How to Flatten a Live-Edge Slab with a Router

[@corytanniabronson527]

I love your relaxation moment at 8:05! lol I know your back begins to hurt. Thanks for the tip and Tutorial, I just made my box and slider today. Just cannot find any collet extensions here in Mexico! Ill have to import one from the US. Greetings and Great Job!

[@NYWoodworker]

Cory Bronson infinity has one. So does MLCS and of course Amazon.

[@wkwong2126]

Cory Brons

[@lamborn55]

You can also raise the board with increments of different thicknesses of MDF to get it closer to the bit. I'm happy to hear about the extensions though!

[@actionjksn]

I'm planning to make a work bench with 2x4's with a 3.5 in thick top. I'm going to use this same system for flattening the top.

[@garyknable1155]

I just ordered this bit set for doing slab work on a couple tables and benches I have on my plate. So wild I found this when I did great vid with great advice I was looking for. Thanks Man :-D

[@mikeecho33]

thank you very informative

[@TheLastPharm]

I was wondering why you don't try hooking up some sort of dust extraction to the router with perhaps some of those anti-draft strips (brush style; used on the bottom edges of doors) along the underside of the bridge to help contain the dust. Good thing you're wearing a respirator!

[@tirpitz19]

More than his carpentry skills,i'm impressed with his perfect English. :)

[@byanboi2931]

What does his english have to do with his carpentry skills?

[@EyesWideOpen77]

I don't understand why you would shim the corners once the first side is flattened; you now have a perfectly flat side as a base with 100% contact. There is no reason to do any shimming, in fact shimming at that point increases the chances that the two surfaces will not end up being parallel.

[@InfinityTools]

The second side of the slab is elevated more than shimmed. Because the first side was shimmed to account for cup and twist you have to remove the actual shims when you flip the slab. Raising the slab up an equal amount on each corner to reduce bit reach should have very little affect on consistency.

[@stuffsethmakes]

Great flattening jig! I have some smaller log slabs i need to flatten....now i know how! Thanks for sharing the video!

[@martiniman34]

What a big jig, cool idea. Some dust extraction would save you some. I have seen Festool dust extractors and they are awesome. ...also, I want one.

[@brianwohn]

Sorry, confused... once you shim and plane one side smooth, when you flip it over, why do you shim it again if you want both side to be parallel? I'd think you're still working on a wedge shape if you did that, no? Thanks for the video!

[@InfinityTools]

I shim with the same number/thickness of shim all the way around after I flip the slab simply to raise the slab so I don't run out of travel in the router. I also like to use MDF for the shims because of how consistent they are in thickness.

[@brianwohn]

Oh ok - that makes sense... the video looked like you had more on one end (like the first side)... thanks, great video!

[@telosfd]

Really nice job. Is this the unique solution to flatten this big slab?

[@timhillcountrytxwoodworker4402]

Great vid. I have a question, if you flatten the first side, why do you need to shim for the second side?

[@InfinityTools]

If you watch the video the initial shimming will deal with the varying thickness of the material, After flatting one side and flipping the material shimming again is done with the same thickness shims on all sides to secure the material in place.

[@salmastropolo1642]

I watch the video about 10 times and I just need your help with one more thing, You said that the low spots need to match each other and the high spots need to match each other, so if there’s a twist in the board, get it so that say, both of the low spots are a quarter inch from the sled and both of the high spots are also a quarter inch from the sled ? or whatever they turn out to be?

[@InfinityTools]

leveling the slab insures that the least amount of material be removed to achieve a flat slab on both sides. The goal is to make sure that one corner is not sticking way above or below the other 3. Set the two highest points to be equally high, maybe 1/4" from the sled, and also set the two lowest points to the same height, say 3/4" from the sled. This will get the slab flat and remove 1/2" from the overall thickness. In contrast if you set 3 corners to 1/4" and the 4th to 3/4" you will have to remove 3/4" of thickness from the slab to get it flat.

[@salmastropolo1642]

InfinityTools thanks a lot

[@mihumus]

Very handy jig, thanks for sharing!

[@billedis5482]

Love your videos Andy, so informative and practical for DIYR's

[@1Cross1Way]

Great, thank you sir.

[@MarthaHernandez-df5jk]

28

[@MattJonesYT]

Could mount the router on a broomstick so you can stand up and push it back and forth

[@pkay1111]

Wow a pretty darn painful process. Great video and amazing job done.

[@InfinityTools]

It's really not that bad, if you get stiff or sore just take a brake. I think in all this slab took about 6 hours including breaks to completely flatten. I removed a full 1" of thickness. The slab for the oval table in the intro I flattened in an evening after work.

[@johncoonradtjr.5141]

InfinityTools

[@TheLastPharm]

I'd love to know how to tell when you can process a slab like this without worrying whether it won't continue to twist and warp.

[@EZInlays]

I have a Myrtlewood slab that somebody put some epoxy on years ago. The epoxy has since discolored and cracked. Can this bit remove the long cured epoxy or should I figure out a different way to remove it before I flatten the slab?

