diehardcrew

From my experience "jointer" and "joiner" did not used to be interchangeable, but so many people say "joiner" when they mean "jointer" because they just heard someone else say it and thought they said "joiner". "Joining" is just the action of "joinery" in woodworking meaning to join 2 or more pieces of wood by some means, typically with a joint of some type rather than just screwing two boards together. (examples such as finger joint, dovetail joint, mortise and tenon, lap joints, biscuit joints, dowel joints etc.) Biscuit joinery has become quite popular lately and so have the power tools known as "biscuit joiners" that of course speed the process up a lot. You can also use a slot-cutting bit on a router for the same task. Sometimes these handtools are called "joiners" for short, but that really lacks description, so they should be referred to as "biscuit joiners" to avoid confusion. Jointers of course make the wood flat & square if so desired to the fence. Planers will thickness the wood, but not take out bowing or make the wood square.

From what I understand, red maple is softer, but more common. I would pay the extra for hard maple for a neck. Quartersawn or laminate would be best, but not entirely necessary. A lot of shops call their hard maple rock maple, same thing.

Ah, the summer has come and gone, winter is upon us, I started this post in April and haven't done a thing in months!! BUT I recently began concentrating on it and made some progress. I suppose I should get some pictures together... Anyhow I learned a couple of things from my mistakes despite much reading of books and this site. Often just diving in and doing something is the best way for me to REALLY learn. -My 3 laminates for the neck blank were not "parallel". I jointed them very well and they're square to the sides, but the wide faces were not parallel with each other, meaning once I laminated them together, the purpleheart center stringer basically tapers. I was not discouraged, I simply wrote this down as an excuse to get a planer. I've seen tapered laminates and although it wasn't my original design, as long as I draw an accurate centerline and work from that it won't matter. I believe the taper was only a 1/8" difference over about 47". In fact I'm calling it a "feature" not a problem... -After jointing the wood, my neck blank is not quite wide enough near the body for my 5-string bass. I'm going to stick w/ the 5 string plan, and just glue additional maple onto the sides of the blank. No biggie, but I should've bought thicker stock to allow for more jointing than I thought I needed. -I already drew the side plan on the neck blank before realizing I have to glue more maple onto the sides. Being new at this, it took me at least 30 min. to draw it all on there since I went so slow and my measurements for various things were on like 5 different pieces of paper. So perhaps other newbies can learn from my mistakes, I know I have and this will help me should I decide to build another... I'll get some pictures up soon so everyone can have a good laugh!!! ha ha just kidding.

From what I've seen, heard & read, the best 14" bandsaws are: Delta (drawback is it's retail for $700+ USD) Jet, retails about $500 and is just about as good as Delta Rigid $380-ish, and is pretty much identical to the Jet except for open base/stand vs. enclosed Jet, so it's a little noisier and doesn't have the heft or weight that the above two have. I'm personally saving for the Jet, but I think the Ridgid/Rigid however its spelled is perhaps the best deal, and just about as good. I am getting by with a jigsaw for now and a drill-powered small bandsaw (don't ask), but I hope to do my own resawing and will pretty much use the bandsaw as my central tool, for whatever I can think of.

No I think that does it. Thanks a lot for your prompt response. Unfortunately I have to fix the electrical in my house before I can fire up the jointer & other tools again. But I hope to make some progress soon. Thanks!

I might be blind or having bad luck, but I couldn't find info on this although I have a feeling it may be a common question?? Anyhow here it goes: Is the nut glued into a recess near the end of the fretboard (that's what the tutorials made it sound like) or just behind the fretboard? I've seen it both ways, or at least I think I have. I haven't heard much discussion on preferred method if there is more than one. Does it just depend on how deep your nut is? If it matters I'm asking specifically for a bass guitar. Also, do many bass guitars have neck angles? I don't think I need one. I plan on using a Hipshot bridge (5841-B on stew mac) I believe it's only 1/2" high, and if my fingerboard is almost 1/4 inch, my calculations show I wouldn't need one. Does that sound right?

Sperzels rule

mmmmm... crushed bugs..... yum

Just to be a smart alec... Some deaf people do enjoy feeling the music, mostly the vibrations of the lower register, and blind people could enjoy the texture of art, especially if it's sculpture or 3D... (but it is true).

I don't know if you can really say that bass bodies are thinner than guitar. It really varies from builder to builder. One of the thinnest I know of are 1 1/4", ala Carl Thompson and I'm sure many others. Most bass body thickness' are either 1 1/2" or 1 3/4". I have heard of 2" thick, ala Wish bass and other sadists/masochists out there. I guess it would be determined by not just your preference, but how deep you need your cavities to be for electronics, input jack location, pickups, etc.

