Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi everyone,

My name is Eric and I'm obscenely new to uke building, like never actually done it new. I recently bought some jatoba back and side set for tenor ukes but have an issue. I need a way to thin the boards to working thickness while living in an apartment and on a serious budget. So far I've come up with double sided tape and a hand plane from Lowes and it is slow going. I would really appreciate any ideas any of ya'll have on a better way to do this.

Thanks a bunch ya'll, you got an awesome little resource here.

This may sound flippant but you should locate a builder close by who has a drum sander. Most hobby builders are easy to get along with and his experience could help you along the learning curve.

Bob

Welcome! How far do you have left to go on the thinning, and how is the wood responding? If you're removing a decent sized shaving with each stroke, and not tearing up the surface too badly, then just keep at it. If not, then we'll need to diagnose the problem.

My weapons of choice for thinning are a cheap block plane with toothed blade (4 notches cut into it with a dremel wheel) and a card scraper. It's a lot of work, but those two can handle most woods, when sufficiently sharp.

Thanks for the responses. The thinning is going well with the Cedar but i'm being really careful to make sure I have the two pieces the same thickness. The jatoba on the other hand is not going so well. It is very dense with an interlocking grain and I'm getting a bit of tear out. The toothed blade sounds like the ticket for this problem, thanks for the hint.
As to finding a builder how would i go about locating one near me? I would love the chance to find a luthier around my area to show me the ropes. For the record I live the upper tip of South Carolina in a town called Clemson. If ya'll know anyone around and could give me an introduction I'd be very grateful.

Thanks again all.

Don't go to final thickness before you glue the two plates together. You might not get a perfect match at the joint...one side a bit higher. You'll want to leave a little to plane the whole top or back to final thickness
Another option to find a guy with a drum sander is at Woodcraft or Rockler stores. Just ask if they know anyone who can do it for you....or maybe Craigslist

Also: if you bought the plane at Lowes it probably needs the sole flattened and the blade sharpened. Almost any new plane needs to be set up. Another thing to ask about at the woodworking center

welcome and good luck! +1 on not thicknessing before jointing and joining the plates. Also, don't go too thin, especially if using toothed blade or having to smooth tearout, or you may not have enough thickness left for structural purposes. Have fun

Welcome good advice above here nothing I could help except to re-inforce what Beth said.


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You may have better luck locating a custom cabinet shop with a wide belt sander than a luthier/guitar maker.


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You've gotten some good advise her. We have all been where you are right now.

Quine is right, if you just got the plane at a home center it certainly needs to be set up and sharpened. Spend some time with google and learn about planes, set-up and sharpening. Then practice on scrap. It takes time to learn how to plane properly. Once you have a well tuned and sharpened plane you will start having better success and begin to get a feel for planing. Get a bunch of scrap and make a bunch of shavings.

I have limited experience with jatoba but I have always found it a dream to plane despite the interlocking grain. A sharp blade will make a huge difference.

When I was starting out, I did not have a decent plane or know how to use it. I got really frustrated and just built a thickness sander. I'm glad I did because I wouldn't want to make instruments without it but I would have been well served to spend my time learning to plane in those early days. So while you are learning to use hand planes, keep on the look out for a person with a thickness sander. It is nice to be able to keep moving on the first builds and not get stalled out.

Make sure you post pictures!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

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