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The thickness is 2mm, or about 5/64". I would think that with a little heat, it could be made to conform to the radius of the neck without splitting. That's probably how Fender did it, but I don't know for sure. The trick then, is cutting the fret slots. Or, maybe that can be done before bending?

Metal cutting bandsaws are geared down really low compared to wood cutting saws, and the pitch ( tooth count ) is higher, as well. So, it wouldn't work well anyway. The blade would get pretty hot, and likely burn the wood. Actually, it's probably possible to even get a good fire going that way.

Painting the ends with a couple coats of latex paint will help a lot. This keeps the ends from drying faster than the rest of the wood, which is what causes the cracking.

Very true about the HP ratings. Most of these saws use the same motors as a large router. Rated at 3hp, but only drawing 15 amps at 120v, so really more like 1 hp. And they are not direct drive, either. Those motors spin real fast, and they have a reduction drive, usually a cog belt to get the blade speed low enough. So it doesn't rely on the motor bearings. Still not as sturdy as a contractor type saw, but not that bad either. For the money, the little benchtop ones are a pretty good value, and will do ok for occasional light use. The bigger universal motor saws, the ones masquerading as contractor saws, even with cast iron tops, are not much better, and cost a lot more. Better to spend a little more, and get an induction motor saw at that point.

Which saws in particular are you looking at? I bought a $99 Delta tablesaw from home depot a long time back to take on site for carpentry jobs and such. I was actually rather pleased with it, too. They are ver simple machines, and with a good quality blade and some patience, they can deliver good results. For a bandsaw, though, you will probably be better off with the $350 Grizzly 14" or equivalent. Personally, I prefer my 1943 Delta bandsaw and 1946 Unisaw that I bought from the widow down the road.

No, I used to be really into that stuff. Heres some basic info: http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/learning/runes.html The runes on the ax seem to be a later anglo saxon variation. Punch "runes" into google and you'll find all kinds of info. I really do like your idea, though. I think it will turn out awesome.

Your cat is not too sure about the purpleheart.

Actually, after looking at the picture again, I probably would not use the runes. They are complete gibberish: GORAZ SN OKEG. Even read right to left, it is likely meaningless. Although there's really nothing wrong with that.

Are you thinking of inlaying the runes in the fretboard?

I've always wondered, myself. I know it is an excellent wood for bows ( archery ), so it is probably very strong, but I wonder if it may be too springy? If you do get some, let me know, I'd be interested in some to experiment with if it was available.

Mattia, thanks for posting the radius dish jig. I've been thinking about making something like that. How did you get the 25' radius in the guides for the router?

Apparently, it's a bit like koa. Looks like it has fairly open grain. This place has some good stuff: http://www.curlykoa.com/

Nope, you need an open grained wood like ash to make that finish work right.

You probably wont have much luck trying to straighten the blade. If you can get a longer blade locally, you can get it shortened at a machine shop.

Skatz, what you really need to look at is the CFM ( cubic feet per minute ) rating of the compressor. Any compressor will give the right pressure, but spray guns require a high volume of air as well. I believe 17cfm is sufficient for most spray equipment, but like Jay said, check the info on the gun you have or are going to buy.

I wouldn't worry about it being too hard, but I have learned the hard way not to use wood that has been out in the elements for a long time for any purpose where I dont want to see cracks. It may be plenty dry now, but it has probably undergone countless changes in temperature and humidity, which has done it no good. I have a bunch of mahogany body blanks, which were surplus from Gibson back around 1970 or so. They sat in somebody's barn for a long time until I bought them from him for 5 bucks apiece, thinking I was getting an awesome deal. When I finally got to using them, they read 8% moisture content on my meter. The ends were cracked a little, but once I cut my body out, there was no sign of cracking whatsoever in it. When my shop gets below 30% humidity, though, the endgrain gets full of cracks, causing a stream of foul language to issue from my throat.

Walnut would make a very nice body. Oak is much heavier and harder than the ash that is usually used for guitar bodies. Almost any wood can be used, if you are into experimenting, as long as it is seasoned well, and structurally sound.

What sort of 2x4 are we talking about? I am guessing the intent is your standard builders supply spruce/pine/fir stud, but many other species are available as construction grade 2x4s depending on where you live. Down in the rural south here, we use a lot of yellow poplar for construction, and having a portable sawmill, I've cut up a lot of different woods into 2x4s for framing. I even have some hard maple 2x4s I've salvaged from an old barn. Not trying to nitpick, I just want to clear this up before I start something.

Well, this probably isnt quite what you were after, but I couldn't resist. The tailpiece, as you can see, is an old, rusty strap hinge off a barn with six holes drilled through the barrel for the strings.

Unobtanium is a long running joke in sci-fi and engineering circles. I cracked up when it turned up in the movie " The Core ". I think the actual definition is " a material specified by engineering, but unavailable to purchasing" orrr... something like that. I remember many years back when everyone said that aluminum was the worst thing for a bridge, it sucks the tone right out of the instrument. Now it is said to possess tone enhancing properties or some such hoo-ha. I wonder what quantum changes aluminum has undergone in the past 20 years. I wouldn't worry much about it, just get something you like.

The outfeed table should be set to the same height as the top of the knives at their highest point. You can do this with a straightedge on the outfeed table extending over the cutterhead. Slowly turn the cutterhead by hand ( with the pulley or belt ) If the knives push the straightedge up at all, raise the outfeed table until they just barely touch the straightedge. Then bring the infeed table to the same height and lay the straightedge across both tables to make sure they are both level with each other. If not, the outfeed table needs to be shimmed until the two tables are totally in a straight line. Then check to see if the outfeed table is still the right height with regard to the cutterhead. When you get that right, lock the outfeed table down and leave it that way. Depth of cut is controlled by the infeed table height ONLY. Start the wood across the infeed table, into the cutterhead, and as soon as enough of it is on the outfeed table, take all downward pressure off the infeed end of the wood and keep it flat on the outfeed table as you push it through.

Hey, good to hear it! Summers Lumber and Timber, down on the southside has a pretty good selection of domestic woods. Best I've come across, anyway, but I try to stay out of Nashville.

You might look into persimmon. It is a relative of ebony that is native to N America. Very hard and heavy. persimmon pic The black inclusions are somewhat random, usually in the middle of the tree, not hard to get a fingerboard size piece free of them if you don't like them. Also, holly might be quite nice.

Ya, a holly tree isn't the type you'd go and nail something to. They tend to nail back.

Typically, when sawing a customer's logs on a bandmill, the damaged blade charge is around 20 bucks, and that is made clear in the beginning. People always swear up and down that there is no metal in their logs- " I been here 20 years, and never put one nail in it " Yes, but the tree has been there 60 years. I've got a Garret scanner, like they use in the airports, and it does pretty good- I've found nails as deep as 6" under the bark. Southpa, you could probably borrow or rent a metal detector and check your log yourself. 10" is small enough that most any unit will find metal in it, if it is in there. Jehle, I do make house calls, but not very far, like 60 miles max. Where are you located? Maybe I could put you in touch with someone local. There's mobile sawyers all over the place, but most don't advertise. Once you get started, word gets around, and you usually don't have to.