Flattening Workbenches and Wide Boards With A Router | The Router Sled
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The traditional method for flattening a workbench is to use hand planes and winding sticks. While some folks truly relish this labor of love, others prefer to delegate this grunt work to power tools. The power tool method is very similar to the action of a CNC machine. A router is placed inside a sled that rides along two parallel rails that are attached to the sides of the bench. The router sled is very easy to make from scrap 3/4″ plywood. The rails can be made from 2×6 construction-grade lumber. Cheap and simple!
Here are two options for router bits. They have the same specs (1 3/4″, 2-flute straight bits) but the Freud will save you a few bucks:
Amana -- 45453 - amzn.to/2AV03Uk
Freud -- 12-194 - amzn.to/2EAN38o
Perhaps one of the best parts about this jig is that you can re-use it for other things. Have an end grain cutting board that needs flattening, but you don't want to send it through your planer? Have an oddly-shaped natural edge slab that is just too large for your tools? Both situations can be handled with a setup like this. And if you plan on using it a lot, you can get as elaborate as you want with the design of the jig. The version I show you here is stripped down to the absolute basics.
This video is an excerpt from the recent Split-Top Roubo Workbench Guild Build. Join the Guild today to see the entire set of videos and build your own lifetime workbench!
Very nice router sled. I use a similar setup to get everything square with the strings or wires. One difference I use that makes it easy to see when the two wires just kiss is this: instead of using plastic coated wires, I use uncoated wires. Then I use my little 12 volt battery charger with one lead hooked to one side of one of the rails. The other lead goes to the other sides rail wire but there I have a little 12 volt bulb holder with wire leads coming out of it hooked between the battery charger lead and the rail wire. Now when you tap the rail down, as soon as the two wires touch, the little bulb lights up. I have done this getting accuracy down to the thousandths of an inch. Tom
Tom heck of a solution.
Tom Pretty neat trick there !! Thanks
Neat. Seems like you could do the same with a multimeter, and just listen for the auditory beep. :-)
Pardon my ignorance but couldn't you assure that the rails are parallel by simply using a level between the two sides? Is that just not accurate enough?
Ordered my router...starting my sled build this weekend!
Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words. And no, this technique is not quite the same thing as a planer. A planer relies on the first side of the board being flat already. After you run it through the planer, the second side will then be parallel to the first, and of course flat as well. But in this case, we are flattening one single face. You might do this on a board that is too wide for the jointer. Flatten one face and THEN send it through the planer to clean up the other side.
First off let me say I love your stuff! Second, i'm using your exact setup to flatten a large slab of walnut. It works great. The only thing I added is stops to the bottom of my runner that the router slides on. Mine are just clamped on. it's one less thing to worry about the sled falling off the rails. It happened to me. Luckily I had to route enough that I took it out.
Another great video. Thank you paisan.
Thanks for the video, idea for slight improvement, add another narrower board between the rails and the table, attach them to the table or rails so they will be slightly above table top, then route right on over the edge of the table into the these boards. This would prevent possible chip out and you would have no edge clean up at the end.
that thought jumped out at me the instant he hit the rail with the router. great minds think alike, and so do we, lol
But wouldn't the 2 x 6s accomplish the same thing if they are flush to the side of the workbench? It would be a taller surface that the bit would come I to but they would still be keeping the fibers intact at the edge of the bench I would think? Anyway it's a good suggestion.
I was wondering if this process would work for cutting the tapers on a door threshold by shimming and clamping the stock. I need to mill a door threshold for the front door of my daughter's circa 1780 Colonial house in Connecticut, I have the 2 x 10 rough cut white oak all ready, just need a jig to cut the opposing tapers. Any thoughts will be gratefully received, Sincerely, Robert Tuttle
Why not attach stop blocks under the sled outside the rails so your sled won't travel from side to side. This would prevent the sled from accidentally travelling to far sideways & dropping in. You could then run the sled down the rail, move the router over an inch or so then come back, then keep repeating
Thanks for the vid. I knows I is dumb but I don't quite get it...why use the adjustable square on 3 corners - you are assuming the bench is already flat along that first short side aren't you ? Also the string - surely could make it 'kiss' the bottom screw if it was on a gradient in other words if the LH top screw was 1cm higher but the RH top string screw was 1cm lower..... also how do I mill 6 by 2's if I have no milling machine? it is a genuine problem I am really trying (and failing) to solve
sorry my brain is still blown due to this: once you jacked up the top strings you tapped down the left hand (as I view the screen) - but you would have got the same by tapping the other end and making a slope.....
would it not be easier to use a really flat long spirit level across the two short ends at either end??
