Both the top and back pieces of the guitar body consist of bookmatched pieces of stock which are intended to create a mirrored grain pattern in a single piece. When materials are acquired, they arrive as two separate pieces with need to be first edge planed, and then glued together to become a single sheet.
The first phase of this is edge planing. For this, I clamp the two pieces together and align the soon to be glued sides up in the vice. Using a large hand plane set to a very very small cutting depth, I create a straight smooth surface which which glue will be applied. This takes patience and some trial and error as the original edge imperfections are worked out.

After the planing, I apply glue to the joining edge and position and clamp down in a home-made glue-up jig that uses wedges and rope to pull the two pieces together along a perfectly flat surface.


Next up for this piece will be thickness planing which will be another post.