Wood For A Top..

[Hughes]

hey, i was wondering instead of buying a bookmatch top for my project, could i take a piece of maple that is 3/4" think and table saw it into the proper thickness?

Thanks

[Lietuvis]

Yes, that would work fine if you like the way it looks.

[Hughes]

well if it doesnt look good, ill just paint it instead of putting dye on

[Hunter]

Erm, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't guitars have tops on them for looks? If so, why would you want to cover it up?

[Hughes]

oh, sorry i should been more specific...

i was making a bass, but decided i wanted a guitar at the last minute. so im gonna chamber it like a semi hollow, and make it similar to the thinline mockingbird.

[mledbetter]

plus tops affect the tone too. they aren't just for looks. Even painted LPs have maple tops over mahog.

[erikbojerik]

Most (but not all...) table saws will cut only 3-1/4 inches high max, which means you can bookmatch a piece 6-1/2 inches wide to get you a 13" top. But you will lose some of that 13" width planing down the edges where you will glue the bookmatch (if they are not planed already). So, if the width of your axe fits inside those boundaries, then you're good to go.

Also remember that the kerf of the saw blade will take away 1/8" or so from the thickness, and even more since you'll have to flip and saw the piece twice (and you won't catch the exact center along the entire length). Then consider that you'll have to plane down the faces of the boards to get a good glue surface and same thickness for both sides of the book. So, from a 3/4" piece you're probably looking at a 1/4" top in the best case, could easily get thinner if the sawing is sketchy or the board is not dead straight.

[Hughes]

thanks Erik...since im not really going for the looks right now, would i be able to use 3 pieces for the top and then just paint it? like would it be noticalbe through the paint?

Hughes

[n8rofwyo]

"like would it be noticalbe through the paint?"

That depends alot on how good the glue up and flattening process goes, imo. But if you were to use slabs that were 3" wide, you wouldn't have to flip the board to finish the cut. That might save you some time flattening out the new cap. But I am new to this as well, so I may be missing something that might cause problems.

At any rate, good luck!

Nate Robinson

[Mickguard]

Hughes, the idea of splitting wood into layers like that was discussed elsewhere --the upshot was that it ain't gonna work or it's not worth it.

Maybe with a bandsaw, you'd be able to split that maple, but even still...you'll have a real hard time keeping things straight. There are specialized machines for doing this.

Even if you succeed in splitting the wood and salvaging two useable pieces, you'll still have to figure out how to get them to be exactly the same thickness...which means more specialized machines, or a steady hand and eye (see Setch's thicknesser jig).

Here's what I'd do: set that piece of maple aside for your next project (sounds like a nice piece of wood) and get the appropriate wood for your new project.

Since you plan on painting it, you can go for lower grade wood--much cheaper than figured wood. I bought an alder block for 20 euros at one point, all glued up and ready to go. Not pretty to look at, but it'll look fine under paint. I just found another guy selling Cameroun mahogany for 40 euros.

It's difficult to switch gears like that mid-way, especially if the projects are so dissimilar.

[Hughes]

still have to figure out how to get them to be exactly the same thickness...which means more specialized machines

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at my schools shop we have a big thickness planer...but i agree with you and i will buy some lower grade wood and paint it

Hughes