fidgec94 Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 The mahogany blank i have is rough sawn (well the topside and underneath are) and it could do with surface planing - the sides may even need jointing as well. So i phone a furniture place and they want £35 to do it. I thought thats a little steep considering the wood only cost me £45. So i phone 2 other places and they want more like £60! Madness I dont own expensive machinary, i dont even own a no. 7 jointing plane. Whats a guy to do, keep phoning until i find a cheaper price? Anyone in the UK have a similar problem or even a solution? There probably are cheaper places, but i bet they wont be in travelling distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 How thick is the blank (for body?) and how rough? I would just go right ahead and build your guitar. Hit the rough spots with a hand held DA (dual action) sander, or a rigid block w/ 60 or 80 grit and check occasionally w/ a straightedge and a carpenter's square. A lot of my mahogany is pretty rough, ie. 4" planks split w/ a large bandsaw, certainly not flat and lotsa ruffles and ridges. I just get the elbow grease flowing for a couple hours and its ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannoG Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I would try going to some different places in person rather than phoning. Show up at a reasonable time, be polite and offer to return at their convenience. Basically make it hard for them to say no or charge a lot. And you'll have the wood right there so they can see how much work it will need. Phone calls are too easy to blow off or quote high, since you can't see the item in question. I'd also try wood supply shops first, and maybe buy something to show good faith. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Fidge man its a pity you didnt ask this a week or two ago otherwise i would have seen if you could bring it into the Eton Woodshops. we've got a thickness planer here which could handle a body blank. unfortunatelly im leaving for good tomorrow so fraid its not possaiible now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidgec94 Posted June 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Fidge man its a pity you didnt ask this a week or two ago otherwise i would have seen if you could bring it into the Eton Woodshops. we've got a thickness planer here which could handle a body blank. unfortunatelly im leaving for good tomorrow so fraid its not possaiible now aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah......bum in jockstrap Thanks anyway! The blank is 2" thick and ideally, i want to go down to 1 3/4". I guess in theory i could do it my self with sanding. Only reason im apprehensive is because 1/4" is plenty depth for me to screw it up, it would have to be quite a few hours of sand/check/sand/check/sand/check Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Find a wood working school near you, they are cheap, and will probably even show you how to do it, so you can save money by hireing the "machines" next time, rather than "machines and labour". I cannot justify buying a thicknesser and surface planer, because it costs me $27 (10 pounds, $20 USD) a month for everything i need to machine, going to the local wood school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidgec94 Posted June 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Find a wood working school near you, they are cheap, and will probably even show you how to do it, so you can save money by hireing the "machines" next time, rather than "machines and labour". I cannot justify buying a thicknesser and surface planer, because it costs me $27 (10 pounds, $20 USD) a month for everything i need to machine, going to the local wood school. Cheers for that one, i'll bear that in mind too. I'm moving back to my local area soon, i'm now wondering if my old school would be worth a shot. I dont know if schools have insurance issues with non-pupils, worth a shot i guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Find a wood working school near you, they are cheap, and will probably even show you how to do it, so you can save money by hireing the "machines" next time, rather than "machines and labour". I cannot justify buying a thicknesser and surface planer, because it costs me $27 (10 pounds, $20 USD) a month for everything i need to machine, going to the local wood school. Cheers for that one, i'll bear that in mind too. I'm moving back to my local area soon, i'm now wondering if my old school would be worth a shot. I dont know if schools have insurance issues with non-pupils, worth a shot i guess. When i say school, i guess im meaning adult education. Might be called night school, or something like that. In Asutralia, we have TAFE colleges, which often use high school rooms and workshops, at night. For about $120 (80 USD) you can go there and use all the tools for three hours, once a week, for six months. Bargain! The place i use is a specific wood working school. The good thing is, all the machinery is always maintained correctly, always sharp, and clean. Most times im the only person there. I use them for rough cutting necks, body blanks, and machining wood which i sell over the web. That way i dont have to buy, or store, surfacers, thicknessers, drum sanders, bandsaws, etc etc. Fact is, i only use those machines for MAYBE two hours a month (usually only an hour), so whats the use in spending $3000-5000 getting them?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidgec94 Posted June 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Yeah, i assumed you meant a specific adult college or something similar. My old school used to have a reasonable selection of machinary and it seems like a place i could in theory already have my foot in the door, so to speak. I totally agree with you. Right now, I couldnt justify the money that i would need to buy good machinary (after this, i doubt i'll make another guitar this year). At least i have confirmed access to a work colleague's bandsaw...why buy a band saw when i can just buy him a beer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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