What do you use as a reference to find 'flat'?
+RetSquid Window glass is very flat, that might be suitable. Might be expensive to buy a sheet that large though.
gamerathebrave
True, but I'm referring to the bench itself, it is just flattened to it's lowest point?
why not a level instead of a string?
Shim the "sacrificial" rails away from the work and they are no longer "sacrificial". Great video, Thank You
These type of videos never get old. Thank you so much for help in this.
6:23 - DROP THE BASE WUB WUB WUB WUB WUUUUB WUB
Great video, Thanks. So many people on youtube are annoying to listen to but you're not.
Just wanted to say quickly that I accidentally deleted a couple of comments recently. Apparently if I type a reply and then delete my reply, it deletes your comment with it?! Nice job TH-cam, lol. So if you don't see your comment here, please feel free to leave it again.
Im just saying that I think the string method is more accurate than using levels. In addition, my shop floor is definitely not level and as a result my bench is also not level. A bubble level, in my situation, wouldn't do much for me.
DROP THE BASE
i lol'd.
Glad I checked, I was about to make the same comment. :-)
Nope, because I don't care much about level. The workbench itself isn't leveled so "level" just becomes irrelevant.
You certainly could. They aren't necessary, but that's one of the ways you could really trick it out if you wanted to.
If you added a couple spacers between your router jig rails and the table top, couldn't you slide the router out passed the table edge enough to eliminate those leftover triangles?
Why rush through in 5 minutes what can be explained properly and thoroughly in 22 minutes?
Have you ever used a water level? it would give absolute level for your 2x6s and top
Excellent point!
thanks, not a lot of people know about a water level or how to use one.
Yes sir....that's old school thinking...lol
Admittedly, that was my first thought to, like 'what on earth are you doing? With a water level you'd be done before you even screwed the first cord to the beams..' - I guess this is just massively old school :P
MIKE MEYERS excellent point. I haven't used a water level in 20 years, but most of the old ways were much more accurate. all you need is a clear tube and some water. a little yellow food coloring in the water will increase visability.
I`m just wondering why nobody uses electric hand planer with same technique? Much wider surface and productivity!
Same thing with belt sander...
Cool jig! I have a really straight piece of 8 foot MDF. Could that work as a straight edge? What router bit did you use?
Seriously, you are a very effective teacher. Speaking as a novice woodworker, I really appreciate how clearly you communicate and I find your videos very helpful. Keep up the great work.
It's really just a large straight bit. Although you might find some interesting options under "bottom cleaning bits"
The problem is two-fold. First it is difficult to see when you are right at the edge. You can reach it, but obviously you want to avoid cutting too deeply into the rails. The second issue is the fact that you have this monster bit making contact with all of that stock at once. With only two cutterheads, things can easily go out of control. So I was careful how much the bit made contact with the rails. But the few small triangles were removed with about 2-3 minutes of planing with a block plane.
Yeah I think at some point it's just splitting hairs. The plastic coating is pretty thin and fairly rigid. So any compression would likely be negligible. Or it might be more accurate to say that any resulting discrepancies are not detectable by this goober. :)
Did anyone else hear Marc say (at 6:24) "Drop the bass"?
I think he is a practicing DJ.
He said bass
He said, quite clearly, "Drop the base on top..." as he was dropping the base on top of the sled sides during his glueup. This is how conspiracy theories get started. Though this one is sorta fun.
You have it wrong. If one is vertical and the other horizontal, the strings will be separated. You're right that there are multiple settings where the strings will touch. But each one of them will be flat, not twisted. I think where your getting confused in that there is only one setting where the top will not only be flat, but also perfectly level. I really don't care if my top is slightly off-level. But I must reiterate that this method is valid and works.
