I could be wrong but snipe I think is more like tear out that happens at the end of the board but a little different from what you’re describing.

I feel this is a big missing element in my workshop (for guitar making at least). But where I live all tools, and especially machines, are a good 2x the price in the US or UK. So I have to think long and hard about what to prioritize. After reading your comment, I actually looked up making one and am thinking of putting this DIY drum sander on…

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You’re right that the sled is quite a bit longer than the blank. I don’t know if what you’re describing is meant to deal with snipe (I left more than enough space at each end to allow snipe and just trim it off). But I’ve seen this advice and will try it as well.

I think I know what’s happening.

You need to take the end of the board as it’s coming out of the planet and apply some upward pressure on it when it gets to the end.

Planers aren’t really meant to do this job, obviously. It’s a jointers job.

I think what’s happening is that at the end of the cut the planer is pushing upwards on the sled at…

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Depending on budget, a 16-32 thickness sander is an invaluable tool (I have the supermax and it’s great). A planer is pretty rough on most guitar woods. I do this sort of thing on my thickness sander.

Thanks for the additional replies Paul. I did go back and try it with extremely light passes (barely turning the handle) but still the same outcome. I’m beginning to doubt the sled so will make one from doubled up laminated plywood (glued together clamped on a granite kitchen counter) and see if that does it.

As for the wood, it looks pretty…

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The other thing is that it could be flat, but curved. Meaning that if you clamped it against something flat, it would be flat, but it’s naturally taking a curved shape.

Again that might not be suitable for a neck blank. But for me after I mill the neck (including the back, on CNC) I clamp the fingerboard and the neck together against a…

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Yeah you want to take cuts that are barely anything. Mark the surface up with pencil cross hatches and take the tiniest cut possible. You should see the planer catch in some places and not others. As you slowly come down it should take more and more and then your complete pass should be flat.

The other thing could be that the wood is got…

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