Okay, sorry I just edited this because I somehow missed the last post. But what I was saying was.... IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT CHROME IS BLUISH, COLDER AND NICKEL IS YELLOWISH WARMER. PERIOD THAT'S IT. Check ANY AND I MEAN ANY place online that sells metal hardware, antique shower kits, or anything and they will tell you flat out that's how it is. Here are some examples found all across the Internet.... If you still don't agree with us when you're done reading them all, then think about this- the entire world disagrees with you, wouldn't logic at least tell you that chances are the world must be right? Also, show me 1, just 1 example of a professional website saying the opposite. I can show you 5 gazillion in support of mine. Hmmmmmm makes you think. http://www.rejuvenation.com/faqnumberid395...aq/faqshow.html http://www.moen.com/Consumer/press/Article.cfm?ArticleId=607 http://www.renovatorsplace.com/dsp_article..._id=31&catid=18 http://www.rejuvenation.com/help/finishes.html (even has pictures which make it very obvious) http://www.kitchenknobs.com/avante/tf-finish.htm http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/faq.asp#W http://clawfootsupply.com/forums/Clawfoot_...m/posts/43.html

Also if you have a microphone stand, they're often chrome plated and perhaps you can compare to that. Chrome reflects cool colors and nickel reflects warm colors, otherwise they're almost identical. Unplated/protected nickel will turn kind of antique yellowish as it tarnishes over time, whereas chrome will not.

Oh rejoice!!! I am NOT invisible!! ...and to think I just ran around my neighborhood naked because I thought I was. Oh man, what will the neighbors think?

I'm starting to think no one can see my posts but me. I'm glad you guys are finally starting to figure out what I said a while back. It was interesting to see you guys figure it out on your own rather than just read my posts. Maybe my posts didn't make sense, I'll have to work on that. More likely they're invisible. Yes, good pics, but again, those are examples of ideal cuts of quartersawn and center pieces of plainsawn. It does vary. I only said this about 10 posts ago. Oh well, I'm going to have to assume that no one can see this but me. So excuse me if someone else can see this because I'm going to start talking to myself from my sudden feeling of loneliness. Hi how are me? I'm fine, thanks how are me? Me's fine too thanks. What are me going to do today? Well, I luckily have today and tomorrow off, so I may finally start working on my 5 string thunda bassosaurus rex, or I may do the "right" thing and catch up on some house projects. Oh that's cool, what kind of house projects do you have to do? Well there's almost too many to list, but I think if the weather holds up, I should probably work outside and either finish the wall around the patio, I could brick the grilling area, or even set up to route all the custom molding I have to do. Wow, I hope you can finish all that stuff in the next few days. Yeah me too, not to mention the darn electrical projects I have inside. There are still a lot of old cloth-wrapped wires in my old house, and they're not the easiest to get at. perhaps I should start my own forum for old house projects and stuff. Yeah I thought of that, but when I tried loading that one forum on my website you got all sorts of SQL errors, what's up with that. Not sure. Hey, by the way lets say there might be someone who could possibly see this, do you think we're boring the living daylights out of them? I really highly doubt that anyone can actually see my posts, but if they can then yes most definitely we're boring them to death. We shall stop now.

Oh man I can't believe this discussion is still going on. Please read my post again. You're both right. When you guys bring up your theories, you start talking about only the end pieces or the ideal cut. There are few ideal cuts per log. Please keep in mind that whether its flatsawn, quartersawn or riftsawn (which fyi I was not talking about before), there are "ideal pieces" and "less than ideal pieces". I will say it again. The ideal pieces laid on edge will effectively be interchangeable (quartersawn=flatsawn on edge), BUT NOT EXACTLY THE SAME BECAUSE WE'RE NOT DEALING WITH SQUARES AND LINES, they are circles. The less than ideal pieces laid on edge will be less and less interchangeable, meaning, you can't lay an end piece of flatsawn on edge and get quartersawn. Regarding how quartersawn is made; yes, you do understand it correctly in that it would "have to be cut like a wedge", BUT they are kept straight and not wedgelike. I know that sounds confusing, but how you're cutting is the right idea, but just imagine them cutting straight (not wedgelike) boards as close as they can to the "wedge" orientation, and you'll understand that there is more waste when logs are sawn that way, which is why its more expensive. Please, this is simple geometry, and the argument is moot anyhow because the argument really isn't whether it's theoretically exact quartersawn, we just want to know that it's more stable and better for necks, right? That's all we care about anyhow is building guitars right?????? So perhaps we can all agree that whether or not you understand exactly what the lumbermills are doing, we can agree that if you choose nice, tight, straight grained wood, without heavy thick curvy grain (meaning it's from an end piece of the sawing) you can laminate them and get a great, stable and strong neck that is effectively quartersawn. Happy building!

Actually you're both right. Flatsawn laid on edge will only be like quartersawn for the pieces cut nearer the center of the log. If you've seen flatsawn end pieces, you'll know by the heavy grain lines that flipping it 90 degrees won't make it quartersawn. However, the flatsawn pieces nearer to the center will pretty much be identical to quartersawn wood if laid on edge. Notice I said pretty much, because indeed they are not the same. If you don't believe me or want to find out for yourself, take a smaller log and cut it right down the center. Take one half and cut it into half, so you have 2 quarters. Take a quarter and start sawing off lumber, almost like pie slices. Take the other half and just start sawing off parallel to the flat side (the center). You'll see that the farther you get from the center, the more of a difference there is between quartersawn and flatsawn laid on edge. We're not dealing with lines and squares here, we'll dealing with circles, and as you get nearer the "round" part of the circles (the outside), the way you slice it does matter. So once again, all this means is that wood selection is important. Don't pick the end pieces of flatsawn, and you can effectively have a quartersawn neck with laminates.

