Official Luthiers Forum!

I picked up a few old Stanley’s this summer at garage sales and a couple eBay auctions and finally found some time last week to tune up a 1950’s Stanley No. 4 smoother with a nice Brazilian Rosewood handle that I picked up at a local garage sale for a whopping $5. I decided to thickness the soundboard on the current guitar I am working on using the No. 4 instead of the safe-t-planer and drum sander combination I used on the guitar I completed this spring. I was initially apprehensive regarding hand planing the top fearing tearout and uneven thickness reduction but I have to say it was just plane enjoyable. By alternating diagonal and ‘with the grain’ cutting sets, the top thickness never varied more than 3 or 4 thou across the width of the board and the finish surface stayed silky smooth all the way down. If any of you are contemplating hand planing the top of your next build you should give it a go.

I also had time this week to complete the rosette on this same top. I cut the wood sections of the rosette from a quilted Afzelia burl bottle stopper turning blank I picked up on ebay. And a big shout out to Uncle Bob at RC Tonewoods for the great Carpathian top set. Head over to his site and check them out.

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Doug Mills
Chicago, Illinois

Those are some gossamer thin shavings, Doug. Looks like you have the feel of it! And another fantastic rosette, too. Cheers.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

don't care too much about hand planing a top.....
Love the rosette though!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I hand planed the top on my first and really enjoyed it. Mater of fact, the only power tool used on my first was a router for the bindings, oh and I had the back thickness sanded. Now that I'm proficiant at sharpening things, and can use a scraper well, I do a lot of stuff around the shop with a plane and scraper.

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Rob

Great Job!

I hand plane my tops as well also with an old Stanley No.4 the only difference is that I have a japanese iron!

I don't know if you feel like I do but it gives me great satisfaction to see all those wafer thin shavings lol

All the best

Dave

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To be someone must be a wonderful thing!