Thickness Sander

the beginning (bits and pieces)

disassembled (showing abrasive roll and dust hood)

finished 20" wide thickness sander

Getting a consistent and accurate thickness for a guitar soundboard is one of the most crucial and important steps in creating, voicing, and differentiating a custom instrument. Because every piece of wood is different in density, flexibility, and species this means every sample has a specific target thickness to achieve the 'perfect' or desired sound. By passing the stock under the abrasive wrapped drum the dimension can be dialed in far more accurately than I am capable of using hand planes, scrapers, and calipers. Not to mention a consistent outcome can be achieved in minutes rather than hours and, with the addition of dust collection, there is virtually no visible dust tossed around the shop or blown into the laundry room...

After fine tuning with shims, the drum and table are accurate to +-.006" over a 20" wide area which is not too shabby for a pile of scrap wood and mostly scavenged parts. The cherry wood was destined for a fire pile and the major parts (motor, shaft, and pulleys) donated by my generous father. Which meant all that was left to procure were the pillow blocks, piano hinge, short length of threaded rod, 3/4" plywood for the table, abrasive roll, and drive belt. I'm not certain of the final build cost but I do know this sander was far less then the Jet 22-44 and is just as capable for anything I will require.

The final product was certainly worth the effort and if you think you may want to make one of these please be inspired by Dominic's Drum Sander and this PDF article which I roughly modeled my machine after.

Dining Table

cherry tree early 1990's

basement shop 2009

finished table (chairs crafted by skilled Amish hands)

Climbing practice, third base, clothes line post, target practice, kite stealer, leg almost breaker... and now dining table.

A few years back a cherry tree that we grew up with had to be taken down in my father's yard due to insect damage. Rather than chop it up for firewood, or pay the city to turn it into mulch, he had it milled over at Metro-Hardwoods in Cleveland Ohio in hopes it could/would eventually be used. Fortunately I grew up with a wood shop and was able to use his power tools to plane and dimension the seasoned lumber for the table top, apron and legs. Final jointing, leveling, fitting, and gluing were done in my basement shop with a collection of hand tools I've inherited. Oh and a new cabinet scraper, I don't know why I have gone so long without this, forget burning your thumbs with card scrapers on flat surfaces.

I could not decide on a finish for a longest time and eventually went with General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane EF because it has two UV stabilizers, one to keep the finish from breaking down and another to keep the wood from darkening too much. Also appealing was the 'EF', which stands for environmentally friendly because it is a water base and has low VOC. It is a little more difficult to apply but I finally found a finish I could apply in the basement without fuming my wife out of the house.

After too many coats of finish and a stressful session of wet sanding it seems to be ready to enjoy. Hopefully for generations to come.

Team Balance Pins

Three days before Balance held their annual holiday party, I convinced my dad and brother to pull a couple of late nights with me to surprise the team with some special gifts. The idea came to me six months before the party... My brother burned the magnetic stainless steel Balance logo on an EDM and we turned the aluminum jars on a bridgeport. Thanks Guys!

A collage to remember today.

'Main Street - 01.20.2009'

'The Chagrin Falls - 01.20.2009'

Armed with the new studio camera on beautiful Ohio winter morning, Mike set out to capture the crisp air on this historic day. The first panorama was taken standing on Main Street just outside the Balance Product Development studio and the second view can be appreciated just down the street at the Chagrin falls.

Gotta love digital SLR cameras.