HOW TO USE THEM:

Place the plank that you want to check on your workbench. Position the winding sticks on the ends of the board, across the grain, one at each end. Adjust them to be parallel to each other. Centre the sticks on the board and to each other using the central alignment dots. Note that if there’s an obviously heavy crown (convex) on the board, the winding sticks won’t do their job accurately as the sticks will rock on the crown. In this case, we suggest turning the board over and using the other side. The next step is to kneel or bend down so that you’re able to simultaneously see the top horizontal edges of both your winding sticks.

If your background is light, place the darker-edged stick further away from you; if your background is dark, the reverse will apply. You will immediately see even a tiny twist error in the board. Clearly mark the areas that are high. Grab a sharp, coarsely set hand plane (preferably a scrub plane) and take down the high areas, and recheck. You’ll soon end up with a board that’s reasonably flat – you can then either complete the job by handplaning or on your jointer.