How to Flatten a Live Edge Wood Slab

Get the Katz-Moses Magnetic Dovetail Jig here: lddy.no/stiz
Today we flatten a live edge walnut slab. I go over how to create a router sled, flatten your table and shim your slab. This is a messy process so make sure you do it somewhere you don’t ind getting dust. Thanks for watching! Please like, comment and subscribe. Cheers!
BitsBits is the BEST place to buy router bits: bit.ly/BitsBits USE CODE JKATZMOSES15 for 15% off (I used this bit to flatten the slab bit.ly/2GgcUX0 )
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[@katzmosestools]

I have Walnut Slabs for sale **FREE SHIPPING**: goo.gl/GGi22b BitsBits is the BEST place to buy router bits: bit.ly/BitsBits USE CODE JKATZMOSES15 for 15% DISCOUNT (I used this bit to flatten the slab bit.ly/2GgcUX0 )

[@BradsWorkbench]

Jonathan Katz-Moses how about a slab giveaway? 😃😝

[@renaissancemen1]

Hey Johnathan I didn’t catch where to contact you with my info. IG is easiest for me if you have a page. Thanks again. Looking forward to playing around with the jig.

[@gingabuilda3803]

The sled turned out good and having the ends capped so it doesn’t fall of the rails is definitely a must. I made a video on slab flattening as well. I just can’t understand why so many people flatten against the grain. It leaves the nasty router marks that just make more work to get rid of. Anyhow I appreciate the enthusiasm in your videos and your no nonsense approach to woodworking.

[@haroldarmstrong6288]

Hands down the best video I have seen flattening. Great job, looking forward to seeing more of your videos thank you

[@medicms2001]

I have 6, 2 plus feet wide by 10 feet or so long 2” thick oak from a tree that was dropped in my yard. Never knew how I was going to flatten it. Thank you for the video, can’t wait to try this

[@smc4lcc]

Great video, very helpful. I've been wanting to flatten slabs for some time, just need the clear up some space now.

[@davereade8939]

Great video! I've flattened slabs before but learned a few tricks from this video.

[@bugnurddesigns5268]

Even though I’ve done this once before, I still learned a lot from this video. Thanks!!

[@edlauren9434]

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Very good video!

[@joshuab2324]

I’m planning to make my first slab flattening jig soon. Watched a ton of videos on this. This was the best video I have seen on this process. I can’t thank you enough for this tutorial.

[@eeliasselias549]

Very informative, I did a test with a piece of cypress trunk I got from my neighbours and yes all the process is really messy and you have to sand a lot afterwards to take all the router bits lines, but the results are good. Only if I could pass it trough the thicknesser ...

[@guyh.4553]

THANK YOU for wearing ALL THE PROPER PPE! Great job, especially hearing protection! Another piece of flat material you could use is MDF...

[@parkwayconcepts8758]

I am trying to figure out how to make an adjustable rail system for mine, for the exact same issue you had. Have a neighbor that is GIVING me some heady duty extruded aluminum tracks, I am stoked. Great video!

[@el737rs]

Did this few days ago for the first time. Worked great

[@katzmosestools]

Enter to win this bit.ly/2X2j8PS by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to : Jonathan Katz-Moses PO Box 8516 Goleta CA 93118

[@jwdickinson643]

great vid! love the energy!

[@BradsWorkbench]

Beautiful slab! I wish I could get my hands on a few pecan slabs

[@briancv83]

Good video, my friend, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Katz neat info .

[@Spain42]

Great tip with the pencil before sanding

[@r.c.6745]

NICE WORK !

