doug

Downdraft table will be a big help. They are amazing things. Dust is so anoying. I had a big bench similar to what you mentioned, but after a while I cut it way down. So much of it just got cluttered with "stuff". I made smaller benches which seems to work out great. I keep one real clean for the finishing touches so nothing gets scratched or dinged. I found that those cabinets with thin wide metal drawers are great for supplies and templates. The good stuff like fingerboards, guitar hardware, fretwire, inlay materials, and some small tools. I keep sandpaper only in one drawer too. So many types of it so it keeps it all together. Get some kind of wide sander. My 16" is about the handiest thing ever. Makes tons of dust though, wow! Hopefully your cantral vac unit is killer. I should have bought a cyclone right off the bat. Had I known how fast those cartidges glog I would have. Of course one can never have enough tools! -Doug

If you can trace an outlet directly back to the panel, it can be rewired for 220. However if it is "split" to other outlets then that won't work. Again, I suggest having a pro look at it. That resaw fence is cool. I've seen that design before. It's great for a dedicated resaw operation, but for occasional use it might take a long time to get set up properly. I'm sure it's also mainly for thin veneer making. With a good fence, all you need is a tall post to rest one site of your stock on. Follow the line and you're home free. -Doug

The issue with the Grizzly is the rip fence. It has bolts to attach the fence to the rail. No matter what it will flex. It doesn't look as though the fence is anchored at the other end either which adds to the possibility of flex. Basically it looks pretty, but is useless for accuracy. That means buying a good fence aftermarket and modifying it to fit. If you get one soon, let us know how you like it. -Doug

In all honesty, it will likely be a toss up between the Jet and Delta. I will say that Delta stuff is not what it was before. It's just little stuff. You know, it's like buying a new car, then after the sale they tell you the lug nuts and light bulbs are optional! Some saws are killer sturdy looking, but I would need to add a $300 rip fence because the one that comes with it might be better suited for a boat anchor. Or the rail that holds the fence is great, but the way they attach the fence to the rail lets it flex some, or others are just too short. Another thing is the table tilt. Once tilted does it take a 1/2 hour to re-square the blade to it? Some have real nice and fancy blade guide do-dads....but it's connected to the saw by a cheesy piece of cast aluminum which can flex under strain or get out of whack if jarred. That's my dilema. -Doug

What orqmorq said!! Each circuit has to have the proper wire! Yikes. Mine was professionaly done, and the wire for the high current circuits is big maybe 10ga. run direct to the panel bus. There's a reason for the 15 amp breaker....so you don't start a fire! Yeah, I don't really know if the motors run any better at 220 or not, but I have them that way just in case it helps. I've heard arguments for both from "seasoned" pros used to wiring factories or other large facilities. Besides, it was just as easy to have all the same type of circuits run when we did it. Be sure to get help if you're doing electrical work. Safety first! -Doug

I run everything at 220v except the tools that don't have that option. An electrician friend told me they run a bit cooler and more efficient. Also I can use those big locking plugs. -Doug

Thanks for the replies! At the time I bought my bandsaw it was the best one Grizzly had. After using it for some time now I'm just tired of "fiddling" with it to keep it cutting accurately. Right out of the box it took several hours to get it set up properly. The Grizzly store in PA is close to my mon's place, and go there when we visit, so I get a chance to look the stuff over, and I have to say that I won't buy another from them. Yeah, quality may be better now, but still there are little oddities about each unit that will make me want to go right out and buy aftermarked replacements for. The Woodcraft store around here has both the Rikon, and Jet in stock. The owner told me he's not that impressed with the Rikon, and wasn't even gonna stock it, but he did get one anyway. Comparing the 2 side by side, the Jet 18" has a way better rip fence, and it also has those hardened disks to guide the bladde instead of bearings riding on each side. The rip fence alone would make me buy the Jet. As for the Delta, well not a contender. Their tools are not what they used to be. I know the thin carbide resaw blades are available for the Jet 18, and so are those really thin Olson blades. Though I don't do a lot of resawing, I do make veneer now and then so I want to be sure it is fully capable. Well, I do cut tons of exotic woods for the laminates and fingerboards for my guitar necks, but it's usually less than 3" thick, but I don't really consider that resawing. Doc, you mentioned Wilke. Have you any idea of their service standards? One more reason I've been thinking about a local VAR purchase is because replacent parts for warranty may be easier to get in case I need to have it fixed. Today I'll go and have a look at these 2 units side by side again. -Doug

