The Workbench, Part 4

Two views of the bench top:

The top boards were screwed to each other, but only attached to the rails at the ends, so the top could flex upward anywhere in the middle. Not good. I screwed it to the rails at intervals along the length with the longest screws I could find.

I was saving for a car, but I splurged and bought a plane.

I had planned to level flatten and level the bench top with a hand-held 3x21" belt sander. I bought the coursest belts I could find, 36 grit. The belts ripped almost immediately. I tried planing the surface. It took a little practice, but I learned to make those famous long, curly shavings. This was going to take a long time, and because the top was so uneven, it tended to nick the blade every time I passed over a low board and then hit a higher one. I had to keep taking the blade out and sharpening it.