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Call me crazy, but I used a Black and Decker Mouse sander for my first one. I got it close with a hand plane (a #5 Stanley), then the Mouse, then finished by hand....worked fine to me and less elbow grease that way....

Laurie

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

I don't think that's crazy, I think It's creative. I may buy a ROS and caliper and go at It. Thanks Laurie.

Anyone know of a cheap caliper alternative to the high priced ones that will give accurate measurements?

I'm having probs with a mahogany back and have had to result to a cabinet scraper and sander now

Cheers guys these tips'll help

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Ron, they are easy enough to make. The hard part, if there is one, is getting a dial indicator. You'll want one that has an inch of travel, in units of your liking and accurate enough for your tastes. There are several pictures floating around in the archives. One of talented builders from Down Under built one from metal scraps that is stunning.

But all you really need is a dial indicator and something that doesn't flex you can form into a deep U, aluminum, brass, 3/4 birch ply, hard wood, etc. The U has to be deep enough for you to get up to or past the center of the joined plates. Mount the dial indicator on the end. I have mine centered over a carriage bolt. You can put feet on it to help keep it upright or chuck it in a vise while you use it. As long as the arms don't flex, it will be as accurate as the dial indicator is.

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Aoibeann

Here's a thread that shows a few of these thickness gauges
http://www.kitguitarsforum.com/forum/th ... 11_0_5_0_C

I ordered my dial from Lee Valley, I think it was under 10 or 15 dollars, works great.

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Jeremy Douglas

Hi Lillian,
Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look in the archives to see what they look like.

Luckily a friend asked a friend of his to thickness the top for me, and he was nice enough to do It. He has a Performax 16/32, and It got the job done nicely with a few passes. It's now on the top of my tools to get list or a . Thanks for the link Jeremy.

I appreciate all the great tips in this thread.

Ron M.