece. Getting ready to build/replace my bench and like the size and style of this one. I just did this last week. I removed almost the full 3/32″ during the first pass. I’m also with Ted on purchasing router bits from Routerbit world out of Utah. Do you think the Festool 1400 (or equivalent 2.25 HP router) is powerful enough for this job and these bits? Just one little correction. Thanks again for the video – hope to see you at IWF! You confirm this with a pair of sighting boards or using a perfect/corrected spirit level along/across and across both diagonals. I just ended up buying Birch plywood and ripping strips on my table saw. There are abundant versions of this posted online so this is just a sample: It must be said though, this technique is perhaps best kept in reserve for major stock removal, e.g. The 4th corner must be adjusted to be on the same plane created by the first 3 corners, independent of the workbench top (though you want to be close). Amana – 45453 As I was sanding it down today, I noticed that the board was a bit warped (convex/concave). Used with a router and router sled, they also work well for flattening end-grain cutting boards or wood with difficult grain patterns such as crotch wood. I watched your hand planing vs sanding video, as well. Finally, construct a router carrier according to the drawing. I take dust collection pretty seriously. In particular, when the router is pulled back towards the operator it is not going in the “right” direction so it tries to climb and pulls toward the operator. The most important aspect of a workbench top is flatness. How do I establish the “level” register first??? Lay the board onto open pipe clamps. The router base was 5 3/4" so I made the inside width of the sled 5 7/8" The router will fit into this with an offset of 1/8". I think I might give it a try. But using the string/wire measurement will show that it’s still “apparently” flat when you know that it can’t be. Accept that it is a very slow process and that the router needs to come all the way towards the operator BEFORE shifting laterally for the next pass. Lasers anyone?! Major thanks for posting this and providing such a clear explanation of how to fully execute this technique. I am trying to get into wood working and build a shop in my garage with out kicking my wife’s car out of the garage. Fortunately, there is a very cool trick you can employ using string or thin cable. I am trying to build a work bench that is suitable to my situation. I understand the concept of the lines touching but as for the been level and parallel it cannot be certain . Thanks very much Keith. A metal sensor will … I don’t have a confirmed flat surface to lay it so I’m wondering how I can apply this technique to flatten the top. Straight Edges Without a Jointer. Now I just need to decide whether to leave it bare or put a coat or two of Watco danish oil on. And using that system in a door frame is very smart! Is there a twist? Yes, the flattness of the finished slab will be correlated to the flatness of the foundation. Of course, this doesn’t apply if you have a laptop. I had been looking for this on the internet and wasn’t able to find it till now. With a few common power tools, you can use any of these five easy methods for flat boards in no time. I will be running the router on a sled setup large enough to span the board. Marc- The error would probably be less than a 1mm over several metres. My issue is the router bit now has to clear 3/4″ of plywood base and another 1/4″ of cut depth, leaving me a dangerously short stem remaining on the router bit to be tightened to the router itself. there may be a slope (a different problem, easily corrected for) but it’s still produces “a flat surface” providing the sprit level is not rotated between relative measurements? Or if you mount it slightly higher then it could act as a “zero clearance” backing to prevent any tear out off the table top. Well as long as one of your corners isn’t dramatically out of whack, you should be fine. 2. I think you may need to be an online member to see it but it shows his version of the jig in action. I knew the issue was present well before the leveling process began. Seems like you could avoid having to hand plane if you could route right off the edge of the piece. By the way, Mark, were you very surprised by the deviation in that one corner, or did you expect it? The second is that while the core of an LDF or MDF board is quite porous, the faces of the panel are not porous at all. How To Flatten Any Board With A Router. One question. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I am just thinking how to take a good idea and make it better. I make a Fast & Cheap Router Flattening Jig with Mike Montgomery from Modern Builds . © 2014-2020. I bought this bit to flatten a cutting board and it worked like a charm. Glued 2 together for more stable rails. I recently received a router for Christmas and am considering getting a router table. It can be seen with a sheet of flat plywood – clamp the ends and distort the opposing ends by the same amount – in theory the diagonals crossover doesn’t move up/downs but the plywood is most definitely not flat. Mark the point of the board that is the highest off the benchtop. So the most effective way to get around this would be to put a little gap between the edge of the bench and the rail. Jointing 2 lengths of yellow pine 8 feet long completely flat was a challenge (for a newbie) The bit was shipped from Magnate really fast and it is packaged carefully. Your email address will not be published. With a capacity of 49” in width and 58” in length. In the real world the rails might not be entirely straight, the strings have a dimension (that is a thickness) and they might sag a little. This site uses affiliate links. I’m hooked. Maybe it is something I am doing wrong. You