Official Luthiers Forum!

So I’m getting started on my second build, a Martin style EIR / red spruce dreadnought for my youngest son. My first was a very similar dread for my older son but was built from a Martin kit, whereas this one will be mostly a scratch build.

One of the things that had me worried was thicknessing the rosewood since the only tool I have with which to do it is a #4 bench plane. Well, this morning I sharpened up the blade and went at it, and to my surprise it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, I actually really enjoyed it! There’s something satisfying about a really sharp blade cutting through a wood as dense as rosewood and producing those fine shavings.

Anyway, I know a lot of folks use a drum sander, but I was wondering how many builders thickness their backs and sides with the trusty old hand plane.

Yup, Stanley #4 for me too--it goes quick. Though if I had access to a thickness sander I'd probably be all over it.

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Evan McCartney

Yeah, I can definitely see a thickness sander in my future, but I pleased (and relieved) to know it can be done pretty easily by hand in the meantime.

I think if I had a good plane, I'd get the plate to 85% thickness and then finish it off in the sander to correct any probable thickness irregularities.

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I use drum sander because I have a free access to it at school, and because the teachers want us to use it but.. In fact, once I'll start to build in my own shop, I'll buy a good #4 and go with it.

By the way, are you using straight blades or also a toothed one?

Francis

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

I use a #4 with an untoothed blade because that's what I have. I'd like to try with a 5 or a 5 1/2 with a toothed blade at some point--I think the tooth could help keep things even.

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Evan McCartney

I saw a jig that uses a router to thickness most of the way. It was a cross between the router arrangement used to make radius dishes (but level) with a rising table like a drum sander. It was pretty simple to build and would be adequate for onesy-twosy builders (like me).
I only use my drum-sander a couple of times a year and now I have to build a bigger one to handle a cello soundboard.

Bob

The method that I use I would not recommend to anyone. I use my Bosch electric hand held planer for the initial thicknessing. I get down to just over 3mm and then finish off on my home built thickness sander. The reason I do this is because of my arthritis. My joints can get pretty painful after a days work with hand tools. I set the planer to its lowest setting and and very carefully do light passes at an angle to prevent chip-out. Not for the faint hearted.

WARNING!...DON'T DO THIS AT HOME!

Bill S.

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Dream to be a luthier

You can also use a Wagner Safe-T-Planer to quickly and accurately bring sets down to specs, just leave enough to clean up with abrasive (not much mind because the finish is quite clean with a sharp tool) and it will save a lot of grunt and dust.

Cheers

Kim

I use a woodie to remove the bulk of the material, set to take decent thickness shavings without too much tear out. I then switch to a N0. 4 (or even No.5) for the final thicknessing. Having 2 or 3 planes that are very sharp helps to speed things up.

I used a #5 plane with a Hock blade for 3 or 4 of my earliest guitars. It resulted in me learning how to sharpen irons properly and how to properly use a plane. It also prompted me into buying a drum sander!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Drum sander for me.

It only took a couple of days with some figured walnut to prove to me that my technique with a hand plane wasn't up to the task.... nothing like tearing out a few chunks of figured walnut in a beautiful back to give your vocabulary a workout.

I'm better at setting up my planes now, but I love the ease and consistency of using the drum sander. I won't be going back.

Planes and disk thickness sander and scrapers to clean up.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Thanks for all the responses.

Francis – just a straight blade. I don’t have a toothed one, although I probably should make one before I do it again. I didn’t have any significant tearout but based on others’ experiences it sounds like I got lucky. I may not next time.

I also don’t have a drill press so I can’t use a Safe-T-Planer, but a drill press is probably the first power tool I’ll buy.

Stanley #5
Home made thickness sander= a piece of flat ply with 3M 40 grit glued to it!

Well I'd sell my body to a marauding pack of scantily dressed beautiful young women and let them get me drunk and have their wicked way with me before I'd even consider selling my drill press..yep, too right and fair dinkum that's how strongly I feel about that.

Cheers

Kim

Where do we line up to refuse to sell our drill press Kim?
I'm willing to suffer for my art also!

Joe

Wow, I need to get me a drill press and move to Australia!!

@Kim:
Hi, do you use your safe-t-planer just for the sides or also for the back ? In this case is you drill large enough to reach the centre of the back (glued line)?
thank you

The safety planer reaches - and I have a 10" drill press. Fairly small. The Safety planer is about 3 inches I believe.

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John. thank you for answering. Do you think this could do the job?
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... rod719353/

There's nothing like the pleasure one can get by making shavings with a nice sharp plane. I use a Marples jointing plane. Having said that, most of my stuff goes through a bench planer first then gets finished off on the drum sander. I'll never go back to hand planing everything again