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work bench disaster

2K views 33 replies 17 participants last post by  Karda 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi, i had the bright Idea of trimming the edge of my work bench to even the surface but I screwed it up, now it is worse than ever. I need a flat surface for a twin screw vice. Is there an save to this thanks Mike

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#7 ·
Add a temporary brace below.
Unbolt and remove the top ledger.
Rent a beam saw so your top can be cut in one pass.
Plane your unbolted ledger to the thickness you need.
Repeat on remaining sides as needed.
 
#8 ·
First, I would remove the lower 2 X 4 (the one with lag bolts), and either use a hand plane or a powered planer, reduce the thickness to clean up the mess on it. Now, use your handplane to dress the top piece. Match the lower piece to the top and re-assemble. Not hard and won't take that long (only a bit of sweat).
 
#10 ·
that would be an incredibly hard job and i don t know if I could get it put back together. Butr yea that would be the way to go

- Karda
Why is it incredibly hard? The top isn't that large and it looks like spruce 2×4's. If you can't handle the weight can you get some help?

You're only other alternative is to resaw a straight line, chisel or plane the remainder flush, and glue another board on.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
Time to break out the jack plane. If you cannot get it quite smooth enough for the vise, you can add a new face to it. Adding a face might not be a bad idea anyway so that you can replace it as it as it gets beat up with use and abuse.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
thanks for the suggestions. First off I don't have a router so thats out, I said it would be hard because the back legs are bolted the an iron framed work bench and if I start taking it apart I am not sure If I can put it back together like I took it apart. What is a ledger.
Another idea, what if I knocked off the screwed up 2x and replaced it with a new one. i don't see that removing the one thats laged in will hurt, I may leave it off
 
#14 ·
I think that I would lay the whole thing on its side and try using a hand plane before I decided to deconstruct anything. You can't really make it any worse and it will be a good time to improve your hand plane skills. Be mindful of grain direction and use your new block plane for any knots or difficult areas. The pine or spruce should be pretty easy to work. You can then decide if you want to attach a new face over the entire end.
 
#16 ·
I suppose you could level any remaining divots with bondo or some other filler but it might not be necessary as long as it is basically flat.
 
#19 ·
It looks like right to left is going to work best. You may still see some tear out in a few spots around the knots. Its hard to tell but it looks like some circle grain around a couple of the knots. Those areas always give me minor fits. But its a workbench so I assume flat and square is more important than shiny and smooth.
 
#24 ·
Just remember that the grain direction can be a problem around the knots so you may have to change directions there. If it is really bad, I will use my block plane to smooth those and any other areas where the grain just would not cooperate. It is also pretty common to have the spear points change direction in the middle somewhere and you may have to plane out from the point in both directions. This is a great opportunity to experiment and learn.
 
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