Thicknessing the Plates

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007: Yesterday, after about an hour or so, I removed the clamps from the top and back plates, and let them sit overnight. Now it is time to do some preliminary thicknessing of the top and back plates (final thicknessing will, of course, come later, after the rosette has been inlaid into the top and the backstrip has been inlaid into the back). Here is how my Performax 10-20 thickness sander is hooked up to my Craftsman 12-gallon shop vac. I finally broke down and replaced my little bitty Genie shop vac with this one; the difference in power is amazing! (I really don't have the space or need for a regular dust collector, so I opted for this, instead — it was even on sale for $59!)

INDEX: Return to HOME PAGE Planning Joining the Plates Thicknessing the Plates Bending Form & Mold The Rosette Soundhole Reinforcement and Backstrip Bracing The Sides Closing the Box Binding The Neck Finishing The Final Steps

To the right, you see a mock-up of how I use the Performax to thickness sand the top plate. (I'm not really doing it here --- it's already been done!) Last summer I bought the extension tables for the Performax, which make a huge difference in how the sanding goes! I run the top through the sander, flip it around, and run the other side through. With the sanding drum raised a tiny bit on the outboard end, you avoid getting that little ridge on the wood from having to sand only one half of the plate at a time.       Previous Page   Next Page