Here is the set up for hogging the wood out of the back. That dowel mounted on the drill press has a piece of cork glued to its top to prevent indenting the outside of the back. Note the lines drawn on the inside to guide the drilling. The forstner bit has its tip ground down a little so as not to penetrate too far beyond the cutting blades.
Once the wood is hogged out it is an easy matter to smooth it up with a #36 grit sanding disk. Note all the small holes made by the tip of the forstner bit. When you have sanded them all away you will be at the depth you set your drill press for.
Here are those ugly holes up close. Grind them all away- it is a little scary to do because it always feels like you are going to sand right through the back, but if you set the drill press right it will be no problem. The holes will be your guide.
Here we are almost finished. I still see a few drill marks but now I will switch to a smoother sanding disk to finish up. There is still plenty of thickness in this back. I will also shape up the edges with a little burr bit on my dremel.
Then I turned the back over and sanded the outside smooth. What do you think about that tiger-stripe maple?
That is about as pretty as it gets. This will be on Concert Pinecone #69. It is going to be a beauty.
That is about as pretty as it gets. This will be on Concert Pinecone #69. It is going to be a beauty.
