ScottR

I routed a truss rod channel. This time I routed it just a hair deeper than the rod. I normally try to be exact, and then end up sanding down the top of the bar to make it flush. This time I sanded the neck blank down flush to the bar. I used my flat sanding leveling sanding block, This is a base of 3/8" polycarbonite (perspex to the Europeans) glued to an old jack plane with enough weights bound to it to weigh about 5 pounds, You just push it around over the part you are making flat. The weight is enough to make it abrade and the fact that you are not adding pressure keeps everything even and flat. It works and next I line up the fretboard and drill some pin locators. I've tried toothpicks but they don't hold up. Tiny brads work and they don't damage saw blades much......but they don't do them any good either. This time I've got some bamboo grilling skewers that should be stout enough to hold, and easy on saw blades as well. SR

Gotta love it! SR

Agreed! I remember when you were building with a jigsaw and a pair of screw drivers. Your work has come soooo far in the last few years. SR

Cheers Luis! Is that mango also what you used on the pointier v in that pic of three in the first post of this latest string? That one caught my as unusual as does this. Of course they all are crazy good, and that is not unusual at all. SR

I'm really impressed with the quality of this build, nicely done. SR

This just keeps getting better Matt! SR

This is looking very classy Stu. SR

Do what you gotta do to be happy with it. You're likely to learn something new while you're at it. SR

The longest lasting lessons are the ones you learn that way. Nope, not at all. In fact I don't think there is such a thing when it comes to clamping. The big commercial companies use a big press that covers every square inch of the top and body. This is looking quite nice so far, I like your timbers. SR

Oh damn! SR

I hear this all the time about mine--- I think I like the back even better than the front. SR

Sorry this is so late.......but damn that came out nice! Love the color. And even more that Dan went home with a smile! SR

Good to hear John, congrats! SR

I chose soap over wax because the soap is water soluble and looked to be easier to remove should the need arise, not that I expect it to. I rarely use glue on frets and then mostly to plug the end of a too deep slot with sanding dust. SR

Exactly. I made a tele shaped guitar using the proper outline measurements, but all my normal carves and headstock and so on. I was shocked at how big it was, how similar in size and weight to an LP it turned out. SR

Well, it wasn't mine, rather it was actually something I'd heard of here. I will admit that I felt like a genius for recalling it and getting up off my butt and trying it! SR

Cheers Mike! Thank you no--I think I'll keep rolling the dice on my own infirmity lotto. I already know you've had poor rolls. Have a scotch and put your feet up unless you're not supposed to... anyway relax and enjoy. SR

Thanks Mike. I gotta say this is making my hands happy! SR

Thanks Andy, but you're going to have to. I'm still about two and a half years from retirement, so unlike you and @MiKro I still only have weekends to work on this. I am sooo looking forward to being in you guy's shoes....timewise. SR

I had some super light weight black limba left over, and prepped it and glued it together to make the body. The only wood I had to buy for this build was the neck wood. I decided to make a rosewood neck (east India). And I still have a supply of Macassar ebony and made some of it into a fretboard blank and slotted it. This piece really was grabbing on to the saw so I ran the teeth through some soap for each slot.. It made the cutting much smoother and it smelled like me fresh from the shower. And we're on the way! SR

But in my head I've been building a guitar for most of that time, and now I can finally put my hands on some guitar wood. My last build was "Blackish" and the the top wood was large enough for two tops. Blackish got the half on the right and this one gets the half on the left. I cut it to shape and began planing it flat. SR

I'm so far behind on what everyone is doing. My days at work have gotten super busy, which keeps me from checking in and I've had a project that stemmed from using burl tops on a couple of guitars....my wife said when are you going to make me a table with some of that? So for the better part of the last year and a half I've been doing just that: SR

Brilliant save Andy! I'll say! Beautiful Andy. SR

Hey Scotty, long time no see! The wife claims to like it, and she put it very near her favorite chair, in her line of sight - she says so she can look at it every time she sits in that chair. So, she's looking at it A LOT. I guess she really does like it. SR

Thanks Mike. SR