Well, I do, but not as often as I used to.
My bandsaw lives in an old unheated garage. “Garage” in this case is a polite term for a decrepit wooden shack that provides shelter for squirrels and other local wildlife.
I use the bandsaw primarily for resawing. During the cold Winter months I have little inspiration to go out there for a few quick cuts so I rely on the various hand-tools in my warm and cozy shop.
The other night I was ready to cut an Adirondack spruce dulcimer soundboard to shape. Aside from it being a cold night I also did not think it appropriate to serenade my neighbors with the plaintive strains of a bandsaw cutting through spruce at such a late hour.
My dulcimer soundboards are usually 2.5 mm or less in thickness. I am a big fan of coping saws but have found cutting large pieces of thin stock both tedious and stressful. I would regret having the blade bind in the kerf with just the right amount of gentle twist to split the soundboard. How do I know to worry about this possibility? I give you one guess!
I have heard of traditional luthiers who can build a guitar with little more than a knife, a plane and a piece of rope.
I gave my bench knife a quick stropping and here is the result.
I was able to cut the top out very quickly. I made sure to cut against the direction of the grain to keep the knife from following a grain line and drifting. I started with a light incision and then let the knife follow it like a track for several increasingly deeper passes.
This worked so well that I am going to try it on some of the hardwood dulcimer backs I’ll be making in a day or so. After all, it is still very cold out there!























