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Hey Blues, Wow, those are thin! I suppose I wouldn't have to worry too much if I was going for a hard tail bridge. With a tremolo, however, I guess I would worry about the trem block sticking out of the back the body if it were too thin! I like those Black Machine guitars. They have a JEM meets Parker Fly vibe to them. Very cool. Thanks for the link! Best Regards, Mike.

Oooh....now there's an idea. Nice call. I was planning on a top-mount trem, but I like the idea of a figured top. Thanks for the idea! Best Regards, Mike.

hey Wes, I was going to put in a Wilkinson Trem. Do you think I'll have any problems? Luckily this blank is a $17 alder blank and it wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to chuck it. Thanks! Best Regards, Mike.

Howdy, I am curious what would be considered the minimum thickness a guitar body should be, or how thin can it be. The reason I ask is that I over planed a little bit and ended up with a 1 9/16 blank when I was shooting for 1 3/4. Thanks in advance. Best Regards, Mike.

Thanks Scott. I wasn't sure if the planer was a good idea or not. Much appreciated. Best Regards, Mike.

Hi, I noticed that a piece of alder I'm working on is slightly cupped. I was wondering what the best approach is to correcting the problem. Is this something a thickness planer could correct? Thanks in advance! Best Regards, Mike.

Thanks for all your replys! I had a feeling I should be looking for at least a 13" planer. Too bad they jump up in price so much after 12". gpcustomguitars: How many passes does it take to plane a blank using your contraption? I'd imagine it would take quite a few if I'm understanding how it works. It's basically an overhead router, correct? I think Jehle's observation that you need to start basically flat is a good one as well. Could be a problem with a curved blank, no? Best Regards, Mike.

Hi, I have recently purchased several pieces of 8/4 wood that are quite thick at 1 14/16. I measured some of my factory guitars and noticed that they seem to be about 1 3/4 thick. Is it therefore common for the experienced builder to thickness plane down to 1 3/4 from an 8/4 blank? I've noticed that thickness planers can be quite expensive. I did find one at the local hardware store for $199 however. At 12" it would only be able to plane 2-piece blanks. Any thoughts? Thanks! Best Regards, Mike.

Just a quick update, I put on my 3/8 blade and setup my band saw as Jeremy suggested and the thing cut my 2 inch alder blank like a champ! Beautiful. Just beautiful. You could actually see the flutter slowly disappear with each turn of the tension knob. Amazing. Thanks again! Best Regards, Mike.

Wow...you guys are great! Special thanks to Jeremy for the mini-tutorial. That's just what I needed. I found this article on the net: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00013.asp The author notes that the tension guides on all smaller consumer band saws are horribly inaccurate and even on the larger floor standing models. He recommends that the tension spring be nearly fully compressed with a 1/2 blade on a consumer model! Good stuff. Thank you all again. Best Regards, Mike.

Thanks everyone! I have a 3/8 that I can throw on and I'll crank up tension a little more and see if that helps. I'll give it a shot tomorrow and I'll let you know how it turns out. Best Regards, Mike.

Hi, I was using my new band saw to cut down a blank and had trouble cutting a straight line. I set up the saw correctly according to the manual. That is, I made sure both upper and lower guides were set close to the blade and that both upper and lower "push back" bearing guides were within 1/32 of the blade. I also made sure that the blade tension was set according to the blade tension chart. I also had the blade guide assembly within 1/8 in of the top of the blank. Despite all this, the blade kept wandering to the left as I pushed the blank forward for the cut. In order to get a straight line, I had to push the blank throught at nearly a 45 degree angle. I was using a 1/4 blade to cut a nearly 2 in blank. Was the blade to thin for this cut? Thanks in advance for your advice! Best Regards, Mike.

I'm a newbie, but I have learned something already when finishing my Saga Strat kit. When using a wax based tack cloth to prep the surface for spraying, DON'T press down on the wood. Doing this will leave some wax behind that will react with the next coat of paint and produce a nasty wrinkle effect. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but maybe one could even follow the tack cloth with a quick naptha wipe to remove any wax that may have been left behind. My 2 cents. Best Regards, Mike.

Wes, Do you mean that the extra route is inconsequential then? So why put it there in the first place....hmmmm. Best Regards, Mike.

Ahh...understood. Thanks! Best Regards, Mike

I picked up some alder and swamp ash this weekend and it didn't occur to me to ask if the stuff was air dried or kiln dried. How much is this going to matter for the bodies I'm planning on making with the stuff? Does it make more of a difference if I was using the wood to make necks? I believe the stuff you get at hardwood stores is mostly kiln dried. Is that correct? Thanks for your advice! Best Regards, mike

Hi all, I'm confused about the Wilkinson trem route. If you go to Warmoth's site you'll find a diagram of the route showing an extra route along the leading edge a little more than 2/3 the length of the main route: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Bodies/GBridgeRoutOps.htm However, if you go to the Stew Mac site you find a description of the Wilkinson bridge which says it is compatible with the standard Stratocaster route: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailp...lo_Bridges.html Melvyn Hiscock shows in his book that the trem fits right in the standard route after simply drilling out the two outside screw holes in a vintage 6-hole Stratocaster tremolo. (Second Edition, page 191). Can anyone explain this apparent discrepancy to me? Thanks in advance! Best Regards, Mike.

TrueRussian558, I don't think they are the same place. Global Wood Source is at 1575 Terminal Avenue. Their website is www.globalwoodsource.com. I went there this morning and picked up two very nice pieces of swamp that were very light weight and nicely grained. I also got a one-piece blank of alder. The swamp was a bit pricey at $5.50 per BF ($40.70), but the alder blank was inexpensive at $3.40 per BF ($16.15). I asked if they could plane and they said no and they didn't know anyone who would. I then went to Home Depot and they didn't have a planer/joiner for rent and they didn't know of anyone who could do it for me either. Finally, I went to Lowes and happened to walk by the power tools on my way to the lumber area and noticed a small planer/joiner for $199. I couldn't resist. Not the cheapest solution, but boy it sure did a good job. I now have glass smooth and perfectly level surfaces for glueing. This is the model: http://www.delta-tools.net/del376varspe.html I'll try and post pics of the wood blanks later. Best Regards, Mike.

Where in San Jose (CA I persume)? You didn't get your blanks at Global Wood Source by any chance did you? I'm going there tomorrow as they have swamp ash on sale. I'll ask them about planing while I'm there. Best Regards, Mike.