hillestadj: . What are winding sticks?
Winding sticks are nothing more than two thin pieces of wood that are very straight. One will usually have some contrasting wood on the top edge. They are usually 1/2" - 3/4" thick x 2-3" wide and 24-36" long. You lay them on their edge, with one at both ends. You squat down and look along the top edges to see if they are both parallel. If not, you will see where the high side is and know where to hog off more material, usually with a scrub plane, or a #5 with a cambered blade. I keep 2 #5s under my bench. One with a blade set up for smoothing, the other with a cambered blade for fast material removal.
Other items can be used as winding sticks. Angle iron with one spray painted a different color would work in a pinch.
