I use a toothing plane to rough up my workbench top. I put plane at 45 degrees left to right and right to left. One pass across the top. Gives much better grip. Anyone else do this? I suspect few do.
Dan
I use a toothing plane to rough up my workbench top. I put plane at 45 degrees left to right and right to left. One pass across the top. Gives much better grip. Anyone else do this? I suspect few do.
Dan
Building my own Legos!
I do not. If I need a little extra grip for some reason, I put a piece of rubber shelf liner under whatever I am working on.
I use shelf liner too.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
No. Bench dogs\planing stops work fine keeping the piece stationary working the length of the bench. My bench is against a wall, so if I need to keep a piece from moving from front to back, and a hold fast and batten won't work, then I usually use one or more pieces of scrap to use as a stop that sits between the wall and the piece that is being worked.
Its prefectly fine and is/was commonly done by a lot of ww'ers. Nowadays I think there is more emphasis on benches, jigs, etc. as a sign of craftsmanship so we are adverse to doing it.
I don't do it but I do not think a slick surface is desireable.
Bench hooks definitely do not hold as well on a slick surface and the shelf liner trick doesn't always work that well, either.
BTW I line all my vises, holdfasts, etc with 80 grit sandpaper or leather.
I don't have the same experience. I have benches in a couple different levels of 'grit' and I prefer the oil/varnish finished. It makes glue easier to come off. I use a combination of vises and stops/hooks for work holding. Stops are convenient and quick and they become easier to use with practice.
I don't like a toothed surface because it's harder to sweep.
Last edited by Prashun Patel; 12-28-2016 at 8:41 AM.
My top is purposely smooth and I have no issues with hold downs. I do some small assembly work at the bench and the glue pops right off of the BLO / paste wax treated surface. Not slick like a bowling alley but, the oil and wax penetration into the surface makes cleanup a snap.
At some point I'll be doing something with epoxy and will use the leftovers to fill any small dings or gouges. I also use the benchtop as a reference surface and it is flat and level with mother earth. Irregularities in the surface can trap grit and spoil and ruin a surface. If you only use your bench for roughing out this would be moot.
Keep your cutters sharp and a lethal grip is not really required. I think a lot of it comes down to how we approach the work piece. There are many methods and the one that works for you is the right one for you.
Last edited by glenn bradley; 12-28-2016 at 10:25 AM. Reason: bad spelling skewed my meaning ;-)
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
@Dan..... What kind of work are you using your table for? I have not seen a rough table for wood working. I expect the table top to be dead flat.....
Tried it once, long time ago ( about 4 benches back?) and the toothy grooves just filled right up with dirt and other junk. usually the same day. Never bother with the idea since. I have dogs, a planing stop, and a few jigs as needed.
Besides, IF you go to flatten a bench over time, the toothed surface gets removed anyway. save the toothed plane for veneer prep.
This very exact topic was the subject of a big debate years ago here. I think the Schwartz started it in one of his writings.
I didn't like the practice then,nor do I now. As mentioned,you'll soon get grooves full of dirt,as well as sand paper abrasive bits,and anything else small to fall into the grooves. And scratch your work.
Last edited by george wilson; 12-28-2016 at 10:15 AM.
The only roughing up I do on my bench top is the natural result of working on it and dropping things on it, etc.
However, I have been thinking about doing as you do after watching a video (I think it was Patrick Edwards...) showing the same. I don't have a toothing plane at this point, so I will likely try it when the day comes that I finally get one.
Yup, top is flat. (After flattening) I run the toothing plane once left to right and once right to left at 45 degrees to the front edge. It creates a bunch of little diamonds that stick up.
I dont have a problem with dirt/grit. I just brush and occasionally vacuum. Glue does not touch the bench often. If it does, a wet rag does a good job of removing it.
One aspect I have noticed. Having the top rough puts me at ease to do work on the bench instead of worrying about doing work on the bench.
Dan
3 coats of tung oil finish on a smooth bench, here. Hold downs work fine. I sometimes use shelf liner too. But if toothing it works well for you, I say go for it.
Thanks for bringing up the idea and letting us bat it back and forth Dan. I often get new/better approaches from discussions like this.
Fred
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
I keep it smooth enough that it will not catch dirt or whatever else. I flatten every six months or so.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.