I spent about four hours on the back today. Kind of a big job carving that huge expanse down to size. It is now 3/16ths thick. I will sand it down a little further I think, maybe 5/32nds. That ought to allow it to vibrate but still be strong enough to survive unbraced.
First I hogged out the bulk of what I wanted to remove using the drill press. It is set to stop at about 3/16ths.
Once that is completed I sanded with an oscillating orbital sander and 40 grit paper, then 60 grit. Then I worked it over for half an hour with a scraper
Once that is completed I sanded with an oscillating orbital sander and 40 grit paper, then 60 grit. Then I worked it over for half an hour with a scraper
The scraper hogs off a lot of wood pretty quickly. When I thought I had it thinned properly I hit it again with the orbital disc sander and 60 grit paper. When I thought I had it to the thickness I wanted I cut some maple veneer and glued it cross grain to the glued centre joint to provide support for the glue joint.
I will scrape and sand it down a little thinner to the point where the little "point marks" made by the tip of the forstner drill bit disappear and true up the scallops around the rim, Add one of my bright orange labels and then this back will be ready to attach. Whew!