It's a mental gymnastics sort of thing. But I'd like to make one last point. The plane is not arbitrary. Most workbenches are mostly flat to being with. When you initially set up the rails, you set them an equal distance from the top of the bench. You make very fine adjustments from there. This gives you a flat plane somewhere close to level. For a workbench, that's good enough. Again, I would never disparage other methods. But I assure you this one works quite well.
You are incorrect sir. If you raise the SE corner and the NW corner each 1/2", the first string will then be 1/2" away from the second string. The same string is connected to both corners so unless physics works differently where you live, the string goes up. This method is not new and while it might not be appropriate for every situation and there are certainly alternatives, your basis for dismissing it is off.
Not 100% what you mean. The two rails will be parallel and in the same plane. Measuring at each corner then gets the rails close to parallel with the table.
I think there is really a point of diminishing returns. This method produces a surface that is certainly flat enough for anything required by woodworking. Just one of the many ways to skin the cat.
It could, as long as you are sure it is straight and you clamp it to the bench in several places so that it doesn't sag at all. As for the bits, that was covered in the video as well as the writeup.
Instead of the whole string ensemble to get the rails parallel to each other here's a better idea.
Two straight edges. Two laser pointers on one. Two targets on magnets at the same height of the laser pointers on the other. Nothing goes straighter than light. Those rails also will always be usable.
Yes. You can immobilize the board on a plywood sled using hot glue and shims. Give it a few light passes through the planer to clean up the top face. Then remove the piece from the sled, flip it over and send it through again.
You have to raise the top cord because if you don't the true flat point would result in the strings intersecting one another. They can't physically do that. So we need to raise one cord up to a new plane. Using the cord material itself to raise it up means when the two strings touch, the surface is flat. And I'm not really concerned about level. Just flatness.
Because the bit makes contact with the guide and it's not that easy to push the router in a straight line. As others have mentioned, the guide can be rabbeted to make room for the bit. But since I didn't do that, I left the triangles and cleaned them up afterwards.
yes. But I find this method to be more "dummy proof" than winding sticks. But there is no reason you can't do it that way if you prefer.
I'm not 100% sure what you mean with your method. But there are certainly other good ways to tackle something like this. But it always helps to use straight edges and windings sticks to determine what the condition of your top is prior to doing any work on it.
With a 4" thick top, that isn't very likely. The base of the bench is already shimmed and a top of that thickness isn't likely to bend from gravity or an uneven floor.
Because a workbench is used as a reference surface for all kinds of tasks. In theory, the flatter the workbench the flatter the work coming off the bench. Or at least the better shot you have at getting the work flat.
I think it comes down to control. I guess if you could get the planer into some sort of controlled carrier it might work. But the router allows you to move in any direction and very effectively control the depth.
You mean it doesn't stay dead flat forever?!?! Damn. Yes, of course I realize that. Anyone who works with wood understands that workbenches don't stay flat, hence the need to flatten periodically.
And it might also be more likely to sag. i'm not engineer so I don't know at what width the sides actually offer diminishing returns. But only and inch or two strikes me as a design that would definitely sag under the weight of the router.
Some warping can't be fixed. When wood wants to go, it goes. But you can certainly try to clamp it into a flat orientation and see if it takes. You might get lucky.
hard to say if it is more accurate or not. The methods are quite different but the respective project is also different. Hard to compare the two.
Honestly can't recall exactly what I used for this project. But it's nothing all that special. Probably just shop-grade plywood from the hardwood dealer. I always have some laying around.
Yup.If you're comfortable reading the winding sticks, that would work pretty well. But I think the strings are actually more accurate than the winding sticks, at least if my eyeballs are involved. :)
Easier, maybe. More accurate? I don't think so. I guess it depends on how good your eye is. I like the string method because there is a very clear indicator and the system is incredibly sensitive.
Yikes! So sorry to hear about the accident. I think the best thing is to first take a break for a while. Get your head clear, watch some videos, and get pumped about woodworking again. From there, I would start off easy. Do a simple and quick project. Avoid the planer for now. Get some help from an adult/parent who might know something about woodworking. Just get comfortable being in the shop again before jumping into a big project requiring the tool that did the damage. Stay safe!
I would definitely avoid using thick material. Not only would you have more compression issues but also more sag. Thin material just makes everything easier.
