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Well, I am having difficulty coming up with the cash for a drum sander. I am thinking of trying this step by hand.

I have an idea of how to thickness everything, but I am having trouble thinking of how to thickness the sides. Has anyone done this by hand?

Thanks,

Doug Ubele

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Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

Why not just use Robbie O'Briens method by using a safety planer in the drill press? Then you can use an orbital sander to clean it up.
Tracy

Personally, I would call a cabinet shop and sweet talk them into helping you. Most will surely have a drum sander and someone is bound to help.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I use the Safe-T-Planer, and then a flat block with 100 grit sandpaper on it to get out any marks, then hit it with a scraper. Takes very little time this way.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Here's a thickness sanding disc you can use in your drill press:



And here is the link to the maker of these.

Sanding Disc

He doesn't show them on his website but if you email him he'll make one. Considering how much a thickness sander is, this is an inexpensive option when you're starting out.

Roy, thanks for the picture. I can see several uses for the sanding disc. I was going to purchase a safety planer but think I'd get more use out of this. I will definitely contact them about a purchase. Thanks again.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

It wouldn't be a bad time to learn to use a handplane and a scraper. I've only done it a little bit, but it's not as difficult as it might seem if your plane is tuned up and the blade is sharp. I actually went too thin because I didn't realize how quickly I was removing material. It didn't seem like it was supposed to be that fast... because hand tools are supposed to be slow, right?

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

you can send em to me and I'll do it for free. You pay shipping. The
safety planer scares me...., but lots of people use em...

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Brian Burns, who showed me the basic ropes of lutherie, also showed me how he thicknesses sides using a Wagner Safe-T-Planer and a well-tuned block plane. He gets the thickness to within 0.025" of final thickness or so, then planes it down the rest of the way. This is really all you need if you're working with an easy-to-work wood like EIR or walnut.

Keep saving for a drum sander, though. It's a big time saver. I lucked into a used Performax 16-32 Plus for about half of retail, complete with infeed and outfeed tables. What a deal.The Performax and my bandsaw are the two most frequently used power tools in my shop now.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Thanks for the advise everyone. This gives me something to chew on.

Thanks,

Doug Ubele

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Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

What kind of wood are use using? This makes a world of difference on ease of working.

Sides and back are EIR. Western Red Cedar top.

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Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

EIR planes pretty good compared to some woods. I you have a drill press I would buy a safety planer. Finishing with light cuts going with the grain. Use a sanding block or an orbital sander to smooth and remove marks. The key to getting good results is sharp blades and having the table dead level with the planer.

   If you don't have a drill press you can get by with hand planing. Get your plane iron as sharp as possible!

One thing that confuses me - you know how to thickness the top and back, but not the sides?

[QUOTE=Don A] Roy, thanks for the picture. I can see several uses for the sanding disc. I was going to purchase a safety planer but think I'd get more use out of this. I will definitely contact them about a purchase. Thanks again.[/QUOTE] Hey Don, I've been taking a few pictures at home of the various way I use this great tool, with plans of posting a mini-lesson on here. Hopefully I'll have something ready to go in a few days. I use this tool to make bridges, dimension nuts and saddles, thickness braces to their final dimension, etc. With a few jigs you can really get a lot done. I have two - I keep 120 grit on one, and 320 on the other, so I can either hog off material or get a pretty nice finish, depending on my aims.

Doug, id do like Brock said and find a local cabinet making place, or lumber yard that has a thickness sander. Thats what I did before getting mine, I took 2 back and side sets and a pair of tops, 15 bucks later I was on my way home. Sanded to 220!

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[QUOTE=rlabbe] [QUOTE=Don A] Roy, thanks for the picture. I can see several uses for the sanding disc. I was going to purchase a safety planer but think I'd get more use out of this. I will definitely contact them about a purchase. Thanks again.[/QUOTE] Hey Don, I've been taking a few pictures at home of the various way I use this great tool, with plans of posting a mini-lesson on here. Hopefully I'll have something ready to go in a few days. I use this tool to make bridges, dimension nuts and saddles, thickness braces to their final dimension, etc. With a few jigs you can really get a lot done. I have two - I keep 120 grit on one, and 320 on the other, so I can either hog off material or get a pretty nice finish, depending on my aims.[/QUOTE]

Roger, I'm looking forward to your lessons. I emailed yesterday and am waiting to hear back from them as to availability.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

No problem Don. Glad to have been of help.

This is a terrific tool. It will sand small and large parts. But, make it even more useful by putting a piece of leather on the top, flat surface. Then you also have a great tool to hone chisels and keep them razor sharp right at hand. It is so useful to me that I bought an $80 drill press and dedicate it to this tool with the leather top. Use it every day!Sylvan38525.4186458333

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

That's a great idea Sylvan. Thanks!

Thanks for the tip Sylvan, I'll definitely give it a try. I received an email from Gilbert Tuners and they cost $50. Seems like a bargain to me. I can sure see where they would be very handy for headstock and volute work.    

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA