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Double Bass Abrasives

C

ctregan

Jun 25, 2007
523
3
Syracuse N.Y.
#1
Everyone is always talking about the role of hand tools and bass luthier work around here. But what about abrasives? They can do a lot of tasks that make bass work, much easier. I wonder though, if there a sacrifice in quality of workmanship? Is a sharp tool still the best way to go, for top notch work?

I use an oscillating spindle sander for bridge work and shaping nuts. Also a number of belt sanders for removing saw marks and such (an edge sander would be nice). Modern abrasives have come a long way in the past few years, almost to the point of replacing hand tools.

So, is there any strong opinions on using abrasives in a luthier shop? What type of sanders have you used? Lastly, is there anyone out there who is all hand tools, and little or no abrasives?
 
#2
Oh boy... I'm happy to use whatever devices make my work quicker, easier and more accurate. I have sustained some serious overuse and work-related injuries during my 35 years as a tradesman and consequently don't look down on power tools.

I have a big table saw, big and little drill presses, a band saw and a belt sander. I also have a good selection of wooden and metal planes including my grandfather's Columbus, Ohio made hybrid! Plenty of chisels and scrapers make for good flexibility when faced with challenging repair tasks. I have no problem using sandpaper, whether to finish a fingerboard or even to shape it. Some of the fingerboards on Chinese basses are very brittle with crazy grain - sandpaper, rasps and files keep me from having to repair giant chunks torn out of those boards and for that I am grateful.

The romantic notion of a luthier's shop with only hand tools is very attractive but I'm trying to make a living here! ;)
 
#3
I definitely make a lot of use of the spindle sander and the belt sander at the shop. I mostly use them for shaping nuts, bridge legs, and for cutting the arch of the bridge. I will say however that I've actually gone back to thinning bridges by hand. I've found that I can chisel off most of the excess wood quite quickly making it easy to plane down to the final shape and thickness. It gives me more control over the shape and only takes a few minutes longer. It also creates much less dust which is something to consider when working in a big shop. In general, I prefer to do as much shaping as possible with cutting tools and just rely on abrasives to create a smooth surface. With fingerboards, I strive to make the surface as smooth as possible with the plane so that it only takes a minimal amount of sanding to fully smooth it out. A sharp plane will naturally create the shape I want whereas aggressive sanding could potentially distort that shape.
 
#5
Yeah, we have vacuums hooked up to all of our big tools. They do a pretty good job with the band saw and spindle sander, but the belt sander still makes quite a bit of dust. I don't know if its a problem with our setup or if it's just the nature of the tool.
 
#7
We do have a combo belt/disc sander which can make short work of removing the bulk of extra wood on something, but we always finish it with a plane. I also find the disc useful for flattening endgrain on small parts. All in all that machine gets used for about %5 or less of what we do, the rest is done by hand, but we work on way more violins than basses. To me the main problem with using abrasives to shape your work is that it tends to give a roundness and a fuzzyness to the look of what you are making. (I am not including files and rasps in that statement). Finishing wood by sanding it up to a very fine grit is a different story, I think that is a very nice look and I use it for many things.
 
#8
We all use power tools to make a living, but the best work is still done with a practiced hand and a keen sharp edge. I know that in our shop a plane or sharp chisel gives a better surface than a power sander. There is a place for both.
 
#9
Schoolhouse said:
We all use power tools to make a living, but the best work is still done with a practiced hand and a keen sharp edge. I know that in our shop a plane or sharp chisel gives a better surface than a power sander. There is a place for both.
Click to expand...

You're definitely spot on there. However I have way to cheat sometimes. I will do excess wood removal with my belt sander then finish with a razor blade as a scraper to get that smooth, carved surface. It also helps lift out the super-fine sawdust that sometimes compacts itself between the wood fibers. If I don't use the razor blade, it's kinda funny to watch a new bridge after carving it blow dust with vibration much like an over-rosined violin bow.. :p
 

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