Official Luthiers Forum!

Just published a little post about the cheap tool I use for shaving braces:

http://www.theluthierblog.com/articles/ ... ail-plane/

What do you use?

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nigel

http://www.theluthierblog.com

One of these, with all edges slightly rounded:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Brass-BL ... 1031575171

It's set for a 'medium' cut. Blade is thin but it's perfectly adequate for braces/struts. I then finish off with a smaller Ibex flat Violin malkers plane, set very fine. That gives the finished surface. I try to avoid the use of sandpaper, if only to save my lungs. I inherited the Violin makers plane but I'd just buy two of the Rosewood/Brass planes if I didn't have the Ibex.

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http://www.bobmatthewsguitars.co.uk

I've got one of those chisels for cleaning up glue. What's the little plane?

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nigel

http://www.theluthierblog.com

The little plane is made by Steven Boone http://www.studioboone.com/mini_planes

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http://www.bobmatthewsguitars.co.uk

The plane is from Stephen Boone - he has a sponsor's link at the top. I have a set of his planes & like them a lot.

Kevin Looker

edit
looks like we posted simultaneously

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I use tapered braces and don't scallop as such my braces are predominantly shaped with finger planes except for the ends where I use a chisel to shape and size.

Before Stephen Boone's excellent planes were available I used traditional finger planes and they worked well except for the sharp angled side edges. Back then I would use masking tape and tape down about .010" acetate next to the brace that I wanted to plane the sides into a V shape so that the planes side edges did not mar the underside of the top.

When I started using Stephen's planes because he bevels the side angles acetate was no longer needed in that Stephen's planes won't mar in my application if you use them correctly.

The LN special edition plane pictured I no longer have and was not keen to use because it was to...... well...... pretty and I'm not a collector of planes.

I have the Kunz plane too and liked it a great deal but after getting the LN version the Kunz never got used again.

A 1" chisel with rounded corners and a set of Boone planes. Which reminds me I need new ones, I've pretty much worn mine out...

My Boone plane!

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Mike Collins

Boone planes! Nothing better.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I almost exclusively use an LMI Chisel on which I have rounded the back a bit. I do use boone planes a lot, especially if I need to take a brace down quite a bit.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Boone plane and a chisel for me as well.

1/2" chisel and Boone plane. But I'd really like to get a 5/8" chisel and round the corners since I do usually scratch the soundboard in a couple places even being as careful as I can.

I bought a 3/4" paring chisel a couple years ago and rounded the corners, but ended up not liking it. Can't hold the soundboard in place well enough with one hand, and it's heavy and clumsy feeling compared to my short 1/2". Plus the length gets in the way when I get to the open backed box stage, and I always do a little more carving at that point.

Just a regular ol chisel and plane. no point in gettin fancy with this stuff.

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Under Compensated Nut!

This is pretty much the main culprits - couple of LN's, inexpensive but good Chinese wooden planes ($15 a pop, shape sole to suit), a Veritas miniature block, Sorby 1" and a Henry Taylor 3/4".
Can't get no Boone planes outside the North American Continent anyway.
Sorry, no artfully posed handful of shavings... but plenty dust on the floor.

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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.

I also use both of Stephen's mini-planes when carving braces. I love the curved one for the tapered ends

Stew-Mac glue clearing chisel to scallop brace ends, Ibex finger plane to shape/triangulate the braces. That's it.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu