Straightening out a body blank.

[Grantrudd]

so i got a body glued up, and i realized after i took the clams off that is was warped. not too bad, about 1/16"-1/8", but i would still like it to be as straight as possible. the wood is mahogany, and is about 1 1/2" thick. any tips?

[69nites]

you neglected to glue correctly.

if the grain doesn't match up it won't stay straight.

planing it is the only way I can see to straighten it.

[Foamy]

yup - plain ole planing
I am sure, if you told us where you live, one of us could offer to plane it for ya.

[Grantrudd]

i think i found a solution. it is only one end that is badly warped, so i guess i will cut the horn out of that end, and then plane the horn flush with the rest of the body.

[Greenman]

Your looking for a disaster trying to plane a cut body. Do you have a pic? Will a thickness sander do it?

[wilser]

This is one of those areas where the Safe-T-Planer exceeds! I often get wood that is not dried up completely and warps or bows while it's drying. The safe-t-planer takes the suckers back into submission.

[69nites]

Originally Posted by wilser

This is one of those areas where the Safe-T-Planer exceeds! I often get wood that is not dried up completely and warps or bows while it's drying. The safe-t-planer takes the suckers back into submission.

I was looking at those recently and wondering how well they worked.

I guess you just answered my question.

[wilser]

Originally Posted by 69nites

I was looking at those recently and wondering how well they worked.

I guess you just answered my question.

I couldn't live without mine! I rough thickness stock for tops, fingerboards, body blanks. I taper the neck thickness. I rough taper the fingerboards that get a radius. I thickness headstocks (also tapered). I level glued bodies that bow or cup due to the added moisture of the wood (as per this thread). I also flatten the face of stock that's too wide for the jointer before I send the other face through the thickness planer. It works very well, fast and safe! Just keep them cutters sharp and it'll be your best friend.

[JSPguitars]

I've recently bought a safe-t-planer and just used it to do exactly what you're after....i have a 3-piece swamp ash body blank that I didn't line up correctly when gluing, so I had some work to do as well. The thing is great, but I'm at the point where i need to sharpen the little bits.....any pointers on that Wilser??
The only thing I hate is that it makes a freakin' mess real quick!!

[wilser]

Originally Posted by JSPguitars

I've recently bought a safe-t-planer and just used it to do exactly what you're after....i have a 3-piece swamp ash body blank that I didn't line up correctly when gluing, so I had some work to do as well. The thing is great, but I'm at the point where i need to sharpen the little bits.....any pointers on that Wilser??
The only thing I hate is that it makes a freakin' mess real quick!!

just place your dust collector/shop vac where it's shooting out the chips. Just follow the instructions on the sheet for sharpening. I use a hand screw to hold the cutter while sharpening and it seems to work well.

[Mr. Majestic]

Originally Posted by 69nites

you neglected to glue correctly.

if the grain doesn't match up it won't stay straight.

planing it is the only way I can see to straighten it.

This is not always the case, you may have not started with trued up piece of wood or a flat piece. What did you use to true up your glue joint? Narrow pieces sometime have small twists that are easily looked over, but if not properly matched up can create a large twist instead of counteracting one. Sometimes if your clamps aren't properly placed or your blank is not flattened you can pull a twist into it also. Grain plays a part in cups, but not so much in twist. Proper wood selection and preparation is much more a factor.
My father and I owned a cabinet door shop for thirty years and glued up no less than twenty thousand panels a year. It has been my experience that most of the time a planer will not pull a twist out of a board, a bow either for that matter. A planer will straighten out a cup though. Twist are harder to deal with. The perfect option would be a large bed jointer; you have to be able to straighten one side first, then the planer is an option. I have never used a safe-t-plane, but it does seem to make sense. You can always use the trusty hand plane also.

[Giel]