Workingman

In general smaller radius necks are more comfortable to play chords on but you can only bend strings so far before they "fret out" i.e., start buzzing.  You can find printable radius gages on line. You may want to use one to check that you will still have enough wood in the fret board to recut the fret slots when you are done with the radius. 

I worked for many years in the HazMat investigation and remediation business.  I have extensive experience in selecting PPE and advising on safety procedures.  If anyone on this forum ever has any questions I will do my best to answer them or point them to where they can find answers.  

Interesting idea.  Do you have any expectations on battery life.  Also how do plan on controlling heat buildup?  Could make for some hot licks.  

I played around with building piezo pickups for upright bass for a while.  The discs not only are thick but break down over time.  I would suggest looking at piezo film.  It is quite thin and durable.  They were designed for installation in tractor trailer axles to work with rotten counters.

Great job!

You should give a listen to my friend Felix.  I suspect Wally would like him.  Here is a link: 

Why not cut the pot shaft to the length you want it?

Is it a new batch of fretwork? They may have sent the wrong one or changed the specifications.  Also you may be able to use pliers to flatten the tang a bit.  

I am pretty sure these bamboo boards use some kind of epoxy type resin to hold them together.  I don't know how much of an open pore it will have which is important to a wood glue.  I would do some test joints before trying a guitar.

That is pretty cool.

Damn, you could make a killer upright bass back from that.  Flatback, that is.

10 hours ago, komodo said:

Well, that goes over my head. I do know that obsidian edges are one of if not the sharpest edge known to man. Surgeons still use flakes mounted in a clamp. I've read that they can cut cells in two, and reduce scarring.

Former geologist here.  Obsidian in not crystalline.  It is the nature of the silica bond that allows for such a sharp and fairly durable edge.  

Probably better moved to the electronic area of the tech chats.  I would suggest getting a continuity meter and tracing the wires.  

I knapped flints for a flint lock at one time.  Not nearly as precise work as an arrowhead nut less you have to take care of the shards.  

Stunning.  Now I want one.  

Fret pull pliers may get under the lip on the bushings too.  

Come gone and come back in my case.

3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

And loads of fiddling around with neck angles, trussrod covers, saddle heights and intonations, heel carves and side dots, we've at last got to the final finishing stage.  This is how it looks (fully functional with correct action height and intonation) before disassembly ready for the final gloss coats on the body and the start of the satin finish process for the neck:

Below is the neck before the final heel carve.  The neck will yellow and darken a bit with the finishing.  I fitted luminlay side dots, not that P requested them, but more that the black surround sets off the black/white/black feature line so well

That dark line on the heel is a 'feature' that I've carved into.  It's too deep to carve out and so will have to stay

 

 

Nice, FYI Mandolin family instruments usually have the dot at the tenth rather than the ninth fret.  

Phone camera is a great idea.  Thanks Biaman

Being back on the forum, and up in Vermont with a garage instead of in an apartment in Brooklyn, has given me the build urge again.  I am considering a lap steel for a first go at it.  I have mentioned that most of my tools were stolen about four years ago.  A friend gave me some tools including a pretty nice scroll saw which worked at the time.  I went to fire it up today and it appears to be frozen.  Any thoughts on how best to proceed would be appreciated.  My usual approach is take things apart and put them back together and curse a lot when I lose parts or it still doesn't work.   

Congratulations.  A good win against some stiff cometition.  

11 hours ago, ScottR said:

Those are fun little instruments. I built a StewMac F-5 kit and and an electric Mandolin whilst your were away. You should give it a shot.

SR

I would like to.  My um life circumstances have changed a bit and most of my tools were stolen about five years ago.  I have been thinking about an electric mandolin because of the small size that could be done with hand tools.  My big, but very slow project has been restoring a 1920's aluminum upright bass.  

I play a bit of mandolin so I am sure I will enjoy watching this build.  

Nice.  since you are dabbling on the edges of mandolin world, you should take a look at F style mandolin scrolls if you want to see tight curls.  

These are so remarkable.  The design is so much not my cup of tea but they are so gorgeous.  .  My tastes have changed to where anything that is that well crafted just gets me.