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In an earlier thread, I asked how you folks got your brace ends at a consistent width (I think Kevin Gallagher said his was .100). Anyway, one of the response said they used a typical door type jig for the combo dis/belt sander.

If someone, or multiples someones, would be willing to share a photo, I'd be grateful. Routing the ends into the kerfing gave me fits on my first build because my fretends were done by hand and hence inconsistent...and I had to keep adjusting the depth of the route, and then chisel out by hand, etc.

Thanks in advance.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

For the back, I use my drum sander. Set it to the desired thickness and push the end of the brace under. That is before gluing.

For the top, I just measure and stop carving at the right thickness.

Hi Bill, I don't have a picture of the thing from Guitar Maker Mag but it is very simple. A piece of wood about 1 x 1 x 2.5 or so. Make a dado cut across one of the 1" surfaces from side to side maybe 1 1/2" wide and just slightly deeper (by the thickness of a piece of sandpaper) than your brace end height and glue in a piece of sandpaper. Now you have a piece of wood with a couple if legs on it. Stradle your brace with it and sand till the legs are resting on your top and your at the height you want. Hope this helps.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

The bug has bitten, and you are hopelessly infected...

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Only badly."

Bill,

Check out Frank Ford's set up on his belt sander, I think this is what your thinking about eh?

I'm trying to remember another site I saw this on... I'll keep looking.

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Here ya go Bill!

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Here is a link to a "build your own" thickness sander if your interested.

Build your own thickness sander

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

There's always Lance's favourite tool The Luthier's Friend

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

bruce dickey did one for a router table, you night pm him for pics.

Paul, you may be thinking of my brace scalloping jigs. I didn't get it to final thickness though with the router. I think I can benefit from this as well.

Larry's setup above is something I want for headstock thinning, although my recent purchase of a Wagner power planer will do that job, and also bridges and now I see, brace ends, very clever jig off the table sander.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Yep Bruce, the brace end thing was just huge for me! I don't dread doing that part of it anymore...now, if I could just get my X-brace setup like yours!

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U can do it, easy.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

I sure do drool every time I see that pic of all those nicely done x'es just waiting for tops!

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The good thing about jigging up like that is you can produce a pile of them in a short short. I kind of get a kick out of having to duck under them to use the jointer.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

[QUOTE=Bruce Dickey] The good thing about jigging up like that is you can produce a pile of them in a short short. I kind of get a kick out of having to duck under them to use the jointer. [/QUOTE]

THAT'S what I want!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Bill,
    I'm sorry to see that the jig and fixture bug has bitten you....There's no cure and the ailment only increases in its severity as its symptoms begin to take over more and more of your thoughts and time as time goes on. We'll have someone notify your family if you'd like since your probably going to be in a state of denial until you run out of shelf space for all of your jigs and fixtures and unique handy tools.


    On a lighter note...my small fixture is very similar to what Larry posted and works very nicely. The belt pushes against you hand feed pressure so there's never a danger of it pulling the piece in farther than you'd planned.

   If anyone wants to see a very slick design and plans for a thickness sander that retrofits on to a table saw, take a look at www.ShopNotes.com . It is on the cover and I couldn't resist picking the issue up last time I was in the Barnes and Noble store here. It's Volume 15 Issue 86 if anyone is looking to pick it up.
It's only available as a back issue now since it was yo be displayed until May 2, but you can get it through the publisher's site.

   The plans include a dust collector cover and all. The saw blade on the table saw is replaced by a pulley that is intended to drive the sander drum via a belt that is easily adjusted by the blade height adjuster.

   It's worth a look...especially for a guy with limited space in his shop.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars Kevin Gallagher38845.3958564815