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Sloane Crack Repair Knife and Sloane Shaping Jig
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i-4480 Updated 03/03
The Sloane Crack Repair Knife and Splint Shaping Jig work together for easier repairing of cracks in flattop guitars. The knife “trues” and cleans the edges of a wood crack, so that a well-formed splint can be glued in place. It can either be pulled like a knife, or pushed like a chisel. The knife should be drawn against a straightedge to make a close-mating opening for the splint. The Splint Shaping Jig aids in the making of well-fitting repair splints. It is adjustable in width and angle, for shaping a splint to match the angle of the knife and the width of the opening.
Start by making sure that the knife blade is sharp (as supplied, the blade is shaped but not fully sharpened). Replace the blade in the frame, and adjust the blade tip to protrude slightly more than the thickness of the cracked wood.
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The center of the blade is designed to be 3/8" from either side of the knife frame. Place the straightedge 3/8" from the cut line, and recheck the positioning. Hold it in place with tape or with clamps.
The first cut should be made slowly by lifting the knife slightly and cutting lightly. Cut deeper with each successive pass until you cut completely through the wood. (A straightedge that is too thin will not allow you to lift the knife for the shallow cuts.) Shift the knife over and make a parallel cut on the other side of the crack. This can be done by moving the straightedge, or by placing a thin shim against it.
Always try to keep the repair to an absolute minimum width. If the crack extends from the edge of the guitar to the bridge, make the cuts parallel to the entire length of the crack. If the crack ends out on the soundboard away from a convenient termination point, the cuts will need to be tapered to a point by hand, often on both ends of the crack. Practice this technique on scrap wood before you try it on a guitar!
The Splint Shaping Jig must be set up so that its two sandpaper-faced plates are at the same angle as the knife blade. Once this is done it can remain at that angle, and only requires adjustment for width.
Loosen the socket-head cap screw through the L-shaped half of the jig; the two sandpaper-faced plates will flop apart. Angle them together to match the taper of the knife blade (a slight but distinct angle); remove the blade from the knife for better comparison. Once this angle is established, tighten the cap screw temporarily.
Place the jig in a small metal vise, so that the bent leg of one half of the tool rests on the top of the vise jaws. Tighten the vise jaws onto the long straight leg of the other half of the tool. If this is done properly, you will be able to loosen the cap screw and slide the bent-leg jaw open and closed, widening and narrowing the jig opening.
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Keep the jig in the vise for all adjustments and while making wooden splints. Adjust the sanding plates apart to make a wide splint, and closer to make a narrow one. In addition, a bent steel stop on the jig will go up and down to slightly adjust the width, and serves as a positive stop for the final splint width.
With the jig adjusted, cut a piece of splinting wood slightly wider and longer than necessary. Pull the splint through the jig's sanding plates, reversing it end-to-end each time to maintain uniformity. Start with the steel jig-stop set near the top, sand to the stop, and check the fit of the wooden splint in the prepared crack. Lower the jig-stop and pull the splint through again; be careful not to go too far. After the splint is formed, shape its ends and glue it in place.
Fresh sandpaper can be affixed to the jig plates with double-stick tape or contact cement.
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