[@johna.9742]

You always provide great info on sources to obtain material, tools, equipment, etc. Thanks

[@ianmib]

I just built a sled and my rails were a little too tall for the bit to reach the slab, though I wish to keep the additional height in case I ever need it. A spacer is perfectly acceptable to raise the board up, however you still want to make sure there is enough clearance between the sled and the slab to ensure the shavings have somewhere to go. Instead of putting a spacer under the slab, you could also consider a router collet extension. It extends to vertical adjustment range of the cutting head while ensuring the bit is fully secured. These usually recommended for use only in router tables, however I have seen others use them for milling purposes, as I would not exactly consider this setup truly 'free hand'. If you are concerned about skipping, you could add additional guides to your router sled that keep the router base pressed down for additional measure of safety.

[@johnnewell5025]

Outstanding vid - thank you!

[@petermitchell5459]

Excellent help. Thank you

[@Sanchez_trdtoy]

Awesome video. Very helpful

[@watti-yi7sw]

Thx4 vid nice set up and info. A tip when you run into not having enough depth on router due to guide board height. Google router collet bit extensions... CMT AMANA INFINITY and MCLS. These extentions are bullet proof. Keep vids coming... always useful info! Thx

[@johnrosborough7464]

That’s awesome!

[@MOOOOOOOOSE123]

Killer walnut-tan you've got going there!

[@katzmosestools]

So much dust!

[@jacklondon4753]

Perfect job!!!!!

[@leanwoerner3583]

This process worked beautifully for me. Don’t get too aggressive on router depth-I have a palm router and it eat up the batteries.

[@flix4u]

Gotta see the next part

[@ironwood1621]

3M makes a guide coat product for the bodyshop business. It utilizes a fine black powder in a “pounce bag-type” pad in a holder (item# 05860) which works great for large pieces.

[@aarondrossart6026]

Plywood under your slab works! you can also get a collet extension for like 10 bucks on amazon :D

[@johnvanderhoof1248]

Johnathan, thank you for the video. Have you ever seen the method of clamping two straight and jointed boards then leveling them with two crisscrossed strings? I used that method to flatten my roubo workbench when I built that. Check it out . The Woodwhisperer, Mark Spagnoulo had a video on that at one time. I think it is a bit easier than what you showed. But to each his own. Thanks again.

[@Mitchbuddha]

Loved the video! Awesome stuff ☺️ What is the table your using and how do I buy or make one?

[@tomaszrymarczyk3811]

Great tutorial, thanks. Btw u reminds me Alex from The Expanse

[@contessa.adella]

Biggest problem: Finding those perfectly flat melamine sided chipboard planks to start with. I find most diy/hardware stores do not worry too much about storing stock in perfect condition. It looks ok by eye in store….until you get a true straight edge on it and find a 1/8 bow over six feet. I guess that’s where the table saw comes in? I will be using a similar method to level my plank built, shop bought, workbench. I only have a 20v Dewalt palm router, so a 1” bit dia and thin passes will have to do. Tip: true level to set up the rails is easy using a water tube leveller…referencing off just one fixed point and adjusting all rail top points to match it….actually more accurate than a spirit level over long distances, impossible to not be spot on since water always finds its own level. Great video JKM….TY👍

[@fredastaire6156]

I needed this video for review. I don't think my base is dead flat; one side of my slab is thicker than the other. The difference is minimal, about 3/8 but I don't know how to parallel one side to the other. But at least the slab is flat, lol!

[@chriswhitefield3026]

Im just starting out and buying a lot of tools and trying to keep my costs in check. I really want one of those countersink drill bits, but they come in a variety of sizes. I was thinking I could just buy one and use screws that match it to start, but I dont know enough to pick the right bit and screw combo...

[@pharaohacura3618]

i just ordered my apron!! lol

[@kevinwillingham172]

Pryor is awesome!

[@katzmosestools]

He's coming into the shop today to play some music

[@SmallWorkshopGuy]

Excellent as always. I like Wood Whispers string trick for get rails parallel.

[@itsblowecuz]

Dang you make this stuff look easy!

[@TigerCarpenter]

very cool hack to flatten those huge slabs. I'll make my sled from the aluminum because I live in tropics and I want it to last for a lifetime, rather than soak the 95% humid air, and swell like hell

[@bigredstar3377]

You should look at Nick Offerman's jig. It has adjustable sides.