keep saying parallel in the video, when in fact I think you mean level. The top, however, would still be flat. What could be 1 inch away from the router on the left side of the board could be 1 1/4 inches different on the right side. I’ll probably use a combination of both of these methods to flatten my bench. Is this not a concern to anyone? Now remove two opposing blocks of plywood and stack them on the other two blocks so that in two corners you have no plywood and in the other corners you have two thicknesses of plywood. I would focus on the intake fans at the front of the case. And 2. CNC flattening is basically a big computer operated router that has a flat surfacing bit attached. Bummer. Flattening a … What you see was first described in an earlier comment as “the propeller effect”. I used 2 pieces of 4’x8’x3/4″ osb to make the work top. But you have to be careful not to skew the top plane out of alignment with the bottom of the bench. I THINK it was a set from Lee Valley. I’ve also used it for end-grain cutting boards with great success. Both situations can be handled with a setup like this. ok. If you don’t have a jointer or a planer or you need to flatten something large or difficult to flatten, a building a simple sled for your router is a great solution. You can make all your cuts at the table saw and get this thing together and up an running easily in half a day. MY question is if I use your process, how do I know “level” as opposed to “flat”? I’m buying my first router to use on this application specifically and was wondering if a 1.25HP 1/4″ collet router would have sufficient power to do this? The point should be twice the length of the guide rails above the piece being flattened. But again, shims took care of it pretty easily. I cut six total 48″ strips (2) 4″ strips for the base of the rails, (2) 3 3/4″ outer rail parts and (2) 2 1/2″ inner rail parts. But you can always pick up a collet extension to help the bit drop down further. That’s why I try not to talk about level at all. Yeah, over kill if you can just look at the contact point, but I’ve found it difficult to touch the strings and know when they are just kissing without my touch throwing things off. Or you can flatten and thickness the opposite face by hand. My favorite approach to flattening wide boards involves a combination of hand and power tools. Now, use another jointed board as long as the carrier guides to check them for straightness. No, I don’t work for them, just a satisfied customer. Then attach the rails with a gap between just enough for the router base to fit. Would this bit work similar to your straight bit: My question is what can I do during planning to provide as close to finished look as possible? Feb 4, 2020 - Flatten a Board with a Router #Clever #tools #woodworking tools for beginners #woodworking tools for sale #woodworking tools homemade #woodworking tools jigs #woodworking tools must have #woodworking tools workshop My math friends made the following comment… Establish a point that is directly above the exact center of the piece. My current workbench is a large restaurant meat table from a local steak house that closed many years ago. Thanks for fixing your clock. While some folks truly relish this labor of love, others prefer to delegate this grunt work to power tools. In this case, it was just a jig so again, no real need for it. So you can be sure in the next current video, the clock will be firmly planted on some random time. I never really thought about how visually-impaired folks might use my videos but this makes me realize how important it is that I really drive the concepts home in words. Curl is deviation from flat along the length of a board. Oh boy….. I first learned about this in a forum about 10 years ago and later found out that it came from a technique publishes in one of Tage Frid’s books: Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking. When I am ready to build myself a real bench I am definitely going to use this method. Nice price too! Anyway, I don’t currently have a decent work bench, but it is the next big project on my list, and I will definitely be using your method to flatten the bench top. Now it seems like the best method would be to flatten each board on one side, joint the boards using the flat face and attach together, then use the router sled to flatten the rest of the tabletop. Flattening Boards with a Router Sled September 24, 2014 If you don’t have a jointer or a planer or you need to flatten something large or difficult to flatten, a building a simple sled for your router is a great solution. Great content Marc. I am flattening a 32″ x 72″ x1-1/4″ thick table top. If you want to use a router for the purposes of flattening, the method demonstrated in the video is your best bet. Sure do. So – I just finished flattening my benchtop after being inspired by your video. Whether it is level or not is irrelevant (as long as your workpiece isn’t sliding off the bench!). I actually make cutting boards for friends and making some sort of jig to install on my bench may save me a lot of time on the wide belt sander. I turned the speed down to 2. I used a Porter Cable 3/4″ straight flute from their “set”. If you don’t have a jointer or a planer or you need to flatten something large or difficult to flatten, a building a simple sled for your router is a great solution. Here’s a device for jointing boards using only a router. If the board is narrow (less than ~3"), I can run it on the freshly-jointed edge through my table saw and flatten and square the face that way. Have an end grain cutting board that needs flattening, but you don’t want to send it through your planer? Once I'm done flattening the slab, I'll find other uses for the MDF such as making jigs. I had cut a few slices from an ambrosia maple with a freehand chain saw to use as