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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:35 am 
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First name: Dennis
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Hastings Guitars wrote:
So do you guys thickness your plates pre or post jointing?

Thanks, Ed.

I join first, scrape the show face smooth and shellac it to keep it clean, cut out the shape, do the majority of thicknessing with my trusty block plane, tapping and flexing to judge how far to go (I just use my fingers, no fancy deflection testing setup), then cut out the soundhole so I can really get a feel for the flexibility of the bridge area, and scrape to final thickness. The final scraping step usually involves working on the show face side as well, since it's tough to avoid getting any wood chips underneath and denting it during the plane step.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:44 am 
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Hastings Guitars wrote:
So do you guys thickness your plates pre or post jointing?

Thanks, Ed.


After joining although if the material is rough cut I'll usually run it through the sander a few times to even it out a bit (as long as I have enough thickness available).

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:42 am 
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I tried everything else before this. It'll hold odd-size stuff like tele bodies also.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:36 am 
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Am I right in thinking that Overholtzer didn't use any clamping method for the tops, just rubbed the glue line together and left it alone?

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:53 pm 
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Glad to hear all the tape users chime in. I too use tape.

I clamp down a board on my table saw and place the wood between the board and the fence.
Then I move the fence a little closer until the plates tent up about 2-3 inches. (I have put three strips of tape across the boards and wax paper down first) Glue the boards with titebond and push the tent down and place a weight on it.

Pretty simple

Forgot.... I thickness after. On the soundboard I just level and clean up the top after it is joined. Then I do the rosette and then thickness.

On the back I clean up the show edge, install the back strip then thickness

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:19 am 
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Fred Tellier wrote:
Binding tape, made a jig once but tape works as good or better so I ended up using the parts for some other task

+1


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:29 am 
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I like tape and have used the rope and wedges many times. These days, three or five of these clamps from Harbor Freight have been quick and easy. The flat bar allow for easy alignment and weighting the center seam if needed. Easily worth the price for many light duty uses....

http://www.harborfreight.com/24-inch-aluminum-bar-clamp-38183.html

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:12 pm 
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I use nails and a woodwelder...and I am absolutely NOT kidding.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:39 pm 
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Ken McKay wrote:
I use nails and a woodwelder...and I am absolutely NOT kidding.


What's a woodwelder?

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:53 pm 
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I am glad you asked Jim. It is a totally unnecessary piece of equipment unless you are in a production situation or are valuing your time very highly. I have a Workrite woodwelder 3000. It is a radio frequency wave generator that focuses a beam of waves under a hand held unit that is connected to a powerful amplifier type device with huge tubes. Kind of like a hand held microwave but these are radio waves. It boils the glue in 5 seconds flat.
When I am gluing a guitar top or back I put titebond on the edges and but them together and down on a flat sheet of plywood. I drive a row of nails in the plywood, not the plate, at the outside the edge of one half, then the other half outside gets nails. Now I simply bend the nails by hitting them which squeezes the plate together. I could leave this to dry but I then use the woodwelder to tack it in 4 or 5 places. Done and off to the sander. I usually do this in batches.
By the way this is OLD technology 1950's.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:45 pm 
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I don't want to hijack but this is interesting. it shows the woodwelder in use at PRS.
http://youtu.be/9QLzKZuzy4Q?t=4m52s

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:17 pm 
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233 tape- go green


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