[@STROBdotNET]

hi! cool vid thanks! I bought the same router blade and I would like to know what speed you used for it? I'm afraid of buring my slab (Parota). thanks.

[@katzmosestools]

It should have speeds on the packaging if the bit. I think I did 12-14k rpm

[@jeremygreen3402]

Do you think this would work with a battery powered makita router? Also is the plunge base a must for this process? I have a much smaller piece of walnut to flatten so that helps.

[@chrisstockwell9235]

I know this is older but if you make the guige rails smooth enough, set the router inside the sled lock it in place run the sled with grain of the wood come back to top move over 1/4" less than the width of the blade repeat, less to finish sand and the grain will hide minor router blemishes

[@polver222]

good job Jonathan! having the same router as you in this video and it is making me mad every time I using it. it is vibrating and going off of set it hight. when installing in the router table it is the best router ever =). what could be an issue?

[@chadwickbikerboy09]

The sawdust struggle is real, flattened 18 black walnut cookies about 12” diameter and there is a layer of brown dust on everything in the garage, I suggest doing it outside! Smells nice in the garage now though

[@katzmosestools]

Hahahaha yea I'm still cleaning it up

[@norehabforhounds2896]

When did Jimmy Kimmel start doing woodworking tutorials?!

[@aussies4trump176]

Shortly after he became unfunny

[@LuisCasstle]

That's what my wife asked when she heard it! 🤣🤣

[@timo9355]

No Rehab for Hounds You beat me to it! 😂

[@Vlfkfnejisjejrjtjrie]

@@aussies4trump176 no joke. Looks and voice..what are the odds.

[@aussies4trump176]

@_ David _ Probably before that

[@robm9772]

Can you elaborate a little on what you used for the rails and how you attached them? Thanks!

[@katzmosestools]

Mdf and screws

[@gunslinger3577]

Jonathan, instead of using a carpenter's pencil, try using some chalk. Laying the piece of chalk horizonal covers a much larger area than a pencil lead. Get a box of white and one of colored. Think of the "fun" that you could have!!!

[@garythomson1125]

What,size flattening bit did you use?

[@JonPagel]

I’ve been trying to flatten a piece of Oak using this method and it keeps burning the wood! It’s really frustrating. Any ideas of what to do? I have a beefy Bosch router

[@embfixer]

Great video as usual. Quick(ish) question, have you ever tried the flattening bits with the rotatable and replaceable carbide knives. There about twice the price ($150ish) but you never have to sharpen them and in theory they would last 4 times as long before you have to replace the knives. I've never used them and was wondering if they are worth the investment.

[@katzmosestools]

I haven't but honestly if you clean the nonreplacable ones with simple green they last a long time.

[@daviddier5755]

Great content as always! Couple of questions: Age of material? Air dried is what is sounded like, 2yrs, 3 yrs (for 8/4 material)??....moister content driven decision? And, looking back would you make rails that allowed for different elevations? seems like this would be a frequent in-process problem, having removed significant material.

[@richardlug6139]

It looked like to me he just fasten his rails to the side of his work bench. I made mine a L shape so I could clamp it to my work table and I just sand which plywood at the base of the L for what ever thickness I need to start out with and then remove the spacers to lower the rail.

[@theofarmmanager267]

I made my jig out of aluminium extrusions but I’m not sure how much better it is than yours? Less flex? Anyway, I take the first pass at any depth across the grain because it’s easier to pull and push the router to and from you; then, at the same depth, I take a pass along the grain; that gets rid of virtually all the router bit marks and makes sanding much, much easier.

[@patrickstoddard6610]

Do you have a preference for starting with the cupped face up or down?

[@chm1701]

Great video. I didn’t realise they did router bits for flattening. Now I know. Thanks. May I ask what’s the make of the dust mask you wore, please? Cheers.

