I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking about a cabinet or something for storage. Can you give me a tutorial on how you flattened the top of your bench?
Cab storage is a good idea. :icon_thum
I used a router sled running on extruded aluminum rails to flatten my top. The sled made sense to me because
1. I didn't have hand planes to do the job.
2. I didn't know how to use hand planes at all. The task seemed daunting to me.
3. I had to remove a LOT of stock in some areas following top glue-up.
I borrowed the side rails from work. They were quite flat (I used a straight edge and a taut line to verify flatness). It took a while to make the sled and align the side rails. I then inserted a dial indicator and ran a profile of the top to find the lowest area. The actual routing took a few hours and made a big mess of shavings/sawdust. Eye, ear and respiratory protection mandatory.
Once done routing there are a whole lot of very small grooves that will need to be cleaned up. I used a ROS and 120 grit. They could easily be sanded down with a block of wood. A sharp hand plane could clean them up in minutes.
From your photos the top appears to be in decent shape. Have you laid a straight edge across the top in different areas to check for flatness? If your top is pretty flat then hand planes would make a lot more sense than a router. A wide belt sander would also be easier.
Mike, you will need to have the utmost level of trust in your router collet. If the bit slips it will cause problems. :slap: The sled must be FLAT and support the router with minimal sag. You must guide the router without applying downward force - the weight of the router will do the job. I started with a new bit and it was trash bin material by the time I'd finished.
Here's a pic from my gallery. I was about half way through routing the top. The photo exaggerates the grooves. The grooves clean quickly and easily. If you find a router bit with a very flat top and the axis of the router is perpendicular to the surface then cleanup is a cinch.
Chuck