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Bridge Ramp Sanding Jig:
The bridge ramp sanding jig has just one purpose in life. That is to sand the gentle curved ramps on the belly bridge, evenly and consistently. If you have ever tried to do these by hand, you will really appreciate this jig. To get the ramps on both sides of the bridge to look symetrical is not only a challenge, you will probably go through several bridge blanks before you get it right.
Each Stationary Belt Sander Has A Different Setup:
Start out by inspecting your Stationary Belt Sander. First of all you will need to remove the guard that protects the idler pully. This guard should be removed completely to eliminate conflict.
Next you will need to set the belt sander surface all the way to the down position. Now measure the distance from the top of the sander stand to the bottom of the sanding surface at the underside of the belt sander.
You also will almost always need to drill new holes in the top of the stand for the mounting of the jig.
Making The Jig:
- This jig is very easy to make. The hardest part in the process in making the necessary adjustments to fit your particular Stationary Belt Sander.
- Just cut the plywood pieces from cabinet grade plywood. Drill and insert the threaded insert for the adjustment bolt. Now connect the 2 pieces of plywood with the 6″ length of piano hinge.
- Test fit the assembly on the sander stand. If you find that you will cantilever over the stand by a considerable amount, I would suggest that you install the aluminum support brackets shown on either side of the jig. These supports are very critical because if you have too much of an overhang the jig will flex downward and you will not get consistent results.
- Also drill holes as required on the top of the stand to attach the jig. If you want the jig removable (I don’t with mine) you should use bolts with easy release knobs for quick on and off operation.
- I would suggest that you install the small 3/8″ thick wooden fences on either side of the adjustable plywood to allow you to feed the bridge blank into the sanding pulley at exactly a 90 degree angle for both sides of the bridge.
- Finally, insert the adjustment bolt into the threaded insert and adjust the top movable plate were you need it and you are done.
Using The Jig:
- Using this jig is really simple, I would recommend that you install the forward stops on the fence to that you get consistent results. If you are going to sand bridges of different sizes, you may want to make this forward fence adjustable with a couple of adjustment knobs/bolt combinations.
- You can choose to cut a portion of the ramps on the blank down to size, but this is not really necessary as the belt sander makes quick work of these small pieces of wood.
- Do not take more and 1 -2 mm of wood off with one pass as you may burn the belt and cause deflection in the jig. As you get closer to your thickness goal use smaller increments. Your final pass should take just a whisker off the ramp. Be sure to hold the blank tight against the fence for consistent results.
The full detailed plans for this jig are available in our Plan Shop. I have a nominal charge of $3.99 for the plans which consist of (2) 24″ x 36″ PDF sheets which is an immediate electronic download ready for you to print or to follow electronically.
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Tags: belly bridge ramp sanding jig, guitar builder tools, guitar making jigs, guitar repair tools, luthiers tools
