So.... I cant find ANY thin wood sellers in my area, or online that sells to Canada for that matter....
I could pick up a cheap 10 inch table saw and make 2, 4 inch passes (top and bottom) to slab off an 1/8 inch flat.
Question is... how cheap can I go and still cut through 4 inch tall hardwood?
Looking at the 10 inch 10-13AMP jobbies.
Whatcha think?
Or is there a better way?
Kindest,
jim
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
Replies
I make a 3 stringed instrument called a Phintaro. I made up the name. It's a combination of a Thai instrument called a Phin
and a 3 string guitar. many of them I use a dulcimer type fretting. for my self I use the Thai fretting. Anyway my shop is in Thailand but I also spend time in Canada. From Vancouver but family is in Sask. There is a Luthier school in Tugaske, SK
run by David Freemon. It's called Timeless Instruments. He not only teaches guitar making but has tons of supplies.
All the wood sets for all kinds of instruments. Some great Canadian grown wood plus exotics of all kinds. Cheaper than anything you will find from American dealers. He has a free online catalog.
If you want more info write to me. Lewin. leveneleven@gmail.com
Hi Jim, It can be done on a table saw but I wouldn't use one of therm cheap table top saws.
As for using a bandsaw it should be a good one of an industrial type with the correct blade and proper fence set up.
The only table saws I would for any type of accurate cutting would be a Delta Unisaw set up for cabinetry work, (meaning that the fence is set up to be perfectly aligned and blade is high quality, thin kerf, and about 80 teeth), Matsushita blades are good, or a Powermatic Cabinet shop saw and preferably a Beismeyer fence system on them.
I will assume that these ideas are not probably feasible for a number of reasons. so on to a realistic way of doing this.
If you have your heart set on doing this yourself you can buy an inexpesnive saw but get a high quality blade designed for your job.and I would secure the saw to the floor or if bench top type to a solid secure work table of proper working height.
You simply will have to cut the wood in 1/4" or thicker sections and then sand them closer to what you need.or have them planed to your desired thickness, allow for any final sanding or shaping meaning don't cut, sand or plane your pieces all the way down to 1/8" leave a little extra.
The biggest problem u you may have is that most of the cheap saws motors cannot handle the load of cutting 4 inch stock. I have gotten away with it by buying very expensive thin kerf blades and going slow,
This may work for you but is not the first choice when cutting 4 inch hardwood stock.
My final recommendation is to find a cabinet shop or mill that will do this work for so you don't lose any fingers or eyes~ Good Luck
P.S. there are places that sell thin wood but it is not common as much, I have a package of thin wood strips approx. 1/8" I think by 2-1/2 to 3 inch or wider pieces of wood by approx. 4 or 4-1/2 feet long, a brand new package probably 15 or 20 years old but new, I will go out and check for sure on the dimensions and wood type and let you know, if it is something you can use maybe I could mail a few pieces to you for your project. Brian
Use safety practices, blade guard, safety goggles, etc.
I use a table saw with a thin kerf teflon coated blade and make a 1 inch pass top and bottom and then finish it off with a band saw. This leaves a slightly raised section down the middle which I take off with sanding or planer if you have one.
I reckon it is a function of price. How many of these cuts are you going to make over time. If its a little, then a supplier of big wood may cut a few for you as a favor.
For things like this, I use the bodies and sound boards of trashed guitars, generally its pretty thin.
peace
hey.... i see our meaning of thicknesser was different. i meant i was looking at a thickness planer. 2-3 cutting blades, cuts top and bottom, pushed through rollers. this is supposed to get down to 1/8" a sanding board should smooth out anything needed. thats a thought anyway -- and almost within price range.
fretboard, if i dont mind 3/16" i can get them done now.
the gears are turning anyway, haha
getting down to the 10mm thickness is a problem on my jointer, (so not making fret boards yet) not a safe thing to da at all. I was hunting for an old school 4" jointer planer, this would do all i need. As for the thicknesser, I would still use the planer and sand for final finish. To get a smooth flat face, the thicknesser's I have used are great for the chippy (builder). For the joiner/furniture maker a better quality machine is rearly needed. As a rule of thumb, "Old School". Most things were made of a better quality and can be found much cheeper as an old machine. Expect to have to refurbish one though.
As for turning your jointer into a thicknesser, i plan to do so. Two bearing'd rollers ( one each side of the cutting head, 150 - 200mm apart ) sprung on a gimble. This would be upside down putting pressure on the top of the wood.
Just some ideas, hope it helps.
Jointer is a good idea I think. I'd make a backer plate for getting it thin enough, basically just a board with a stop on the end to keep good pressure and control---and some protection if it should blow up due to a knot or runout that might get caught. There's some good pics and plans for homemade thicknessers online too. Nicolas Hambas who makes dulcimers (Hambasdulcimers.com ) has a plan on his web site.
Possibly even cheaper might be to lock a belt sander in a vise upside down and use it like a free sanding belt, or use a good Stanley/Bailey Plane (you can find on E-Bay for well under 100.00 US) to do the final thicknessing if you can get 1/4 inch stuff.
Mr. Toad, may I ask what size and motor you are using ?
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next