[@katzmosestools]

Rz mask

[@fotopdo]

Not a huge fan of the RZ, the strap pulls back and down putting a lot pressure on the bridge of the nose, for me it becomes painful during prolonged use: which always turns into less use, especially during those “I just have a couple cuts” times. The actual filtration is done by the replaceable internal filter, essentially a standard paper n95 mask. The one benefit to the RZ is the one way exhaust valves, but those are available on standard masks as well. The mesh does help keep you warmer in extreme cold , but indoors it’s just extra weight. Fastcap has great masks, 10-13 $’s depending on the style for a box of 10.... with exhaust valves.

[@jamiemk5234]

I noticed you have some cracking in the slab, at what stage would you fill the cracks with resin?

[@jwgolfnut]

There's a glue called Roo Glue, or melamine glue that glues melamine and Particle board. Works great.

[@justinmerrill3659]

I'm building a shoe-storage cabinet/bench with a live-edge slab of beetlekill pine for the seat. The slab has a slight cup to it. I definitely want to flatten the bottom of it so that it sits flush with the base, but am contemplating leaving the concave side un-milled because it makes a nice indented seat. Do you have any experience with only flattening one side of a slab, and if so, is there anything I should consider while doing this? Is there a risk of the slab warping in some strange way if I only resurface one side? Thanks in advance!

[@glenncobern3551]

What speed should the router be with a 2 inch flatning bit.I have a 1600 Watt with speed s 1 through 6. Regards Glenn

[@briandantana8470]

Okay but close your eyes and it's like Jimmy Kimmel is your woodwork teacher

[@artvisionman]

hi , does this bit can do grooving as well ?

[@nitrousblast1]

Quick question, did you use a plunge router or fixed base? Which is best? Thanks

[@trippinballs101]

my woodworking shop is the office of my apartment, and my flat facing jig is actually made with popsicle sticks

[@user-cw8bi2mn3e]

Do you recommend an extension?

[@ma2zak589]

what are those drill bits? the counter sinks with that weird disk stop thing

[@stephencarr8366]

Seeing the bulk sized boxes of sanding pads. do you have a great source for those as well?

[@katzmosestools]

Nope I just made those

[@matthewsmith5894]

Not sure if you’re still monitoring comments on this video, but I’m curious why my slabs have small ridges after every overlapping pass? Also, what is the correct direction for passing the router over the slab?

[@larrybud]

Why not just route out the slot in the sled with the router/bit you're going to use?

[@ashleywalker6090]

My favorite part was " how's my hair?"

[@coryogorman1513]

The link to the bit goes to the general website. Which bit do you recommend?

[@justinmerrill3659]

When you flatten a slab that has a slight cup to it, is it better to start with the concave or the convex side? Or does it matter? Thanks!

[@katzmosestools]

Place the outside of the curve up towards your router so the two edges are touching the table and material is removed from the middle of the slab first.

[@justinmerrill3659]

@@katzmosestools Perfect, thanks!

[@christopherwiddis8453]

You use windex to make your work station table shine?

[@TheNewports]

Hey JKM, or others, i don't see you do a lot of epoxy pours. I have a question that you or someone else can maybe answer. I have a slab that is about 4/4, jsut a tiny bit more. I want to keep as much of that 1" as possible. Do i, 1) pour it as is and then flatten down the slab and hope it comes out nice once i flatten and thin it down, or 2) do i press it down in the mold then pour then add c channel to hold it flat? I am really afraid that i will have to flatten a 1 1/16 slab down to a 1/2 slab due to how twisted it is.

[@matthewjason5330]

How do you keep it even? I built a table and everything is level but wood is thicker on one side than the other.i have to flip rotate it and mess with for a very long time. To get each corner even. So one corner will be 1.12 , the other 1.14 the other 1.17 the other 1.15 ( just an example) what am I doing wrong?