[@InfinityTools]

The Mega Dado will cut the epoxy but it will dull more rapidly than if cutting raw wood. Epoxy tends to be harder on cutting tools because it generated more heat. Think of it like using scissors to cut a sheet of rubber instead of a piece of paper. Will it work? Yes, but not as well as on bare wood. This applies to all cutting tools not just the Mega Dado router bit.

[@EZInlays]

@@InfinityTools Thanks for the feedback. I'll investigate other methods to remove that top layer and then come back with the mega bit.

[@actionjksn]

@@EZInlays I would get a cheap router bit to remove all but a paper thin layer and then use a good one to finish it.

[@trenthardy7530]

Hi mate great job, just want to know if you have had any problems with the triton router?

[@MrOwen703]

How much thickness did you end up taking off this slab?

[@InfinityTools]

If I recall correctly the slab started right at 3", when all was said and done I believe it finished at 1-7/8". the slab had a fair amount of twist.

[@MrOwen703]

InfinityTools Thanks! Going to have to give that a go.

[@setesh2000]

It seems like this box design depends on the flatness of your base, which looks like a concrete floor in this case. I know my concrete floor is very uneven, so I'm confused how you plan to get a perfectly flat surface. What am I missing?

[@InfinityTools]

You are absolutely correct, if you floor is not flat your box can twist and telegraph the twist to the slab. My floor was flat and I did not have to worry about this (though I did sight the box to be sure), the key when this is an issue is simply to make sure that the two rails of the box are parallel to each other. Think of them as a pair of winding sticks any twist will be very apparent when you sight across the tops of the rails. With the box shimmed parallel the slab is then shimmed to match the top of the box as I show in the video. Simple and effective. Technically as long as you shim the box rails parallel you could use this setup on almost any surface no matter how uneven.

[@setesh2000]

That makes perfect sense, thank you!

[@sicherkurt9505]

AT LEAST a very clear understandable English.. Dankeschön

[@1Cross1Way]

it doesn't appear you are having to put any real 'down-pressure' on the router. is this true? is the router heavy enough without having to hold downward pressure on it? thanks!

[@InfinityTools]

No, I really have never had to focus on any significant downward pressure, the weight of the router seems to be plenty for all the slabs I have done. I usually just lean into it a little and let the router and bit do the work.

[@darrenkastl7493]

All fine and dandy.....but will it roll a marble straight and true? Lol! Very nice !

[@mpatricksullivan]

would you recommend using those bits with a collet extension? will triton have enough power to eliminate all the vibration that comes with an extension

[@InfinityTools]

We talk specifically about using a router collet extension starting at 2:27 Router speed and proper installation of the extension and bit are the two most important parts of the puzzle when it comes to eliminating vibration. Insure that there is at least 3/4" of shank installed into the collet, and never let the the shank bottom out in the router or extension.

[@truthh8322]

Don't need a collet ext if the side rails are lower

[@InfinityTools]

Sled design, router, and the amount of material that needs to be removed from the slab all play a roll in determining if you will need an extension or not. An auxiliary baseplate and sled bridge can easily use up more than an inch of adjustment before you begin. Having a router collet extension makes life a lot easier and has very little drawback.

[@Andy97906]

Dude could you make a short video explaining which side you should start from according to the way that your bed is turning which way is proper in which way is not. My dad and I argue. He pulls and I push. I do what you do in this video. We have Dewalt. When you look down on the router the handle is on the right and the the knob is on the left.

[@InfinityTools]

Any time you are hand feeding material you will want to use a "push cut". In the case of a sled like this you could physically push or pull the router and still have the bit making a push cut. A "climb cut" can be used when the material or router is being fed mechanically either with a CNC Machine or Power Feeder, but typically is not necessary for surfacing applications. Climb cutting is used mostly in production door making and molding applications where tear out can be an issue.

[@JDT738126]

who makes that table he is working on?

[@rokinrandy]

Ok a planer router bit,Thanks

[@roseoverdose6451]

can i use a router table instead?

[@InfinityTools]

The use of the sled is so that you don't need to move a large piece of wood across the tool, so a router table wouldn't really be a benefit for this type of operation.

[@josebenignolopezmaldonado7674]

Excelente video

[@donalegrand3553]

Like the vid, but I would hook a vacuum to the sled.

[@InfinityTools]

you could definitely take the lead from a CNC machine and add a skirt to the bridge and hook it up to the dust collector. I think this design opens up a lot of possibilities.

[@RyanKara]

What hp would I need in a router to do this? I’m looking at a budget 1 3/4” router

[@InfinityTools]

We recommend a minimum 2-1/4 HP router when using the Mega Dado bit. It is a big and heavy bit and planing work in and of itself requires a good sized router regardless of the bit being used.

[@abdrahmanabdullah3113]

brilliant idea bro

[@waynewayoaveyard9397]

maybe just clamp the router down and done length passes to reduce the amount of time taken adjusting the tool would be better, or if you're using a 2 inch bit you could just dill holes in a board fitting the rougher bit. spaced them out to make the passes without having to adjust for the slider, making passes even faster.

[@bboyer88]

What kind of wood??????

[@InfinityTools]

The slab is Red Eucalyptus.

[@franzroth2012]

gut

[@renutz]

Hi q