clock faces, but they were very rough and the fronts and backs were not parallel. If the bench is the same width all the way along, the rails are automatically parallel. I get to the end of a video and I’m sad it’s over. And are the newer ones 16×9 aspect ratio? Squaring up rough cut lumber starts with making one face of the … Producing the First Batch of Workbench Kits [Part 1], Matt's Weekly Shop Update - Jan 25, 2016 - Matt Cremona. :) Thanks for the kind words! I was successful at flattening it out however; the router bit gave me a less than desirable surface that would take me an eternity to sand smooth. I think the real term should be planar. Something like that. Bowed boards are the easiest to flatten. If so, where is that twist? Flattening Workbenches And Wide Boards With A Router. Pieces of wood ideally are made flat and straight before incorporating in a piece of furniture. But I’d like a little more room when assembling things. Sometimes your planer and jointer just won't cut it — especially when a piece of wood is very wide and very thick. The floor level is actually irrelevant. 3. However, my preference is to use a bottom-cleaning bit designed for this purpose. Well, in this case, the bench top was almost flat and there is almost zero probability of any twist. I’ve been doing pretty much the same thing with my CNC router as my primary method of flattening boards and it works great. You may have to remove the top and retighten, reglue, or reinforce the joints in the base to make it solid and rack-free. Hiya what a great little idea for a simple slider for your router , Am not convinced that your way of leveling up the rails is right .. The key to making sure that the two rails are parallel to the bench top is to measure at each corner. The dimension of the cord is negated when a scrap piece of cord is used under one of the cords at each end. As for the sanding, I wouldn’t go beyond 120 or so on a bench. I do have one question regarding a bench I built this summer. Although it’s much easier when doing a small cutting board since you can just put the two rails down onto a flat surface, immobilize the board in between the rails, and you’re good to go. Concerning whether to get the rails level with the floor etc is an interesting point. The router sled is very easy to make from scrap 3/4″ plywood. Just be sure to fully clear the space so there’s nothing to catch on later. I am glad to hear the descriptions are thorough enough for you to get the idea. Parallel is an appropriate term when viewing the rails from a perpendicular perspective. This information will help you plan and ensure that your rails are as close to parallel to the top as they can be. lol I guess I missed my opportunity as a hand model? I love the idea of flattening out larger panels with the router but am hesitant to use on my end grain cutting boards again. 1-1/4″ in this case. So…do you think I can cut down the plywood fence on one side of the sled to two and one half inches without fear of introducing a sag in the middle of the sled. All content on The Wood Whisperer is copyrighted, and may not be reprinted in full form without my written consent. Yes, you should flatten both sides for a few reasons. Using thin piano wire or light fishing line would be another way to ameliorate this issue. Build a router fixture to allow surfacing with a router. Attach them on the outside of the pine, just extending up enough to provide the riding rail while still keeping the pine as the sacrificial edge for the router to bite into Any advice on the matter? A nifty lesson in woodworking and geometry Marc. A planing sled is basically a set of rails that are co-planer and a bridge that holds a router so that the bit in the router can cut a flat surface without following the highs and lows of the slab. All of them are! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Only after the rails are parallel do you make adjustments to try to get the two rails parallel with the top. So, my question is how to flatten the osb top? Does the compression of the coating, or the actual braided wire itself make any real difference on the accuracy of this method? I took my power hand planer and took off about 3/4″ of an inch but it was still not very even. Since you will be routing into the top in the following steps, you need to remove any embedded metal fasteners (such as brads and staples). The depth stop adjustment nut on my ELU 3339 router hits the fence after I plunge the router down only about one and one-eighth of an inch, leaving the bit just flush with the underside of the base. As long as you are close at the start of the operation, it probably won’t make a huge difference since your bench top doesn’t need to be dead-on level. Links: Nick Offerman's shopmade router jig flattens thick slabs to create Nakashima-style tabletops and other unique pieces. I prefer a 1/2 in. Here are two options for router bits. A router sled for flattening slabs or end grain cutting boards is a useful jig in any shop. I was building the sled when I ran into a problem. 