hardwood sanding

[andrex]

Howdy woody junkies, newbie here.

I always liked wood, but after reading this forum for the last week, I am seduced.

My problem is i've just made my first 'thing', a workbench. I'm pretty happy with the way it's looking but for one thing. The 290x45 laminated hardwood for the top looks great but has a few marks that run across the boards (maybe from the circular saw manufacture). My arms are sore, even after going at it with 40 grit. Do I just keep going? Please don't suggest a plane, I know it's the way but i'm too scared!
Any ideas?

NB: i have taken advice from this forum and used Danish Oil (which i have never heard of before) and a bit of wax on a test section and it looks and feel great. It also feels rather hardy, but will maybe wear with a nice patina.

Thank you forum
Andrex

[echnidna]

If it was a dining table you would need to eliminate them.
But its a workbench so it will end up with marks as you make things so don't let them worry you.

[Gumby]

Exactly as Bob said, and getting it flat is more important than how it looks. When I made my first bench, I used 20 year old oregon and was really chuffed with how the top looked. That was 2 years ago. You should see it now :eek: Getting all the joined oregon beams flat was also a problem for me as a beginner.

My next one will have a removable top, either MDF of masonite. If you put a sheet of MDF on top, it's flat.

[andrex]

If it was a dining table you would need to eliminate them.
But its a workbench so it will end up with marks as you make things so don't let them worry you.

Thanks Echnidna. I'm all for letting it mark. But they gotta be MY marks. Where it sits in my shed and the light coming from the door, when you look at it, all you notice are these striations.

It feels perfectly smooth, but i'll be damned if every time i open the door i wanna see these things. And i will you know!

That's the point. (it's personal now, me v hardwood)

Regards

Andrex

[Hardwood Hacker]

A belt sander might be an option but its not going to be particularly flat - just like the orbital sander results (that is if the scratches are deep).
Cheers
Mal

[Tex B]

Might help if you could post a picture. Some 'scratches' can be part of the wood 'grain'. Not sure of my terminology here, but some latitudinal marks are not removable and are a feature of the timber. Sounds like if repeated sanding with 40g isn't removing them, they are either VERY deep or are a feature of your workbench.

Tex

[Auld Bassoon]

Please don't suggest a plane, I know it's the way but i'm too scared!
Andrex

Hi Andrex (of tissue paper fame?)

You might as well bite the bullet now as later on; hand planing is not only therapeutic, it can be fun. Honest. Trust me (darkside fiend with a cupboard full of lovely nice planes)

It'll also probably be the best way to get a nice smooth, and most importantly, flat workbench surface. It doesn't require state-of-the-art planes, or expensive ones, just a nice sharp jointer and an equally sharp smoother.

There's no way in hades that you could get an even, flat surface with a belt sander, or indeed with any other kind of hand-held sander.

I suppose it might be possible to rig up a gantry-like affair and use a router - but by the time one had figured out (never mind built) the design of such a beast, one could have hand-planed the surface, and be waiting for the oil to dry...

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I suppose it might be possible to rig up a gantry-like affair and use a router - but by the time one had figured out (never mind built) the design of such a beast, one could have hand-planed the surface, and be waiting for the oil to dry...

Easiest thing in the world. I imagine any brickie'd already have the gear: two good straight-edges and a sheet of MDF. 15 min to convert the MDF into a jig and then every job from then on can be set up in a few minutes.

When I try to hand-plane, I can lose hours fixing the result.

[Studley 2436]

It is pretty straight forward planing to some sort of flatness. Wouldn't worry about the marks there will be plenty of marks on it soon enough. It will get belted around and get a bit out of true but easy stuff to just run your plane over it and knock the high spots off it

Enjoy, sounds like you are doing pretty well there. I wouldn't get over awed with the whole thing. It is a work bench after all.

Studley