Can you clarify what you mean Dave? Are you talking about the sled for the router? If so, sure. Pocket screws would work.
I don't know that I would recommend that with woodworking tools.
?
Instead of the string trick, couldn't you use a long level and make sure they're parallel that way?
You would also have to make sure what your planning was co-planner/level to the rails, how could you manage this with material that's not true?? I'd like to hear anything that keeps this process in the KISS process. ;-)
@@Belg1970 If the rails are level, and you planed the entire top side, would it not be level as well? level length and width directions?
If everything were level, you could certainly use a level to make the adjustments. Neither my floor nor my workbench are level, so that wasn't an option.
lol not according to the guy at Home Depot. But maybe that was my first mistake. :)
I see. I would say yes, it would definitely be more susceptible to tearout. With a nice sharp router bit, taking such a light pass, there is no tearout to speak of.
Thickness should be the same throughout, but irrelevant to the flattening process.
That's not from being sick....that's just from talking too much, lol.
The Wood Whisperer , Did you think about putting two additional sacrificial boards flush to the top of the bench along the long side of the bench? They would not have to be very thick, just thick enough so that your router goes completely over the side of your bench top and you don't have those triangle-shaped spots where the round router bit didn't quite make it to the edge.
It is a royalty free track that comes with Apple software. The name of the track is Acoustic Sunrise.
the widest bit you can find, really. Not sure what the widest is with a 1/4" collet.
Fantastic video, I will be doing this next week. You have a great way of teaching. Thank you.
It's just what I happened to pick up when I went to the store. I really don't have a strong preference for PVA glue brands. They are all pretty much the same in my book.
Assuming it's variable speed, I think you can probably handle that bit.
My other suggestion is a simple one. I build hot rods for a living, and when I block sand a car I use a dry guide coat (found at your local auto parts store that sells paint). 3M makes the best. I keep a jar of it when I am doing work like this, too. It comes with a soft pounce pad, and is just a dry graphite or charcoal powder. It's a lot easier and quicker to apply over large surfaces than pencils, and is much easier to see. It also sands off easily whereas pencils can embed in softer woods.
Hopefully by the end of summer, but no firm date just yet.
we should be able to get something out early this coming week.
Simpler, but it strikes me as less accurate.
They were prepped on the jointer.
Yup I did. Just trying to figure out what to send. :)
Just a thought - why not use fishing line instead of plastic coated wire? The diameter of it wouldn't make a difference on most anything wood. (6 pound test is something like 0.01")
Thanks for upping this video Marc. I need to do something similar to flatten a big piece of crotch wood I want to make into a clock. Don't own a surfacer and it wouldn't fit through most anyway, so something like this is ideal in my situation. (Tried hand planes and reaffirmed that I suck with hand tools. ;) )
Thank you for sharing this, it is brilliant. Your whole take on generating a 'Reference Surface' has expanded my mind and opens up some innovative ways of sizing/thicknessing . SUPERB Sir.
Well, you sure showed me, lol! I was like...what a d-nocker for using that fat wire...then BLAMMO, the secret wire shim technique. Your Kung Fu is strong, I will go back home and practice.
Don't know. I never route aluminum sheets. :)
Aye, when we're making furniture, we really don't care about level, since most floors aren't. As long as our legs are the same length and our tops are flat and of consistent thickness - that's the best was can do.
I'll send you a private message.
Great video. Followed your technique for flattening my bench and it worked perfectly. For the first time in years I can use the bench as it was intended. Thanks!
oh really? Nice! Glad he liked it.
Bravo! If I make a new bench, this video will be studied again! 99.99 percent perfect video. I would like to entertain what would happen if you reversed your sled on a test piece to confirm. Very scientific! That's bro!
Nice job.
Inexpensive materials (as in not expensive)
not cheap (as in poor quality)
My pet peeve
your awesome. Thank you!
Yup. That should work just fine.
Thanks for the fast response! I've been watching your videos for a long time and have found them super helpful and they've got me really excited about getting into woodworking!
What if you move that bench where the floor is not perfect? You must ensure that bench will not squirm/twist. Liked very much this video. Researching how to make my own reference surface.
