A machinist's one-line correction made my bench square for the first time

I've been building workbenches for my garage for about 6 years, and I always had trouble with the top racking no matter how many clamps I used. Last month, a retired machinist friend watched me glue up a 4x8 top and said, "You're fighting the boards, not the frame." He pointed out I was leveling the legs before the top was flat, so the whole thing twisted. I flipped my process: level the top surface first with a 6-foot straightedge, then shim the legs after. Took 20 extra minutes, but my table doesn't rock even on my uneven concrete floor. Has anyone else had to reorder their assembly steps after a simple observation like that?

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1 Comment

hugo_jones20d ago

Twenty extra minutes? Sounds like you just needed a better excuse for a crooked bench.