Thanks, I was thinking of using a jointer plane, but I'm not sure how to true up lumber for my neck blanks using that vs. the power jointer. I know that back in the day that's all they had was jointer planes, etc. but I'm unsure of the best way to true up boards to glue up for my neck blank. Plus I was worried about the hardness of the woods. I'm going to cut up my purpleheart and hard maple, then I want to true them up, then glue them for the neck blank. Thanks, Mike

Thanks a lot guys. I plan to use it for other projects as well. Since Emerson has been making the Ridgid line I figured they'd be good products, but I don't own any yet, I've just read reviews. So far they've all been good. Hey if I can save $150 or more and still have a good jointer that's great.

Hi, I've been looking at jointers and figured I'd ask you guys' opinions figuring some of you must own one! I've been looking at 3 diff models: Delta about $550 US Jet about $550 Ridgid about $400 Anyone have any opinions on them? I don't have the model #'s in front of me, but I think it's Jet's only 6", Delta, you can tell by the price, and Ridgid I think it's their only one. Thanks a lot.

Not that I speak from experience, but I was going to leave the surfaced side of my neck blank flat, and draw/cut my headstock angle (like 12 degrees) and the body angle (about 2 degrees) away from the flat neck. I figured this would cut down on wood waste (oh man there's like 2 bad puns in there). So this would give me a neck angle of 2 degrees but I'd just cut the body end if that makes sense. I could be wrong, but I think if more people realized this, (that you don't have to cut the whole angle down the length of the neck), they wouldn't be so hesitant? Then again since my bridge is only like 1/2" tall, I was thinking of just recessing it a couple of hairs. We'll see. But I think on a taller, more traditional bridge it may look funny to be recessed much.

Nice wood! I can't wait to see it be put to good use!! And I couldn't help myself, but from my experience "jointer" and "joiner" did not used to be interchangeable, but so many people say "joiner" when they mean "jointer" because they just heard someone else say it and thought they said "joiner". "Joining" is just the action of "joinery" in woodworking meaning to join 2 or more pieces of wood by some means, typically with a joint of some type rather than just screwing two boards together. (examples such as finger joint, dovetail joint, mortise and tenon, lap joints, biscuit joints, dowel joints etc.) Biscuit joinery has become quite popular lately and so have the power tools known as "biscuit joiners" that of course speed the process up a lot. You can also use a slot-cutting bit on a router for the same task. Sometimes these handtools are called "joiners" for short, but that really lacks description, so they should be referred to as "biscuit joiners" to avoid confusion. Jointers of course make the wood flat & square if so desired to the fence. Planers will thickness the wood, but not take out bowing or make the wood square. And if anyone wants to donate their working 6" or 8" pro jointers and/or 13" + planers to me, please respond.

I pulled the frets out of my old bass using a utility knife and careful plier work. I filled them in with darker wood filler for contrast and sanded smooth, then just put Varathane all over it. Believe it or not, the Varathane made for a super slick neck, though it's not as clear as other finishes. It looks and sounds great.

That setup should be fine. From what I read maple is used over oak for necks because maple has a great hardness to weight ratio and is pretty stable in straight grained or quarter sawn. Oak is very pourous I guess so it's harder to finish than maple, although I haven't had a problem with cabinets, etc. I guess oak's grain isn't as close together as hard maple. Purpleheart is very hard and pretty darn heavy, but is supposedly bright, like a maple+ wood. Maple is bright as well. Purpleheart is supposed to boost clear lows too. Ebony is also bright, emphasizing the upper range, and oak I'm not too sure. Being a little bit softer than maple would probably lend it to be a bit warmer, but not by much. I think maple would finish smoother than oak, but it should be fine. You can just go by feel. Good luck!

Wow, nice work. How long have you been doing this and how many have you made? I'm just curious. I can't wait to see more of it, it looks great so far! I just hope that the hot pink is merely a template and not an inspiration!!

True, true, but it was only for lunch (like $5) and I really don't care if I end up having to buy him lunch. It is much more important to me to have a great end result, or at least know it was my best attempt. Screw time! It was kind of a little extra motivation, but I hear what you're saying. This guy bets on anything and everything. I think he has a problem!!! Thanks for the warning, and trust me- there's nothing I want more than to have this thing done right. If it tells ya anything, I've had the wood for about a month now and 3 guitarmaking books for months, but haven't even touched the wood because I'm still planning out everything. I'm not very competitive at all but I do research something to death when I get involved in it. So I think I'll be fine!! Thanks for the comments, I can't wait to show it off. Oh man I hope it doesn't look like a turd...