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<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"> Glenn writes</BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040> If you have a ful=
l board ready to install and you decide to thin it, how do you measure you p=
lanning progress?</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid">
<DIV><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT=
size=3><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040> You'=
re asking the hard technical questions. My engineer friend say that when his=
friends get picky with details the comment is "hey your not building a pian=
o ya know" I take that as a compliment. In this case we are but fortuna=
tely board thinning isn't a mystery. It however helps to have an o=
rganized approach to thinning. If you ask 5 belly guys how they do it you'll=
get five different answers.</FONT></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT=
size=3><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040>  =
; The amount of thinning depends on what your goals is & what you think =
is benifiacial to freeing up the edges of a board. The thinning in most regi=
mines includes thinning along the spine(straight side), on around the tail a=
round the curve and stopping short of the top treble area which needs no or =
little thinning.</FONT><BR><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040>So=
me also thin along the belly rail up to the offset of the board ,which =
is sometimes desireable depending on the overal thickness of the board to st=
art. This is not an area that I find much thinning on in old boards</FONT></=
STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><STRO=
NG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3> Thinning i=
s mostly restricted to the areas directly over the thin part o or cutouts on=
the rib generally comprising 4 to 6"or more out into the panel. The area th=
at benifits the most from thinning in my opinion is the area beginning where=
the tail curves around and behind the bass bridge. This area needs to move.=
</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040> <STRON=
G><FONT size=3>If I'm planning a board thats overall thickness is say .350=
</FONT></STRONG> <STRONG><FONT size=3> In the middle It is common to =
have starting thinness at the edge of between . 250 or so. I personally don'=
t like to get any thinner than this and usually don't. More like .275 ish. I=
use a a plunge router that swings a 1 1/2"bit. Kinda scary! It sits in a bi=
g flat 3/8" plexiglass jig with a beveled piece of spruce that approximates =
the beveled edge of a board. The wedge sits between the router & th=
e plexi which angles the router & bit. It's possible to increase or=
decrease the angle by shimming between the wedge and the router. The flat P=
lexiglas panel with router on top (Approx. 8 by 12) rides on top of the pane=
l. There's an adjustable fence the sits down below the panel the follows the=
edge of the board. With each pass around the board the fence is adjusted ou=
tward to allow the router bit to move farther in on the panel. The cut  =
;height is adjusted by turning the knob on the router raising the bit =
until it cuts at a level above the last cut.</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3> T=
he whole device is run around the board usually bout 4 to 5 times, each time=
at a different level. I then do some final hand planning to smooth things u=
p & finish off with a belt sander & then an orbital of various grits=
. I'll often hand plane a bit more behind the bass section.</FONT></STRONG><=
/DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3> &=
nbsp; I'll try to JPG a picture of the thing. Also it's easy to make a pair =
of wooden armed calipers that can measure in on the board.</FONT>=
</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3> =
Dale </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid"><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"=
>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid">
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000=
ff 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" cite="" TYPE="CITE"></FONT><FONT face=
=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman" color=#000040> <FONT size=3><STRONG> Sorry about the fir=
st incomplete transmission. Operator error</STRONG></FONT></FONT><BR></FONT>=
<FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR></BLOC=
KQUOTE></FONT><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSER=
IF"><BR></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040></FONT></BLOCK=
QUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>