I'm debating on the purchase of the festool planer to flatten my workbench its 90"x32" and I'm wondering if the powered planer would be more accurate to mill the top flat and even than a hand plane? I dunno If I can get successful results from my veritas #7 low angle jointer plane by hand. Or should I just take my time with the hand plane and save the $600 ?
Power planer vs. hand plane for workbench flatness
- Thread starter Mikeroy
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Wooden Skye
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Router sled! Will be quicker and probably better results. Marc Spagnolo did the following video.
mouppe
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How out-of-flat is the workbench? Bear in mind that the whole workbench does not really need to be flat- only the area around the front vice and to the right of it where you stand.
The #7 is not really the best hand plane for the job if you need to flatten a large area. If you have a scrub plane, low angle jack or any similar plane (preferably with a toothed blade) you'll be done very quickly by removing the high spots without getting knackered. Then finish up with the #7. I actually quite like the grippy surface that a toothed blade leaves.
Unless your top is really off, you'll be done with the hand plane method before you've finished putting the router sled together. I like using my router sled for routing out recesses that the hand planes I own can't reach such as chair seats, but I don't favour it for top-flattening work.
The #7 is not really the best hand plane for the job if you need to flatten a large area. If you have a scrub plane, low angle jack or any similar plane (preferably with a toothed blade) you'll be done very quickly by removing the high spots without getting knackered. Then finish up with the #7. I actually quite like the grippy surface that a toothed blade leaves.
Unless your top is really off, you'll be done with the hand plane method before you've finished putting the router sled together. I like using my router sled for routing out recesses that the hand planes I own can't reach such as chair seats, but I don't favour it for top-flattening work.
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