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Posted

What is the best way to thin acoustic guitar woods very close to the finished dimensions?

I’ve been planing the wood with a wagner-t-safe planer in my drill press, and then sanding to the finished dimensions with a porter cable random orbit sander, when I can’t have them thinned from the supplier. This method works ok but if the wood is warped a little your in trouble. I’ve also done a little hand planing, but when it comes to hardwoods for the back and sides, it’s tough.

Cost is also an important matter. Cost is always an important matter.

Posted
Cost is also an important matter. Cost is always an important matter.

Well, I was gonna say one of these, like I'm gonna get, but if cost is a matter, the way you are doing it is all I can suggest, or find a local luthier, or furniture manufacturer and ask nicely if they can machine your wood for you.

Posted

That is an extremely nice sander. I would love to have one, but sometimes for me it’s just to hard to let go of that kind of money for one tool. I guess the lower cost stationary planers are pretty useless for this kind of work. Right?

Posted
I guess the lower cost stationary planers are pretty useless for this kind of work. Right?

Which brand are you referring to? I have a Rigid 13" planer (from Home Depot) and love it. It's still pretty expensive though - about $400. The sander looked like it was $1000 so it would be more affordable.

There are some jobs that are better suited to using a sander rather than a planer so I don't know if the one I mentioned would be right for you or not.

Posted

I'm quite sure you can thin wood like you want to, just fine with a router/planer jig described in this section several months back. thin warped wood is really no problem since you can hold the piece down with double-stick tape (carpet or window seal tape)

Posted
We have that sander at the shop. A word of advice, don't buy it. the belts dont like to stay wrapped around the drum and when a 100 grit sanding belt flies off it can wreck a nice piece of wood.

Man, that's tough...$1000 bucks down the drain?

Posted

you don't want to use a thickness planer with spruce tops, it will tear it to badly, same with a lot of figured woods, it tears the grain, a thickness sander is the best tool for the job, either that or hand planes and lots of elbow grease.

Posted

I have 2 Performax drum sanders...a single drum 22in and a dual drum 37in....These are great machines to have......I've never had a belt fly off.....and they are in constant use.

Posted

There's lots of discussion on the MIMF, in the forum section, then in the archived library discussions(you need to register to view those) about building homemade thickness sanders. However, for a job that need to be so precise, I wood prefer to buy one myself.

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