SynysterCT Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 I'm starting my first build and my body blank came in the mail. I went with a 2 piece maple blank that came in around 22" x 15" x 2". I have it rough cut and smoothed out a little, but I find myself wishing it was a little thinner. I don't have access to a planer but I'm willing to put in the time for a good outcome. Does anyone have a good way of thinning out my body a bit but also keeping it uniformly flat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Call some local cabinet builders and see how much they would charge to run the boards through their planer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Do you have a hand plane? That's what I use. It does take time though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Do you have a hand plane? That's what I use. It does take time though. +1 to that. Get a plane & thin it yourself. takes a little time but its worth it. By the time you track down a woodshop that will thin them for you they will be down to size, & you will have the plane for good measure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 If you do decide to buy a plane, get some advice first. With most tools, it's not quite as critical, but planes are tricky. My own recommendation would be a pre-war Stanley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SynysterCT Posted July 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 I am going to go to Home Depot this weekend and see what I can find. I'm concerned that I wont be able to plane the top uniformly But I do have some scrap to practice on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 I am going to go to Home Depot this weekend and see what I can find. I'm concerned that I wont be able to plane the top uniformly But I do have some scrap to practice on. Avoid the Depot! What you'll find there is a Buck Brothers plane that will do nothing other than make you hate hand planes. Ebay is your friend here. These are a few Stanley Bailey planes you might look at. I just glanced at them, but they look right: http://cgi.ebay.com/Stanley-Bailey-No-5-Wood-Plane-/150627221932?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23121501ac#ht_6123wt_1139 http://cgi.ebay.com/STANLEY-BAILEY-No-5-1-4-JACK-PLANE-/310327675402?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4840f88a0a#ht_500wt_922 http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Stanley-Bailey-5-1-4-Cast-Iron-Bench-Plane-VG-/350474509593?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5199e89d19#ht_500wt_922 http://cgi.ebay.com/1910-ANTIQUE-BAILEY-NO-5-PLANE-ESTATE-FIND-NO-RESERVE-/300573272878?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45fb902b2e#ht_4424wt_1139 http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-STANLEY-BAILEY-NO-5-PLANE-/120744575239?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1cf00107#ht_500wt_1156 http://cgi.ebay.com/STANLEY-BAILEY-NO-5-PLANE-VINTAGE-NICE-/280704903052?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415b50e78c#ht_1959wt_1139 It should be noted that a hand plane is also unlike other tools in that it won't work correctly right out of the box. You have to tune it up, which can take several hours. Here's a good tutorial: https://home.comcast.net/~stanleyplanes/planes101/tuneup/tuneup.htm David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFly Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Some Lowe's shops carry stanly planes. Its where I pick up blades. I think Ace Hardware carries them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Some Lowe's shops carry stanly planes. Its where I pick up blades. I think Ace Hardware carries them too. Yeah, but the new Stanleys are low end hand planes. Ever since WWII, they've been pretty lousy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=18537 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SynysterCT Posted July 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 That planing jig looks perfect. I've got most of the pieces already too. It also seems like much less work than the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFly Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 Some Lowe's shops carry stanly planes. Its where I pick up blades. I think Ace Hardware carries them too. Yeah, but the new Stanleys are low end hand planes. Ever since WWII, they've been pretty lousy. *shrug* The one I had was out of tune when I got it, but after I got it flat and sharpened, it works just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 Some Lowe's shops carry stanly planes. Its where I pick up blades. I think Ace Hardware carries them too. Yeah, but the new Stanleys are low end hand planes. Ever since WWII, they've been pretty lousy. *shrug* The one I had was out of tune when I got it, but after I got it flat and sharpened, it works just fine. I've heard of people getting good results from well-tuned new Stanley planes. I've never owned one, and am just going on what I've heard, but from what I understand, after WWII Stanley started saving money by using less metal in their planes. But if it works, it works, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted July 14, 2011 Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 Router on rails, flattens it down in no time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SynysterCT Posted July 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2011 The reason I was looking to do this is because I have a maple body carved out that is currently a full 2" thick and is a little heavy. Im not sure how much weight I would save thinning it out by about 1/2" or so. Though the more I think about it, would leaving it the full thickness add a little sustain? I'm not in a band or anything and I mostly play sitting down so the weight may not end up being that much of an issue as long as I give it the contour to be comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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