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Hi

I will be joining my fist sides in the next two weeks, my intention was to follow Cumpiano and use a shooting board. I am also considering using a sanding jig with a plate glass base and 80 grit paper stuck to it. I can't recall where I have seen it but it looks a safer option. Any direction on the best way to go would be appreciated.

Regards

John

John,

Happy Thanksgiving!

The sanding jig can be found here: http://www.luthiersuppliers.com/products/p11.html

I made one of my own (it was easy) and have used it on a few guitars.

I'm not sure what I think about the jig. The glass and base can flex a bit when you clamp them to a surface (if the surface isn't perfectly flat - so I've chased my tail a bit on some gaps in my joints. There are some tips on the page above on how to adjust for this issue.

I almost wish I had a ground granite slab to either put the sand paper on - or at least mount the sanding jig to.

I don't currently own a shooting board as I don't have the proper plane (YET!) - but I'm heading that way.

Best of luck to you.

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

I have the Lee Valley low angle jack plane and built myself a shooting board for jointing the top and back pieces. My biggest complaint with that technique is that the joint is so good that I always have to go to a bright light and even then I can barely identify it among all the grain lines

Seriously - I have no experience with a sanding jig, but building a shooting board is really easy, as is jointing the top/back plates with a well tuned and sharpened plane. So I can only recommend it (and I'm really not the most experienced woodworker around...far from it). I can not imagine that you'll get a better joint - especially not with 80 grit sandpaper.

best, Christian

John,

I am a beginner, and have joined about 8 or so tops/backs so far. i found the shooting board to be easier. I think the key is to get a good sharp plane and set it up. I have an old Record #5 set up to take extremely small shavings. Sometimes I may take a swipe or 2 with my old Stanley #5 first set up to take a bit more off.

Anyway, so far so good and I enjoy the process using the shooting board.

Good luck!

Glenn

You could say I use a shooting board, but I don't have a proper board per se. I just put the top or back on a piece of ply. It's the method Hesh posted a few years ago. I'm sure you can find it if you search. The shooting board definitely has it's perks. It's just easier to control things.

If you have a table saw with a cast iron table you can use that instead of opting for a sanding jig. The saw tables are ground nice and flat and you can use some adhesive backed sandpaper or double sided tape to stick the sandpaper and do it yourself.

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Peter

I am sooo on the hand plane side of edge jointing but I just wanted to point out that sanding isn't a slam dunk. It has it's nuances and techniques as well as using a plane. As Todd intimated, hand plane skills are very useful, (I would say invaluable ) and if you learn them now you will have a tool and skill that will see you through many a guitar and other woodworking situations. No harm in learning how to sand properly either, I just wouldn't do it on a edge joint.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Looks like the plane and shooting board has won the vote !

Thanks

John

I think a shooting board is faster then a sanding jig and give a way better edge....Mike

I guess that I am the odd man out in this discussion but I have had reasonable success with 80 grit glued to a half inch thick piece of glass. the glass is mounted on 3/4" particle board. I find it good for trimming bracing as well.
I stick both sides together with double sided tape and use even force while sanding.

Bob

I suppose another way of shooting the boards would be to tape them together and run them along a bit on a router table with the fence set to take a whisker off.

Is this a viable option ?

John

Another vote for the plane/shooting board method. Nobody has talked about how cool a pile of mahogany and spruce ribbons looks on the bench top!

But seriously, it is pretty easy to get a perfect joint as long as the blade is sharpened well.

I am sure both work though.

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Don't confront me with my failures--I have not forgotten them.

Thanks all

I am going to make up a shooting board this weekend.

What is a good length of shooting board, would there ever be an instance when I would use it to trim sides ?

John

I joint my plates on a jointer, which is strange for me because I probably use less electricity than most building a guitar. My Dad is a retired building contractor. I was talking about methods to joint plates, and he said. "that's what a jointer is for". If they need touching up a little I use sandpaper on my table saw table. The fence will help keep you at a 90 degree angle. I've also touched them up with adhesive sandpaper on a 24" level. I don't have a plane big enough to use a shooting board. A perfect joint is what's needed reguardless of how you get there.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Hi Todd

You mention a video - should there be a link ?

John

See post #5.

I use a shooting board like the one Todd shows how to make. Works great even though I use it with an old Miller's Falls 4 1/2 sized plane. A longer plane would be nice but I get by, just takes a bit of care in the technique.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Todd: The purpose of the wedges on your shooting board is to produce a slicing cut as opposed to a plowing cut (if you omit the slope and plane your sets paralel to the plane of the plane)? Does this produce a better gluing surface?