killemall8

Man, every time i speak too soon. I got the gear problem fixed, but then i go to adjust the table to make it level on both ends, and something just isnt right. Any time i adjust the bolts for the table height, it locks up the chain and the handle wont turn. This is beginning to be the absolute worst nightmare i have ever delt with. I have a 1200$ machine sitting there, useless, and unfixable. This alone makes me not want to build guitars again.

Got a bit more work done on it. Still been really busy with my other job and church stuff. The back routed for the string retainer and the control cavity. Neck will be glued in tomorrow.

Took it apart this evening. Fortunately it wasnt the gears that broke again. This time it was the set pin that holds the gear to the shaft attached to the handle. It broke so it was just spinning. Made a new one out of a screw. Still have to take a full day sometime and see if i can get this thing to work the way it should.

It was a reseller. Bought from a computer guy who didnt really know what it was. I dont know who had it before him. Might have to call them up sometime.

Soo.... The day i have always dreaded is here. It broke again today. I couple years ago it had a problem where the gears that lift the table up and down stripped. They are just plastic, so i could see why. But again, for the past few months, the table was harder and harder to move. I would have to pull as hard as i could to move it up and down. And yesterday, it snapped again. I havnt taken it apart to look at it, but i can see that the gear isnt spinning. It looks like it stripped off of the bar that they handle turns. Turns out, there are no more replacement parts availible for this. I had ordered them last time, and the same siite now says that it is "obsolete" for those parts. They sell most other replacement parts but the ones that always break.... This is probably the one tool i do NOT ever want to build a guitar without again. With the ribbon grained mahogany i use, i always get a lot of tearout with the planer i use. There is no way i can level and remove all the tearout by hand. I did it for years and it just isnt worth it.

Haha, I have seen that exact illusion many times while working with veneer. It is even more so when you have extreme contrasting woods. Got it routed. I dont normally take pictures in the shop or with low light, but i had to get a few.

got the neck pocket cut. I probably could have done more to the body before i glued the heel cap on.

How do you break pickup rings???

Yeah, i really like honduran rosewood. I have used it on 3 other guitars. I dont prefer this light color though.

Been getting a lot of work done on it. Neck is fretted, and ready for carve. Will get that done tomorrow. Should be able to rout it all tomorrow too. Went with the 7 piece, mahogany, walnut, figured maple veneer and paduak for the neck again. I ordered a few fretboard blanks from LMI. Their fretboards are usually the best. I picked up a honduran rosewood fretboard, it is one of my favorite fretboard woods. Normally it is a dark, rich color. But for some reason they ended up sending me a REALLY light piece. BUT! it seems to work perfectly with these colors.

cherry is a good guitar wood. It is pretty much identical to soft maple, aside from color. Machines the same and is about the same hardness and stiffness. It is not used probably because of its color... at least on necks. It is usually a very pinkish wood. People always ask these questions as there is a real, definitive answer, when there really isnt. Its just one of those things. It just isnt used. No real reason.

That is interesting. It is the exact opposite for me. All my best ones are in direct sunlight. It has to be at the right time of day though. My best ones come out when the sun is about 30* off the horizon. If it is higher than that then they dont come out right.

Looks great man. I had forgotten about this project. I was going to put a paduak fretboard on my burl that i am working on now. But now it looks like it would be too similar.

And the thing is, the place pretty much only sells to big contractors and people like that. So 99% of the mahogany they have like this ends up hidden or used as other random things, where it cant be appreciated.

I feel it is much more than opinion. II has no business in guitar making. It is waterproof, never dries fully and will show through finishes, because finish wont stick to it. But your choice.

I have thought about buying a large amount and selling it. They always have amazing mahogany there.

nope, Mdf will hold up just fine like that. Its not going to break when it is flush and flat with something. Yeah... Titebond III is useless on guitars...

Thanks guys. Rad, I got a 15ft board 8" wide of that mahogany. They had about 15 more boards that looked identical or better at the lumberyard. I want to go back and buy another one before its gone.

That is exactly how i glue my neck blanks. Well, without the wax paper. I cut 6 pieces of MDF the width of hte neck blank, and clamp those on the ends and middle. Then just take them off after the glue has set for about 15 minutes, so they dont stick.

Looks good, but i would have put block sideways, so the grain is running up and down.

Neither, for now.

Got the body routed to shape:

Thanks guys. This is actually "Mappa" burl. Had never heard of it before. My plans do involve a colored finish on these. At least hopefully.

Nah, you dont have to worry about it "deadening" any of the sound. Even epoxy or thick poly wont do that. I have used poly exclusively the past few years because it is the only finish that does dry hard and fast. All the other lacquers and other finishes i have used stay soft and shrink forever. The minwax polyurethane i use dries in like a day and is completely hard in about 2.

Do you mean 45 minutes with each grit, or a 45 minute span with all the grits up to 320? 45 minutes with each grit is insane...