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G'day, just a bit of advice, apologies if it's been asked already. I see some of you guys are into building guitars. I've never done it but have had experience with other forms of woodworking. I've pretty much got all the tools I need apart from a thicknesser,; I have a jointer and a router table but no way to get a final thickness/flatface on a body.

I want to buy a thicknesser but I'm a massive tight-arse and it doesn't seem like you can pick one up cheap.

My question is has anyone experimented with other ways of flattening boards and what worked the best? I've seen people do at it with hand plane but that looks like a real pain in the arse.


P.s I'm having trouble uploading photos. I was wanting to thank Dan and do NGD for the sg. Cheers

You can always make a sled for your router. I've done that to thickness a slab of microcarpa with live edge. I didn't need a huge level of accuracy though.

Its probably cheaper just to get a local joiner to run the timber through their thicknesser, its not something you'll be doing a lot of.

codedog wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 6:59 pm You can always make a sled for your router. I've done that to thickness a slab of microcarpa with live edge. I didn't need a huge level of accuracy though.

I ll second this. Building a guitar now and i made my own 'sled' from aluminium pieces from Bunnings and other bits and bobs. I took photos and also made a video. Will post tomorrow. The results are very good...

Jay wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 7:31 pm

codedog wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 6:59 pm You can always make a sled for your router. I've done that to thickness a slab of microcarpa with live edge. I didn't need a huge level of accuracy though.

I ll second this. Building a guitar now and i made my own 'sled' from aluminium pieces from Bunnings and other bits and bobs. I took photos and also made a video. Will post tomorrow. The results are very good...

I made mine wrong. The router is fixed to the sled, and the sled slides in all direction. That's just stupid. I've only needed to use it twice. If I need to use it again I'll make a new sled, where the router slides in/on the sled.

sizzlingbadger wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 7:02 pm Its probably cheaper just to get a local joiner to run the timber through their thicknesser, its not something you'll be doing a lot of.

My thicknesser blades are always either blunt, chipped or the wood is too wide for my machine so I find local joiners an easier option. Takes their grunters no time at all too for most things.

As mentioned, router sleds are an easily made alternative and do a nice job. Made and use one during lockdown on a couple guitars

Photo detailing sled components. I use double sided tape to keep to piece of timber that needs planing firmly attached to the tray.

Poor video of the sled in action...

I use my local joiners, they are a good source of wood too