Weekend Workshop Notes

Occasional notes on woodworking, hand tools and small shop projects.

Flattening a workbench top with a jack plane

October 12

After two years of seasonal movement the bench top developed a noticeable hollow in the middle. Winding sticks showed about 2 mm of twist along the length. Working diagonally in both directions with a cambered iron took most of it out in an evening; the final pass along the grain left a surface flat enough for veneer work.

Sharpening station: what finally worked

September 28

Settled on a two-stone setup — a 1000-grit for shaping and a 6000-grit for polishing — with a strop charged with honing compound. Keeping the stones next to the bench instead of in a drawer turned out to matter more than any particular grit progression: sharpening happens when it takes thirty seconds to start.