Thicknessing? ( Excuse my ignorance)

[Ciaran Cosgrave]

Hello All,

I've been on some of the of tonewood suppliers' websites doing some research and I've noticed that most of them offer a "thicknessing" service. I figure the word is pretty self explanatory and I am aware that there are thicknessing machines you can buy which will remove unwanted material until a required thickness is achieved.

I just want to get this straight. I presume the thicknessing machine/service takes the labour out of something which would otherwise be achieved using hand planes. If so, are there any advantages to doing it by hand?

[Bob Gramann]

The major problem with using the thicknessing service is that it is easier to join the plates when they're thick and then take them to final thickness after the glue has dried and the swelling (from the moisture in the glue) has receded (usually a week or two after the gluing--you can't see it but take my word for it and wait). Cumpiano (the book titled "guitarmaking") gives a pretty good set of instructions on how to thickness plates with hand planes. You really want two planes (one for the toothed blade) if you plan to do it this way. The other advantage of doing it yourself is that you can stop when you feel the wood is at the right thickness--for me that is determined by its flexibility and feel.

If you go this route, I recommend that you join some scrap wood plates and thickness those before you go to the good stuff. There's some skill and judgement required using planes to thickness and a little practice will save you some money. And, make sure your planes are very sharp and are set to take very thin shavings. Any rushing or greed will wreck your expensive wood.

If you want to avoid the learning curve and the labor by using the service, I would recommend that you have the service join the plates before thicknessing them. It's very hard to line the pieces up flush when gluing them.

I have a drum sander--it's quick and easy and removes the risk of lifting a splinter when planing. I make enough guitars that the drum sander is really worth it to me.

[Chuck Tweedy]

Back up a second here. What are you intending to build Ciaran? And of what woods?
Bob's comments are assuming that you are looking to build an acoustic guitar.
If you are building a solid body electric instrument, then I would answer - No there is no advantage. (may catch some flack for that but...)

If you are, indeed, looking to build a flat-top acoustic instrument, then Bob's got it pretty much covered.
I would like to add, however, that handplaning top woods (such as spruce or cedar) can be VERY different from working with hard back/sides woods like rosewood or bubinga.
I have a thickness sander, and I do not put soundboards through it because I enjoy planing spruce with a sharp, well tuned plane. Almost too much.

So, what are you building?

[Clay Schaeffer]

If you are just getting started in this hobby (and from your other posts I assume you are) then having the wood prethicknessed might have some advantages for the first couple of instruments. You will be able to use good quality materials without the fear of ruining them while learning to plane wood. It will also eliminate the need for the immediate purchase of a hand plane (or two) to do this task (although you will still want a block plane for other tasks). Some suppliers also offer prebent sides, which for a novice can also save some time, tooling, and aggravation. Many people buy and build a kit for their first efforts - another way to go for those with limited wood working experience. The additional costs of a kit are offset by not needing as many tools and having set procedures to follow.
Some of us feel that building musical instruments is an addiction, and that like eating potato chips, you can't stop at just one. But for everybody that is not the case, and some people just build one or two for themselves and then move on to other things. Building your first couple before getting too deep in the pool might not be a bad way to go.