One of the best ways to even it out is to use a belt sander. Load a 120 grit belt on your sander and cut off the highest spots. Hold your sander perpendicular to the grain and gently move the sander back and forth over your pencil marks.
Have a local hardwood lumber supplier with a shop that will run cabinet doors, table tops, etc through their wide belt sander. Kind of like using one of those top sanders where the table moved in and out and you held a block on the belt. You need to have a belt sander that you can run the belt to the outside edge so you can watch it.
09-16-2013, 8:35 AM #1 I just finished making a large cherry top for a dining room table. In clamping a table top, the thing to remember is that most of the work is in the clamps and cawls that hold the table flat. As for winding sticks and overall flatness, remember that the table aprons job is to keep the top flat.
By: Woodsmith staff A belt sander can remove material in a hurry. To do this, I use my belt sander and a simple technique that gives me a perfectly flat panel. Now, with the panel held tightly by the bench dogs and a clean, 80-grit belt on the sander, I start sanding straight across the width of the panel.
how do you use a belt sander to flatten a table top Related Question:
Can you flatten with a belt sander?
A belt sander can remove material in a hurry. With the right tips and techniques, you can use this common tool to quickly flatten glued up panels.