Every other week or so, my wife says, “So when do you think you’ll do some more work on the bench?” And I sigh, slump, and say, “I dunno…”
I’m just in a funk with this hand planing. I can’t seem to motivate myself to do it. Granted, I typically don’t get much shop time in a week anyway (even if I wanted it), but the times when I could get some in, I just balk. It seems like there is still so much material to take off the top to get it flat AND level.
I don’t even feel like blogging about it. Which is why I am. I’m hoping that getting it out there will in some small way give me a push towards moving forward. My guess is that one or two more good sessions on the bench will get me close enough that the light at the end of the tunnel will be bright and near, and the rest would be easy.
So there you have it!
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September 7, 2011 at 1:15 pm
sablebadger
Or you could do what I do, which is switch to a different project to get the juices flowing again.
Build something small, some kind of shop appliance to get a feeling of “success” back. Then it’s less of a drag, because it’s fun again.
Just a thought.
September 7, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Eric
I’ve done that once or twice already. It has felt nice to be working on something on my bench, even if the bench itself still is in a bit of an unfinished state!
Thanks for the encouragement – appreciate it!
September 8, 2011 at 5:30 am
Seamus
Glad to know you’re still alive!
I was worried there
thought maybe my subscription
had lapsed or that you’d finished
and I missed it.
September 8, 2011 at 11:04 am
Dan
What kind of plane are you using?
Also, and some might call me crazy, I never worry about level when planing my bench top – that’s what the leveler feet are for 🙂
FWIW – I just go for flat.
September 8, 2011 at 11:05 am
Dan
Oh, and…
“KICK!”
September 8, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Gye Greene
I’ve overcome a parallel (but not identical) problem. I have my wife’s great-grandfather’s workbench (via her uncle).
It’s been re-topped with MDF over the 1″ thick (i.e. too thin!) original benchtop. Eventually, I’ll remove the MDF and add a thick slab o’ wood (and of course, flatten the top).
But right now, I’m just using it as a workbench: making things on it, holding things in the vice, and etc.
So, functionally, it’s “finished”. Or at least, Stage I. is. I figure it’s an ongoing endeavour of “modding” it on an as-needed basis (adding a few dogholes, installing some drawers…). So it’ll never be **truly** finished.
I found that perspective to be rather freeing. 🙂
–GG
September 9, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Eric
Dan, using a #7. And thanks for the kick. 🙂
Oh, and as for the “level” – it wouldn’t bother me so much if it was pretty close. But it’s more than 1/4″ off from front to back. That needs to be brought down a bit!
September 10, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Boo
Hey as a fellow beginner Im looking to you for inspiration so get back out there and make something!!! – Can you come and kick me when I reach your stage of ‘burnout’. Come on man, you have come so far – keep going!!
September 11, 2011 at 8:52 am
Eric
Thanks I needed that!
September 16, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Dan
So, if I am understanding this, your bench top is 1/4″ thicker on one side? Do you have a scrub plane? Have you tried a jack plane set coarse with the lateral adjustment completely over to one side? Sort of a pseudo scrub plane, but works just fine for really removing wood. Then you could re-flatten with the #7.
Oh, and out of curiosity, did you plane more often from the side that ended up higher? For me, I tend to take more off on the exit side if I am not careful…
Just keep at it man!
September 19, 2011 at 10:00 am
Eric
To answer your second question first, my bench is the way it is because of the way I glued it up! It was my own dumb fault, not paying attention to the apparent drift that was happening with each successive glueup.
And no I do not have a scrub plane so I’m just making do with my #5 and #7.
November 16, 2011 at 10:43 am
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