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I just started a new thread in the Doc-U-Build forum for my first build, and mentioned that I have some Sitka from RC Tonewoods for braces. I don't own a band saw or a table saw, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get from two 2"x1" blocks to braces, and someone mentioned splitting it by hand. He did say that it usually results in more lost material, but that he'd done it before.

I then searched the web and found an article on theartoflutherie.com that talked about the benefits of splitting brace wood by hand, in particular it sounded to me like the author really liked the idea of the wood being able to break (split) along its natural weak points. He seemed to feel this would result in stronger braces.

I was wondering if anyone could give me some guidance on this topic. I am purchasing tools as I need them, but I don't have a large budget, so some of the things I'd like to have (table saw, band saw etc) are a little out of reach at the moment.

How would you go about doing this? I have a couple of cheap, general construction type chisels and a hammer. I also thought about buying a manual coping saw and cutting them that way.

Let me know your thoughts & experiences.


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i use a wide (2 inch) chisel and a mallet. in the tutorials section you should find some nice ones by Chris Paulick and Shane Neifer.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

I read that splitting avoids runout, but I am certainly no expert.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

a chisel and a mallet will work just fine. traditionally it's done with a "froe" but you really don't need to buy one. split your billet into usable chunks. set up some stop pins on your work bench and keep the grain oriented correctly, and just plane them down to size.

focus on getting 2 usable long pieces for your x and a decent sized piece for your utg. the tone bars and finger braces usually aren't a problem material wise.

I bought a small axe and ground an even bevel. The chisels have a flat side and a bevel side, that causes them to split unevenly sometimes.

It also saves me from having to sharpen the chisels. They're really not designed for splitting, at least not typically.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Thanks arie & TGW. That's really helpful info. I like the idea of this solution because it allows me to use hand tools that I already have, and I don't have to try and make time to drive all over the place begging and borrowing time on my friends/family's table saws. They wouldn't mind me using their stuff, it's just easier to be able to do it at home, even if the total time invested is a little more.

Plus for me, using hand tools is very relaxing. I might pick up a mason chisel from the local hardware store since they've got a 1 3/4" wide one for $8.00.

Thanks again guys!

IMHO, the most important aspect of brace wood is the brace-wood stock used, not if it is fully hand-split or not. The straighter and run-out freer is best. If you have stock with run-out and crooked grain, hand-slitting with a froe and mallet will simply make the split follow the wavy grain and/or run-out, resulting in a crooked brace - which then means cleaning it up by cutting against the grain or run-out (defeating the purpose). I split one face by hand and slice the rest of the braces on the table saw.

certainly true. i'm very picky about top bracewood. i go through many billets from multiple suppliers who claim "it's straight grained and run-out free" only to fail at the time of splitting. i've got 3 shopping bags full of less then useful bits. maybe i'll turn them into folk art wind chimes or "spruce up" the next bbq.

a mason chisel? as in masonry chisel? probably not the best choice imo. that hatchet looks like a good idea or buy a economy chisel designed for wood.

in fact the hatchet can be useful for many things. like felling trees in the winter, providing fuel and warmth for you and your family, serving up a handsome xmas tree, dressing a 14 point buck, slicing tasty fruit, breaking down a carcass, defending your home from attack even.. many uses.

It was 7 bucks.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I've heard that wood chisels, due to the one flat side and one angled, can cause the wood to split unevenly. That's why I was looking at the masonry chisel.


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Lowes has a small ax for $7 or $8 bucks. Make the "investment" and protect your chisels. They are not great for splitting anyway. A butter knife from the kitchen would make a better froe than a chisel.

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PMoMC

never had problems with my chisel, to be honest. but then again i never used a froe, so can´t really compare. i don´t keep the chisel sharp, just so-so and i always split the billets in halves.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Remember to split the wood both ways to eliminate "runout". (along the annual rings and across the annual rings.)

Thanks for all the advice here guys.

I'm going to grab either an axe or a hatchet tomorrow and split my brace wood. I'll let you know how it goes.


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I keep my chisels super sharp.
The problem you run into with chisels is they''re to sharp to force a cleave beteen grain lines and instead pare down through a few before the thickness of the chisel wedges a grain fracture. That and the other issue with the uneven bevel.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I had the same problem using a Chinese cleaver, too sharp, not enough wedge.
Upgraded to an hatchet and a large ball pien hammer.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Get in touch with Pyrotechnics Guild International and find some amateur pyros... spruce makes good charcoal for making blackpowder.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I prefer to split brace wood as you would split firewood, in halves, or nearly so. You need enough wood in both halves so each piece is about equally stiff to ensure a proper split, otherwise chances of tearing fibers or splitting across the grain is much higher, which defeats the purpose of the exercise. The tool I choose depends on the size of the piece, it doesn't have to be fancy and lots of things will get the job done, its more important how you use it.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Guitar Whisperer - Does that small axe/hatchet work well when you're working on getting smaller pieces (closer to the rough size of a brace), or do you use other tools at that point?

Hi Justin,
Just use an old butter knife and whack it with a small mallet. In small dimensions spruce splits pretty easily.

I used an incredibly blunt old kitchen knife last time...
Wouldn't a brand new hatchet be too sharp?

I've split some pretty small pieces with it but it works better with larger ones. It gets pretty wide near the back of the hatchet, which doesn't work well with small pieces, something smaller would work with that I'm sure. I split down to the width of about 3 X-braces.

I split pretty slowly. I position it and tap it with a hammer.

I usually split two faces so that I can see how the grain is running and then use the bandsaw and thickness sander to finish up.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Well I did it. I split both of the 2"x1" pieces of Sitka I bought for bracing. I did most of it with a hatchet, and I made a couple of splits using a large wood chisel. The hatchet was easier thanks to the shape of the head was designed to do this job.

The first piece I split was a little disappointing in terms of run out. I definitely got all four finger braces and maybe one or two others out of that one. The second piece was excellent, no run out, and I have the X braces and tone bars from that one for sure. Now I've just got to get them worked down to size!

Thanks to everyone here for all of the advice!


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There is no reason to split the wood on the sides of the braces (the plane parallel with the growth rings) because the grain follows the rings in that plane. In other words, if the sides of a vertical grain brace are parallel with the rings, you are good.
Instead of wasting wood by splitting the pieces that have no runout, it is better just to learn how to read runout. If nothing else, running a block plane over the surface in both directions will tell you in an instant whether you need to split the wood.
All the red spruce I cut is from split billets, so runout is minimized. A certain percentage of the bracewood I generate will still have the split surface, which leaves no doubt.

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John