Flat is SO much more important than level in glue-ups, etc. I make desks that require a 22x48 top. I have a 36x60 homemade workbench made from jointed fir framing and a doubled-up-3/4"-thickness (1 1/2" total) MDF top. I drilled vertical 3/8" holes near each corner, and I use dowels and strings to check flatness on a regular basis. Since I'm using the top as a flat for my panel glue-ups, the flatness, not the level, is important.
You've still got it wrong. If you begin with parallel, level rails then raise SE and lower NW by 1/2" each, the rails are still parallel. The table would be FLAT, but would run downhill from SE-NW.
Also, if you think a level is going to give you, say, 1/16" accuracy over 7-8 feet, you are far too trusting. Even laser levels have tolerances and thickness of the light line. What you also propose, winding sticks, depends on OBSERVATION, same as here except the observation here is more objective.
Sorry. You are right. There's still a problem.
Instead of answering I should have made a test. Your method does define a plane, however, the axis around which the plane rotates is arbitrarily assigned to the lower string. (simple tests should be next, not more chat) What's interesting to me, is I watched the video, saw a problem, misdiagnosed it, made a comment, forgot about it. Then it's twice popped into my thoughts (even before your reply), so this must be percolating in my subconscious.
The string won't work. It's misapplies geometry. Raise the SE corner 1/2" and the NW corner 1/2" (kittycorner), the strings will do the same thing at the center, and your surface will be twisted.
Winding sticks, best method, rectangular aluminum tubing (1" square is good) are more reliable than boards. Don't be afraid to back up crouch down and 'eye ball' the set up. A level is good,use a shim if you just want the top to be flat. This is one of those methods that looks good in a magazine.
I'm not sure you could get a router to go slow enough to route aluminum. Not to mention you would need a milling bit for metal and it wouldn't be able to be very large. Plus you'd probably end up ruining the motor on the router trying to mill metal like that since a wood router would have more deflection in the shaft than you would want. But I'm no expert. I'd ask a metal milling expert.
This method of the string is not very reliable if the surface is a litle more bent (not three sides flat as in the demonstration). I would suggest the use of a level, or beter yet a lenght of transparent plastic hoose with a tinted whater inside, for perfectly leveling the four ends of the rails, consequently the flatness of the board (much more accurate than the string and/or a common buble level).
Marc, if I'm unsure about how flat the rest of my bench top surface is would you recommend any other way of starting off. I noticed you had three sides that were all 1/4" above the surface. I was wondering if it would still work the same if I took a level along one board until I knew that board was level, then I could take that level across both boards on one side (this will hopefully mean the three sides are level with each other) and then I could do the wire trick you used. Thanks!
I really like the wire technique. Much simpler and more idiot proof than winding sticks. One observation though. The plastic coated wire spacers are going to compress slightly when you slide them under the running wire. The plastic for the running wire would compress and plastic sleeve on the "shim" would compress. Together, they'd give you a difference of some sort. Don't know how much it would be, nor whether that difference would matter over 8 feet of distance.
Couldn't you have just levelled the two guides, after ensuring the base was level before attaching the top, with the lowest point on the guides about 1/2" from the top at that corner. Then level the two guides, along each length and across the two along their entire length? Although in reality the top could be a wedge in both directions, if you don't plan on moving the bench (and even if you did it could be wedged in to level from under the feet) it would still be dead flat, and perfectly level?
you talk to much let your actions do the talking for you .Less talk more work.NOT SAYING no talk at all .just less.thank you i do enjoy tour videos thanks
I have an easier method. Just use GPS to reference one corner. Then use a gravitometer to reference the other 3 sides in absolute space. Bring all for sides into a true 4 manifold space-time by shooting a laser from the 4 corners to the reflector thing on the moon. Wallah! A perfect plane that you can now skate on.
I'm not so sure the string method is dead accurate. When you're bringing that final string down to touch the bottom one there's the risk that you could have a significant angle over that long of a distance that you would not be able to see with the naked eye. IE they could still be just barely touching, but you could still be off if there was an angle. Why not just use a level across each end? If you have two or three good reference corners, then a level should do the trick perfectly.
I didn't completely understand the leveling process and the two cords touching each other. Why does the top cord need to be raised by the thickness of one cord? How does the last step of raising or lowering the last corner of the rails ensure the bench being level?