[@bullfrogpondshop3179]

Getting ready to flatten a couple tree cookies. I inserted the router bit (Whiteside 6220) all the way into the router collet. When the router is plunged all the way down, the bit only protrudes about 3/8" below my sled. This is with a very thin base plate (~1/16") and a sled made from angle iron (~1/8"). How are all these guys getting any bit depth with sleds built from 3/4 ply? My bit wouldn't even clear 3/4 ply. Is it ok to insert the router bit NOT all the way into the collet? I'm concerned it may wander upward while cutting.

[@ulrikbentzrd4609]

Why chose sanding over smoothing plane and card scraper?

[@ivanhabdija4653]

Are you satisfied with the triton router machine? 2400w ??

[@rodneybosch7290]

What are you asking for the slabs? Vary interested.

[@stevenwilson8718]

I'd be extatic if someone offered me any piece of an old walnut tree. I can't afford to buy even the smallest pieces

[@Nirrenirp]

Didnt hear much about the fence. I see you used some kind of MDF (not melamine) and screwed on from the sides. My top material on the table is Melamine as well. Can I use melamine as my fences also, and screw it from underneath? I use an old kitchentable with melamine on top, therefore not much material to screw into from the sides.

[@snacker66]

I see you using your safety squints at 6:27

[@katzmosestools]

Lol

[@haganoriyuki6938]

At 2:26 frame, what is that drill bit your’re using for pre drilling?

[@katzmosestools]

It's a counter sink bit but it's kind of bulky. I like the one from bitsbits.com from whiteside aand it's half the cost. There's a discount code for 15% off in the description

[@heyimamaker]

Have you tried flattening end grain with a sled? I have a large log that I would love to clean up.

[@katzmosestools]

No but just go slower

[@heyimamaker]

@@katzmosestools I might have to get creative with how I set up the rails.

[@jlmfoy365]

Hola Jonathan, I thought you would have flattened the slab with your newly sharpened hand plane. Will Walker would have.

[@katzmosestools]

Bahahahaha he's a sadist

[@davec1610]

Awesome video! Helped me a ton. BUT, is nobody gonna talk about the fact that you are Jimmy Kimmel’s rugged, woodworking twin? Just saying! 😂. Have a nice day!

[@skullmurdoc]

To remove tool marks you used a belt sanders afterwards I guess?

[@thepeckerwood6330]

I am the absolute best at anything "wood". With that said, I wont say you taught me something but you allowed me to find the know how that was already there. You make me think of Seth Rogen, slot. I thank you and good video, sir.

[@timbarry5080]

What is that red dust mask?

[@mg4695]

Hey Jonathan, I'm setting up a router sled in my shop and I'm having trouble getting my table surface to less than1/32" (0.030" on my feeler gauge). My question is: How flat is flat? I'm thinking for most projects (cutting boards, etc.) flat to 1/32" is plenty good. However, since I haven't done this yet, will this error be magnified by my router jig? Love the channel. Thanks for all the great content.

[@woodsilobuilds7245]

What do you use as your work table top here? Is that a special melamine board? Looking to find something flat and somewhat portable - for a breakdown of the table when needed.

[@katzmosestools]

It's a big assembly table which is definetely not portable

[@woodsilobuilds7245]

@@katzmosestools...but you haven't seen my guns! HAHA Thanks!

[@Daniel-df3hw]

"you just need a long straight-edge" *casually points to a 28-ft level*

[@LuisCasstle]

I was watching this and my wife asked is that @jimmykimmellive? 🤣🤣 Seriously if he had not gone into Hollywood! 🤣🤣

[@blacksheep_77]

Anybody who knows to mirror finish their table saw table gets instant credit on their man card. 👍🏾

[@kirkdavies5392]

Hi. What was the name of the web site where you got the router bit? Thanks

[@katzmosestools]

Look at the pinned comment

[@williampenatac9832]

What bit is this?