How to hold thin wood

[Richard Hutchings]

I'm about to start building a guitar and need to hold some pretty thin wood while I hand plane it. Less than an 1/8" rosewood and Sitka spruce.

[glenn bradley]

I'm about to start building a guitar and need to hold some pretty thin wood while I hand plane it. Less than an 1/8" rosewood and Sitka spruce.

I'm sure luthiers have a lot of tricks but, here's one:

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[Richard Hutchings]

That seems a little scary to me. For one I'd be afraid of hitting it with my plane but I'll try it on some scrap and see how it goes. I'm also concerned with it shearing my wood. My concerns will probably go away after I try it. We'll see. Thank you.

[glenn bradley]

The pics are just to demonstrate. I use 2 or 3 points of contact to distribute the force. No disasters so far ;-)

[steven c newman]

Perhaps using double-stick tape, to attach the panel to a thicker substrate, then if the thicker panel is wide enough, clamp it down flat.

[Richard Hutchings]

Perhaps using double-stick tape, to attach the panel to a thicker substrate, then if the thicker panel is wide enough, clamp it down flat.

Along that line, I was thinking of spraying some adhesive on some melamine and let it dry and see if it makes a sticky enough surface. I've used double stick carpet tape and it was a pain to clean off. Maybe a different kind of tape.

[Rhys Hurcombe]

Make a shooting board. The traditional japanese crafts tend to do a lot of hand planing of thin materials only they use a hand plane in the pulling action. Here's one from the unplugged woodshop's medicine chest build. A great example.
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I always run by the acronym "KISS". Keep It Simple, Stupid! The stupid is not a personal attack just works in the saying and is usually directed at myself :)

[Jim Koepke]

Like so many things in woodworking there are many ways to do this.

The easiest would be if you had a vacuum table. Of course, not everyone has one of those in their shop. Double stick tape might work if it can be removed easily.

Next would be to have a piece of about the same thickness to surround the piece being worked.

There are also some old threads here on the same subject:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?211398-Working-with-thin-stock

Here is a picture from an old post that isn't popping up in searches at the moment:

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The part that makes this work is the stack of shims in the vise. Its purpose is to keep the vise from racking. In effect it also keeps the vise from closing hard enough on a thin workpiece to cause bowing. The other end of the work is held by a wooden bench dog.

One thing to consider is making sure your blade is as sharp as you can get it and to take thin shavings.

There are a few other tricks, but these are some of the basics.

jtk

[Prashun Patel]

For short pieces, I use a planing stop glued to a piece of plywood. The sled has a hook that can be held in a vise or just held against the bench.


For long pieces, I prefer to clamp one end down to the bench, and then plane away from the clamp. It helps me stay flat. I flip and repeat from the other side. This of course means you have to consider tear-out by planing against the grain.

If the part thickness and size is critical, side rails that capture the piece can allow you to plane at a skew angle to the end of the board, which offers some benefits under some conditions.

[Bruce Haugen]

Not a hand tool solution, but if I had expensive spruce and rosewood, I’d find someone with a thickness sander.

[Brian Holcombe]

Spruce, If like most softwoods, is better off planed than sanded. If it’s a short piece then use a stop, if it’s a long piece it’s likely going to need to be in tension.

[Pete Taran]

Flex Seal? :cool:

[Richard Hutchings]

Not a hand tool solution, but if I had expensive spruce and rosewood, I’d find someone with a thickness sander.

What would be the fun in that:D

[Steven Harrison]

I've used this (https://www.finewoodworking.com/2017/11/28/holding-thin-stock-planing) method before and had success. Pretty easy to do if you have a wooden clamp.

[Richard Hutchings]

I like that method but it won't work with .085" sides and guitar tops and backs. It made me think though. If I glue a small block of wood to the underside at the end, I can use this method very well. Then I wouldn't even need the vise, I could just use it like a built in bench stop!

[Kevin Jenness]

A method used in cnc work which holds like carpet tape but releases like painters' tape: put blue tape on the bench and on the workpiece, ca glue on one and accelerator on the other, stick together. Don't use too much or it will penetrate the tape.

[Richard Hutchings]

I just read that on another forum. Seems like a good method but it doesn't allow for measuring every so often. I guess I could measure down to the bench before starting and keep track of how much stock is removed. I've talked myself into it.

Thank you

[Tom Trees]

Plane away from the clamp, you can't use a planing stop for stuff that thin.
You do need a truly flat surface to work on.
Use of the cap iron is the single most important thing to learn, as you can forget about grain then.
Its the best thing ever for a luthier to know.

Look up David W on youtube or that wood central article(David Weaver) for instructions on how to set it correctly.
Don't try to set the cap if you have a tight mouth, bring it all the way back flush with the casting.
Good luck
Tom

[Bruce Haugen]

What would be the fun in that:D

More fun that replacing an $85 piece of rosewood.

There’s a luthier sub forum here. Post your question there and see what you get.

[Kevin Jenness]

If you are planing down to a consistent thickness, use a marking gauge on the ends and edges. You will see the score line on the surface when you reach your thickness.

If you use the ca/blue tape sandwich, be sure to apply a consistent spread of glue for a flat surface. Another approach I haven't tried yet is a sandwich of blue tape with double stick tape in the middle. I haven't yet found a double sided tape that wasn't very difficult to remove after use.

[steven c newman]

Take an old saw blade, snap off a chunk wider the the panel....drill through the metal. Screw this to a substrate that you can then clamp to the bench....make sure the screws are off the the sides. Add a couple paper shims under the teeth of the saw plate,,,,just enough to raise them to about the middle of the panel's thickness. And plane away...

[Dom Campbell]

While only really a variation on a theme, what works for me are brads nailed into a small block of wood, and cut off short, and sharp. This block then gets tacked onto the end of my planing beam (opposite end to my normal planing stop) so that the block sits flush with the beam. The stock is pressed onto the brads to plane.

You do lose a bit of material due to the holes, but it is minimal. It holds thin work well, and keeps the stock in tension.