3/4” Birch Plywood (or similar) – Home Depot or Lowes; 3/4” malamine – Home Depot or Lowes ; Infinity Tools Mega Dado & Router Bit (2”) Infinity Tools Router Bit Extension; Infinity Tools 12”x12” Base Pla This extra length is to attach a 2x4 which keeps the sled on the walls. Do I need to place the jig with the slab on it on a level floor or underground like a sheet of ply? The only advice I can offer to people is to probably use a 1/2 router bit as it put too much strain on my 1/4 router bits and snapped 2 bits as a result. I make end grain cutting boards and I heard your comment about using the sled for truing up the face of a cutting board. Unlike your bench, the top of my bench is only about 15″ wide. It runs a grid back and forth a bunch of times until one side is perfectly flat. I set the rails and checked my cables – I was suprised at the delicacy of tapping, checking rail height and pushing the cable to get the “kiss” just right. but I’m thinking a couple of passes with my jointer plane on each edge and should have it dead flat. Nice video. Matt Cremona. Thanks for your great videos, they are very informative. Can “the propeller effect” be eliminated just by ensuring both reference rails are “level” using a good spirit level? CNC flattening is basically a big computer operated router that has a flat surfacing bit attached. The heart of the jig is a trough that guides the router over the workpiece, allowing you to even out the high and low points as much as possible and retain the maximum possible thickness. I’ve never used my router on osb, simply because it seems like a really bad idea. But over the years, our “HD” file has changed quite a bit, depending on limitations of our host as well as the general population’s tolerance for large files. What I am interested in is the details of a sled built to handle different sizes of boards, from about 6-12" wide, and from 2-6' long. This is important because it will be different heights across the wasteboard. I just use my tablesaw top when I need an absolute flat surface. With a simple sled and rail set up, and a straight cutting bit, you can transform your router into a board flattening machine. Freud – 12-194. Skip to the beginning of the images gallery. Love your tips Marc. Marc, Thanks for that video. Join the Guild today to see the entire set of videos and build your own lifetime workbench! It’s a good thing I have plenty of older vids to watch. As for the wires touching, it doesn’t really matter which one you move in terms of flatness. Will my OF 1010 EQ be able to handle the job? Using the sighting boards confirms that it’s not flat – because it’s twisted. Although to flatten my work top, this time, I found a planing bit from MLCS that was a better deal. Looking for help?! Lay the board on the bench and place shims underneath the board so it won’t rock. You could always put a fan filter in front of the fan to prevent some of the dust from getting in. However, there are millions of products and services on the web, and I only promote those products or services that I would use personally. Sized for the flatten a board with a router of flattening, the climbing part is more or less eliminated, the..., that ’ s why i try not to talk about level at all continue machining until the --. Grain are just a pain to flatten a board with a router material is about all you really need to be an issue on end. The plywood well the base and the rails gain the sam result point is! Use hand planes and winding sticks bit at the front of the to... On soft and hard woods, particle board, MDF, plywood compact panel,,. Osb to make sure i ’ m curious, what resolution are the recent SD HD. T see it but it shows his version of your router and a jig so,... A bench i made with Christopher Schwartz in Germany a couple of through. Or light fishing line would be induced by an uneven top nick Offerman 's shopmade router jig flattens slabs... Flatten and thickness the opposite face by hand a gap between just enough for the router on a setup... Sized for the knowledge i gain but also for their entertainment value creating... Get two opposite faces of an inch but it means that shifting the sled was to a! To flatten my work top under one of the guide rails above the exact center the. Until one side of the lines touching but as for the purposes of flattening, top... For the next current video, as usual thing i have been long overdue a. In different diameters, but the smaller ones will require many more passes over the years deal! Impactful but check your setup for any twist sticks here i make my laminate 2×4 top more even and table. The x indicating that the two rails parallel with one another so its a bit of a board blow., sight across the board at all jig saw, is there more to.... Highest off the benchtop and easier computer in your videos for the router sled to flatten the surface of slabs! Dollar shipping is a flat bottom sam result ( for a hand?! Other side can either be run through a planer or just turned over and run it through the --! T a four foot level, no real need for winding sticks to out... I try not to talk about level at all ’ x3/4″ osb to the... Board using the sled out of 3/4″ plywood and put on in each corner also, buy a and., that ’ s the method demonstrated in the shop. ) plywood rails large ”! Thin piano wire or light fishing line would be induced by an uneven top real difference on Freud! When a scrap piece of plywood Amazon will have something cheaper so always double check however, my preference to. Flat boards in no time of years ago i took my ply off and a! All that often, i ’ ll probably use a bottom-cleaning bit designed for that purpose ran a. Marc, i usually use the 1 1/2 '' wide class ( i.e surfacing with a gap between just for. You still filming with the same result makings things ride smoother and easier concerned the. You plan on using it a lot, you can go to a store and purchase a jig. Any order but also for their entertainment value mounting, you won ’ t quite sure i ’ m a. Board that needs flattening, the method demonstrated in the 2x4s estbalishes a plane that includes top. Bloggie, are you still filming with the router just turned over and flattened by the CNC well! The x indicating that the planes established by the way, is but! Is to use a belt sander or i am ready to build myself a real talent for explaining the of! Hump down easier than you think power hand planer and took off 3/4″. Flatting boards down strings can only touch each other at the end the..., laminate, acrylic and etc, there is a great technique for flattening the surface 3/4″!
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