Great topic! I've thinking about getting another bandsaw mayself. You know, I had decided on the the new 18" from Jet. It's solid, uses "standard" aftermarket hop-ups, blades are standard, it has a quick tension release, etc. bigdguitars...What "bad stuff" have you heard about this one? Was it a 2005 model? The Rikon one has some things I don't like about it, and I don't think it has a quick tension relief. It's been a month or so since I looked at it so I can't recall everything right now. Anway, I'm open for suggestions really or comments based on experience to help my decision in the end. What I want is rock solid stability in the blade travel, smooth large rip fence that is also very stable. It also needs to have realy good guide block or bearing setup for the blade. -Doug

Make a template. If you have a router put in your template bit and follow around the inside of the template. Make it just a little bigger then the plastic so you have room for the guitar finish thickness. -Doug

I'll comment on the switch and fingerboards. Switch - Allparts has them, that's where I get mine. Allparts has the best ebony fingerboards I've seen in a while if you like totally black ones. LMII has nice rosewood, StewMac has poor ones. LMII generally has better fingerboards overall. One note: The LMII fingerboards are beefy 3/8" thick, so unless you have means to thin them a bit you'll end up with a realy thick fingerboard. StewMac's are thin, almost too thin, but you might find them a fair choice if reducing their thickness is an issue. -Doug

I'm curious then...if your brdge is a little of center, lets say, how does running the ruler up each side help? You've already got the bridge located and posts drilled, how would you compensate? A glue in neck joint should not allow the neck to move at all. Maybe I'm just having a brain-lock and can't see your point. At my shop, the final bridge location is determined only after verifying the absolute centerline once the neck is in place. This is done similar to what you do with a straight edge on either side of the neck. From there the absolute centerline can be located, which may be a few thousandths different than the original working centerline. -Doug

Bolt on necks give you some extra margin for error, because it can be shifted a little here and there. If, for example, your bidge ended up being a little of center you could shift the neck a tad. Also, if you don't like the 1st neck you made, you could make another later. Glue in necks are permanent, so you need to be more careful. Makes for a better heel area if done right. -Doug

Dry Coat is used to lubricate saw blades, router bits, and machine surfaces like the top of your table saw. It has no silicone, so it doesn't effect the surfaces that touch it, like if you waxed your saw. There are several brands of this kind of woodworking tool lube. Dry Coat is one I just happen to use. The other suggestions are also going to help. Forcing the relief will take some pressure off the truss rod nut which will assist with turning it. Just be careful. I just took it for granted that you were using the correct allen wrench. However, be very careful about what kind you use. Some are made from weak metal, others have a burr on both ends that is bigger than the actual wrench. This could distort the socket right from the start. Others, especially imported wrenches may be a bit under size which is just plain bad. The point here is to make sure a good quality allen wrench is chosen. For your next neck, you might try pre-stressing it with a slight forward bow. After pressing the frets in it will be perfectly flat even with the truss rod loose. Now you will be able to adjust as necessary without undo stress on the t-rod. Hope this helps! -Doug

