slab flattening jig/table build

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Oliver Springs, TN
I did a little horse trading and was able to obtain one of Larry's outstanding walnut slabs.walnut slab.jpg It's destined to become a coffee table for the living room. I've started building a slab flattening jig to use with a router. Here's a few pictures of what I've got done so far. I've got the sled part mostly finished. sled 1.jpgsled 2.jpgsled 3.jpgsled 4.jpgbase.jpgbase 2.jpg In the second picture I just noticed I have the end on upside down.:doh: I got the idea from Nick Offerman in an article he did for fine woodworking. I'll have a few questions as I go along.:huh: I forgot to add the base plate that I made using 3/8" lexan.
 
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thats the best way to get it flat john,, and make sure you have it leveled up as close as you can so you dont need to take to much off one side or the other john..
 
Pretty interesting!

Does this jig just rest on the top of your bench or are there going to be a set of rails for it to ride on?
 
Looks good John. I saw a guy demo a 6" Makita handheld power planer once. Didn't look like how I'd want to do it.

How big will the finished table top be?
 
Thanks Larry, I'll be sure to get it as level as I can. I'd hate to loose anymore of that chocolate goodness that I have too.

Pretty interesting!

Does this jig just rest on the top of your bench or are there going to be a set of rails for it to ride on?

It has a set of rails that it rides on. When I get those made I'll post a few pics.

Looks good John. I saw a guy demo a 6" Makita handheld power planer once. Didn't look like how I'd want to do it.

How big will the finished table top be?

Right now I'm looking at around 40" wide. The length is one of those questions that I have. I'm thinking about cutting some off the bottom to make the legs for the table.

What size bit will you be using for the job?

The bit is a 1 1/2" from magnate http://www.magnate.net/index.cfm?event=showProductGroup&theID=136
 
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That carriage assembly is looking top-rate John :thumb: Looking forward to the rail system you come up with. I'm currently without a planer and I'm leaning to building a smaller version as a stand-in until I hit the lottery :D
Sure beats this hillbilly contraption I slapped together using the top rails from a cyclone fence, a year or so ago to flatten my bench top :eek:
DSCF2758.jpg DSCF2776.jpg
 
John, I have the PDF for that jig and can't wait to make it this summer when I have more time. I have some slabs that I chainsawed this past winter that I hope to make into some tables this fall. Will be watching this thread close, thanks for sharing. :thumb:
 
I finished the jig, here's a couple of pics showing hopefully how it will work. How's that curly birch ply look? The other side is even better than that one. I noticed I left a screw out too!

I'm off to take my son to a friends birthday party. I might start the flattening of that beast later today!:D

slab jig.jpg

slab jig 1.jpg
 
John or Larry as a matter of curiosity how dry is that slab at this stage. I cannot remember when that was cut but just wondering how dry it is by now.? Can you refresh the grey matter on when it was cut too.
 
its 3 yrs old rob and its been in drying situation for 2 solid years, i last checked one and it was around 12% but my findings may differ from others. walnut does dry faster than some woods.
 
Alright here's my first question. How would you level this beast?slab on table 004.jpg It has some twist as you can see in these two pics of opposite corners.slab on table 001.jpgslab on table 003.jpg Would you split the difference?

The floor isn't level, it slopes toward the overhead door, so just throwing a level on top is out. I have a wixey angle gauge that I was thinking about setting to zero on the table and using that as a reference surface. I'd then use a 4' level with the gauge on top to level the slab. Any better ideas?:huh:
 
level the jig if you can, first, then take and split the difference on the slab. use wedges or even a fastener that can be taken back out to hold it stationary. then flatten one side and then you can flatten the back side easier if you want to for better joinery. or leave it natural and adjust the joinery to it..ALSO you need to try and level it in both directions to maintain the best use of the wood john.
 
That's looking real nice. So, are you just going to switch it on and go at that slab? Would it be worth getting a twisted 2x12 from the borg (That surely wouldn't be a challenge :D) and give it a test run before you attack the slab?
 
I decided to cut about 20 inches off the slab. cutting.jpg I'm thinking about using this for the legs. It helped to deal with some of the twist too.

Here's a shot of the jig setup and ready to go.jig in action.jpg

Here's a shot after the first pass. You can see how the slab had some twist that I had to deal with. I tried to split the difference between the two corners so I didn't have to take as much off. first pass.jpg

I've taken all I'm going to take off of this side. I've got just a little in the bottom left corner that I didn't get with my last pass. I think the sanding will take care of that, and where it's at I don't think it'll be a problem. wide angle.jpgslab close.jpg

Checking the thickness of the slab in several places, they are within 1/16" of each other. I can deal with that. It finished up right at 2 1/8. I don't think I'm going to flatten all of the bottom, I'd like to keep it as thick as possible. I think I'll only flatten where the legs go.
 
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