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I was planing one of my cedar tops I bought from Jason and got a little over-zealous with my newly sharpened planes. The top is now about 2mm thick. I still need to install the rosette and sand down to final thickness. What is the thinnest most of you would go with cedar (this is a Hauser style braced guitar). I'm thinking about pressing on with the build to see the effects of such a thin top. The guitar is not a commission or anything like that, so I'm not worried about an unhappy customer. I'm just curious if this is a recipe for certain doom and I should bail out now, or if I should press on and see what happens. I have plenty of other tops so I'm not worried about saving the wood, I'd just hate to spend a ton of hours if there's virtually no hope for it holding together.

Thanks!

John

John

2mm is probably too thin for cedar with rosette installation, final sanding etc you arer going to be well under 2mm, I would kick it out and try a new one, or you could waste alot of time and then have to replace it.RussellR38725.5350115741

That's about .078" Way too thin. I would start over.

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I have to agree...that is even too thin for a spruce top if final sanding was required!

Shane

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Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking. I think I may just cut up that soundboard in strips and use it for solid cedar kerfing like you see on some Hausers.

Cheers!

John

John,

You might want to save the top for that experimental lattice bracing you'll want to try someday

But

I agree with the others - pitch it.

However, I built a much too thin redwood topped parlor and have gained a much better understanding of the forces involved by watching my top slowly deform. I believe that the knowledge gained will far outweigh the time it will take me to retop this guitar.

John

As they said it's now much too thin, but why not have a go at a double top, I think we had a thread on it last year some time.

Colin

PS you could always use it to cook salmon like LMI says!

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Yep save it for lattice bracing...

I agree with Colin, Salmon plater.

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I have zero experience with cedar, but I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say its too thin for spruce. There are Torres guitars out there that are less than 1mm in some places, and still being played 145 years later.

If you were careful inlaying the rosette I don't see why you'd loose any thickness, plus the rosette is reinforced - a thicker area. But 2mm may well be too thin for your top, I don't know...

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how about a uke? or 2?

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I agree with Colin, make it a double top. Go to Randy Reynolds' site and check it out. Two millimeters might be too thick.

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Either it's too thin or it's an opportunity to get *really* creative with the bracing, which could be fun, and would likely be a unique and successful guitar.

Blackshear as gone as thin as 2mm (once, as far as I know) on a classical with cedar and says it has held up fine. But you will be under 2mm, so it's a no-go. If the wood is nice save it for lattice bracing or double top. Or heck, sell it to somebody for that use. Pitching the top or cutting it up seems pretty wasteful use of a perfectly good top.

What about the "under top" for a dual top guitar?

Steve

Oops, sorry! Just noticed that Colin already mentioned it. Hey, brilliant minds think alike! sfbrown38726.7041319444

Send it to me! I can use it for a cigar box uke! I use 1/16" on the tops, and I think that is perfect.
Tracy