Wow, bummer! Think on the positive side...with the allen wrench stuck in there you won't need to make a truss rod cover! :o) Be sure to clean the socket with acetone really good and let it dry before trying anything. They have oil in there from the factory. Use thick CA and either a pipett or toothpick to carefully drop it in. Mask the whole area first. You're gonna half to give it a day to set up though becasue of the gaps. It sounds like a reasonable idea though. Now this suggestion is a bit on the "rough" side, but they make metal epoxy in these stick looking tubes. You've probably ingnored them at an auto parts store, because they usually have it on the counter with other stuff. You could get some of that and put it in the allen socket. Then use a new allen wrench (the good ones without the burr on the end) to create a new tighter socket. You can remove it once it begins to form. Apply some Dry Coat to the wrench first to keep it from sticking and pulling the plug out. This will give you a more perminent solution. Hope that helps. I know I've seen discussion about truss rods in the past. The poor socket on those Hot Rods is another reason I won't use them. Think twice on your next project. -Doug

Sometimes it's best to use firewood for firewood instead of selling it on Ebay. Now the guy is going to leave you negative feedback. You didn't mention the crack in the fingerboard in your listing, so that was a bad thing. Lesson learned...is bad feedback, and reduced Eaby reputation worth $34? Just looking at the picture it's clear that the neck has been around the block. Unfortunately the images are really bad and there is no close up of the defects. This should have been disclosed up front. -Doug

ordered some today. well, hope i don't turn it into firewood! he's got more though. i've never used it, but i do have lots of experience, so maybe that will count for something. -Doug

WOW thanks! You're right! -Doug

Wenge makes great stripes! Trouble is is that it is WAY HARDER than limba, so if you use it be very careful not to sand flat spots in the limba on either side of the wenge. Pau ferro makes really nice brown stripes, and it is very stiff which is good for the neck. Very hard wood. Color comes out after fine sanding and a bit of sealer or finish. Bubinga is a bit lighter brown, but has this really nice virbrant browninsh color. Again, very hard wood. Purple heart turns almost black after a while. Dark walnut is not too hard to find, but does not add much in the way of stiffness like the harder woods. My preference is wenge, or pau ferro with limba. Opinion of course. The limba is like a sponge with sealer, so be carefull to fill it well. I like it because it's light and stiff. It's well suited for a guitar. Have fun! -Doug

Needs to be about 14" x 20" x ~7/16". So yeah, sized for a top. Thanks though. -Doug

Anyone want to let me know where a good source for buckeye burl might be? I've run out of ideas. All my usual suppliers don't have any. Thanks for the tip! -Doug

If you're going to make a box then make it out of metal. It sorta doesn't matter what metal really so long as it is attached to your main ground. I might be inclined to make it from copper just because it's easier to solder the seams. Honestly though, just use the info I added before. You should be okay unless you use some terrible pickups or volume and tone controls. A good many hollow guitars are wired out in the open anyway. Others have very limited shielding. -Doug

Wipe it down with naptha. let it dry well, then see if it's still "tacky". Then you might put some naptha into 0000 steel wool and scuff it a bit. You'll loose the gloss of course like erikbojerik said, but I do all my guitars with dulled finish on the neck. If it were me, I would be sure to let that guitar rest in open air for at least a week just in case the nitro has solvents in it that are effectivly softening the finish. You don't want to rub soft nitro because you run the risk of removing a whole bunch of it. Give it time to harden. New nitro takes weeks to harden anyway, and continues to harden for the next year or more, so be patient. -Doug

I take it you may not have made a "walled" cavity for your electronics? I'n that case you should take care that your grounding is done well, all grounds to a single point and no cold solder. You might consider a small piece of thin copper to place in the area of the controls. Cut it out as small as possible, but big enough to cover the general area of where your controls are. Then use the same template you used to drill and cut your control holes to drill the piece of foil. You could coat one side of the foil with spray glue then stick it inside where the volume and tone etc. will be. Then put the controls through the foil. -Doug

You'll be fine. I prefer laminated necks. Padouk is real nice wood. -Doug

Allparts # SB 0104-010. It looks much better than the Schaller one. -doug