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Thread: How flat?
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6th February 2016, 04:00 PM #1
How flat?
Currently working on a laminated top for a new bench and wondering how flat it really needs to be. I know it's only a tool not a work of art and it will suffer some dents and scratches but how important is the bench flatness when working on parts and also when assembling them? I don't mind doing the work if it's important but also don't want to waste time/effort.
Size is about 1800 by 610mm and using a straight edge across either end I need to raise 1 end of 1 of these by 3mm to line them up. Putting a straight edge across at a series of points shows flatness across the width is within 1 mm.
Thanks in advance for any pointers on how much further I should go.Cheers, Bob the labrat
Measure once and.... the phone rings!
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6th February 2016, 09:44 PM #2
Bob, If its a bench , a work bench for woodwork , then it should be flat . No two ways about it ! With a square edge at the front off that . If you had dog holes and a tail vice , even more flat ! A twisted bench top is only good for cleaning and washing things on not clamping to and planing ,or clamping to and assembling things on .
Use winding sticks and a long plane . Get it right and all you work will be true from that point on . Cheers Rob
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7th February 2016, 09:53 AM #3Member
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Agree - if you use the bench to assemble your work any inconsistency will end up being transferred to your work. I personally don't have the skill or patience to work within fractions of a mm so to some degree I'd argue the final level of flatness will be a matter of judgement. That said, the 3mm amount you reference should be addressed
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7th February 2016, 10:26 AM #4Awaiting Email Confirmation
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Bob,
Yes it should be flat.
When I built my bench top after the glue up it had a twist in it of in excess of 5mm.
Ending up building a router sled and flattening it that way. The router sled was 1.2m wide and the rails 3.0m long.
Took a day and a bit to build the sled and test it. Then a morning to flatten the top.
This it the thread of my bench build and router sled.
Another BenchLast edited by The Bleeder; 7th February 2016 at 10:26 AM. Reason: spelling
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7th February 2016, 12:46 PM #5SENIOR MEMBER
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Because as you say it is a "tool" it does need to be flat and true.
My workbench has no pretence of beauty,it is welded steel painted black with a 20mm thick melamine coated particle board top.
when too worn and marked I will just replace the top.
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7th February 2016, 02:02 PM #6
Thanks everyone.
I don't have a long plane and am wary of router sleds after a previous experience so it's going to be a "flat as I can get it" bench top.
Have already been back at it for some hours and it looks like it's half way there.
Which means it's probably about a quarter of the way there.Cheers, Bob the labrat
Measure once and.... the phone rings!
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