How shave bridge ?

[viento]

I want to shave my bridge a tad down. I guess I made it a bit high.
It is glued on the top, not loose anymore.
What tool is recommendable for that kind of work?
It´s a selfmade ebony moustache bridge.

[LouieAtienza]

If it were .e, being it's a moustache bridge, I would use a hard block and sandpaper, working up to finish grit. I would also mask the top with cardboard, taped down, and keep cleaning to remove dust and grit...

[viento]

Masking the top with cardboard seems an important hint.
Maybe a delta sander will do what I want without straining my
forearms too much
changing from coarse to fine grit.
It can be used carefully so nothing will be damaged in a rush.
I´ll give it a try.

[redir]

I usually use a block plane but the sand paper would be safer especially for a moustache bridge.

[arie]

Originally Posted by viento

I want to shave my bridge a tad down. I guess I made it a bit high.
It is glued on the top, not loose anymore.
What tool is recommendable for that kind of work?
It´s a selfmade ebony moustache bridge.

if it's a typical gibson style/like bridge the i'd block sand depending upon how much has to be removed. hopefully you don't have a lot of material to remove.

[viento]

I´ve gotten a bit unsecure about shaving the bridge.
Nothing hurries me so I will think more about that.
My intention is to get the strings a tad more down to the fingerboard
especially on the higher part of the neck.
I might lift the neck and its "tonge" slightly higher by adding
a shallow piece of ebony between the end of the fb and the top of the guitar.
Seems to be the easiest alternative compared with a change of the neck angle...

[Rodger Knox]

Originally Posted by viento

Masking the top with cardboard seems an important hint.
Maybe a delta sander will do what I want without straining my
forearms too much
changing from coarse to fine grit.
It can be used carefully so nothing will be damaged in a rush.
I´ll give it a try.

You can use a power sander, but be prepared for how loud it will be.
Power sanding the bridge works just like bowing a violin.
By the way, sanding the bridge is not usually the correct approach. You need to keep the strings at least 7/16" above the top, and if sanding the bridge gets the strings closer than that, it's not a good idea.
The implication in the OP was that you made the bridge too thick, and needed sanding to get down to design thickness, which is fine.

Sanding the bridge should be reserved to guitars that are not worth a neck reset to make them playable. I've done it to a couple of Fender acoustics.

[arie]

Originally Posted by viento

I´ve gotten a bit unsecure about shaving the bridge.
Nothing hurries me so I will think more about that.
My intention is to get the strings a tad more down to the fingerboard
especially on the higher part of the neck.
I might lift the neck and its "tonge" slightly higher by adding
a shallow piece of ebony between the end of the fb and the top of the guitar.
Seems to be the easiest alternative compared with a change of the neck angle...

given this new information, i'd first establish the correct string height then adjust the neck angle to achieve that.

[viento]

Originally Posted by arie

given this new information, i'd first establish the correct string height then adjust the neck angle to achieve that.

Yes, I´m going to think about that thoroughly.

[pops]

If you decide you need to lower the bridge, you can use a scraper. It is easily controllable and leaves a finished surface.

[viento]

I gave up shaving. Instead I lifted the neck plus fingerboard a tad (2mm) with a thin piece of ebony.now I can let the bridge as is and avoid the procedure of changing the angle of the neck/body. It doesn't look so bad.