how flat is flat enough?

[Mark Kosmowski]

I'm working on flattening one face of a 6' board by hand before feeding it to the thickness planer. Ultimately to be used as a table top glue up.

I'm using a 48" (4') level as a straight edge. There is light showing in the middle of the level. Using my calipers, zeroing for the height of the level, I get 0.05" as the greatest deviation from flat.

Would you guys keep moving iron or decide that the wood might well move more than this through the planer and call it flat enough to proceed?

By the way, just in case there is someone in this forum that doesn't know, flattening a face by hand is hard, sweaty work!

[harry strasil]

But, the reward of knowing you did it by hand is oh so sweet, even tho no one will know you did it that way unless you tell them.

FWIW, my wife bought me some stretch head sweat bands in the sporting goods section of a store, to keep the sweat off my glasses, and yes it gets wrung out several times per surface trued.

[David Nelson1]

I'm working on flattening one face of a 6' board by hand before feeding it to the thickness planer. Ultimately to be used as a table top glue up.

I'm using a 48" (4') level as a straight edge. There is light showing in the middle of the level. Using my calipers, zeroing for the height of the level, I get 0.05" as the greatest deviation from flat.

Would you guys keep moving iron or decide that the wood might well move more than this through the planer and call it flat enough to proceed?

By the way, just in case there is someone in this forum that doesn't know, flattening a face by hand is hard, sweaty work!

I believe that's close enough

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

Close enough for the girls I go out with.

[harry strasil]

Close enough for the girls I go out with.

Boy does that phrase bring back memories, I haven't heard it in quite some time.

[Mark Kosmowski]

Close enough for the girls I go out with.

I guess now I need to find out what kind of girls Tim dates!

Thanks for the advice. I'll start sending it through the thicknesser tomorrow (too late for my LOUD lunchbox now).

[Rick Erickson]

great job mark - that is more than flat enough.

[Jamie Bacon]

I guess now I need to find out what kind of girls Tim dates!

Thanks for the advice. I'll start sending it through the thicknesser tomorrow (too late for my LOUD lunchbox now).

You could always flip it over and continue with some nice, quiet hand planing.

Jamie Bacon

[george wilson]

Tim,your little quotation is exactly what I have been telling people for many years. There are so many excellent craftsmen out there who do not understand taste and design. They produce very well made junk.

[Leigh Betsch]

They produce very well made junk.

I think you're right on there George. Unfortunately I think I'm right with them. I can build almost anything metal or wood to Exactly the right dimensions. But to be really good at this sport you gotta have a bit of artist in you, and unfortunately I don't got much. I'll stack my craftsmanship up against the best but an artist that has craftsmanship combined is just out of my league. George you must get frustrated watching us mortals muddle thru.

[george wilson]

I'm plenty mortal!!! Got the aches and pains to prove it,too!!

What I did as a kid was to trace pictures of 17th.,18th.c. sailing ships,getting all the details. Also,copy good work if you must. It somehow sinks in eventually. You must know what is GOOD work,though. Some of the well known plane and tool makers who publish pictures here would be a help. Holtey,Brese,etc..

[Larry Marshall]

Your .05" deviation is sufficient as others have said. The notion that people talk of their wood shops as though they are machine shops and that their material is metal rather than wood leads to these questions, however.

But I'm writing to ask a question, which may open the discussion a bit. Why are you trying to flatten a 6-foot long board? Do you need 6-foot pieces in your project? Removing wane and flattening the face of 3 2-foot boards is far easier than doing it along a 6-foot length. Much less sweat.

Cheers --- Larry

[Mark Kosmowski]

The target dimensions for the tabletop are 35" by 54". I like to start a bit overlength to have some wiggle room to match grain better during the glue up.

In case anyone is wondering how I'm going to cut to length with random length pieces in the glue up - I don't have a tablesaw and will be using my EZ Smart with square. Once I verify that the front edge has remained straight I'll use the square to cut both sides referencing the front and then again to cut the back referencing one of the sides.