St.wise-professor

Tru oil is a very durable finish it is made to put on hunting rifle stocks to keep them resistant to water and whatever else you might drag it across out in the woods. Also a clear coat over tru oil is a very common thing among refinishers. It is not a normal oil finish. It is basically a BLO with hardeners and varnish mixed into it that speeds up curing time and makes it harder than a normal oil finish. Will it be hard enough that it will not scuff up over time? probably not but it does build so you can always throw another coat on whenever you feel like it or when you start to wear through or if you decide not to clear it.

Thanks, I'd like to avoid the razor blade option, it doesn't quite look authentic (to me anyway). I'll give the heat/cold cycle a shot, but I'm pretty sure the natural checking occurs from the nitro shrinking over time.

No once nitro gasses out it is what it is. The old guitars you see checked are from swelling and shrinking of the wood from being in the cold and then being brought into a warm club causing it to crack just like a glass dish you put ice cream in right out of the dishwasher. Humidity plays a rold in swelling too. Switch that first part from warm club to cold night.

I've read that white stain/dye will block the reflective properties in figured wood that you would be trying to accentuate anyway. You would see the flame but it wouldn't pop like it should with other colors. I've tried it and it is true. I wanted to build a white flame top Les Paul but it was a no go.

There are a few ways to do that. Some people use a razor blade and cut thechecking into the finish. but hte best way to get it IMO is to warm it with a hair dryer, you have to get it really warm then put it into the freezer. That is pretty much how natural checking occurs wood expanding and contracting causing the finish to crack. there are some videos about it on youtube.

If you take your time and triple check everything it won't be too hard making a set neck guitar. Wait til it is glued to drill for the bridge and tailpiece to make sure they're centered correctly and you'll be good to go.

I agree with the set neck. I am about ready to start work on an SG I'm getting dimensions and making templates from my SG special. I have a bolt on LP special and I am working out how I'm going to turn it into a set neck. I think I'll route the heel and add wood to it for the tenon. I am taking measurements and tracings before all of that though.

For a few bucks you can get all of the templates you need for cutting and routing a set neck so it shouldn't be any harder than a bolt on.

the one thing i would really like, and will eventually need a bigger saw for, is resaw capabilities....but as st.wise says, space can easily become an issue.

I use a Japanese saw from Lowes for resawing I run the edges through my table saw and my hand saw runs through it no problem. Run it through the planer and they're good to go.

I don't know if it's just me but if my 10" bandsaw helps me make an inferior guitar then I won't force anyone to play it. I know it cuts straight and doesn't wander and is plenty big enough to cut any body I've used it for with relief cuts. Sure a 14" would be great but I am happy to have my 10" hitachi, it sure beats doing it with a jig saw or coping saw that's for sure. Even if you have the money for something having the room for it is another problem. Maybe I should rent a space and buy full sized shop tools but I'm a hobbyist not a luthier, so what would make more sense? Saying someone is wasting their money on a smaller than perfect tool is like asking someone why they buy a used car when they make new ones everyday, the bottom line is because it's what works for them. You don't have to drive it.

I think the heat and seal is mainly for hide glue. What kind of glue did you use? My idea was to apply pressure too. If it doesn't flex you might be able to cut a sliver of wood to match ( make sure it matches well) and glue it in place let it dry completely and continue finishing. Was the glue still inside it's curing time when you started finishing it?

Ash has a pretty wide grain and will probably need grain filled if you want a nice smooth finish.

All I can add to this is Relief cuts... I use a 10" band saw and haven't had a problem I make as many relief cuts as possible when I'm cutting a corner or radius and it works out pretty well. I cut out an SG body the other day and used a spindle sander in my cordless drill to straighten it up. Works great IMHO which I'm sure doesn't mean a whole lot seeing how I'm a noob

You could look up a guy Names Joe Desperado. He has made a few nice Archtops that I've seen. His attention to detail is great. He builds custom necks but might have time for a refin on the side.

Heat gun and you could always add a thin veneer and do a burst. Make sure you get through the thick polyester coat underneath the paint. Heat and scrape, when you heat the polyester coat it will pop when it gets hot enough and comes of pretty easliy..... Use a respirator though the fumes are nasty

You could use a hardener if you didn't want to cap it. I have a pine tele deluxe in the works ATM. It is soft wood but if you can find some sugar pine it is the most dense and hardest pine I have found.

Basicly, high humidity = bad.

You are just going to have to do a test on some scrap wood and see how it looks..

That is always a good idea, though it seems I'll have to wait till monday annyhow since now it's raining, and tommorow seems to have pretty high chances of rain too.

Did a bit more googling with better succes, if the results are anything to go by, between 40 and 50 is ideal and up to 60 is okay.

Guess I'll use the inbetween time to do more sanding or work on the neck or something

Ehh, the climate here is pretty much fail, but at least it doesnt rain quite as much as Britain

If you were using Nitro you could spray with the humidity and use blush eraser to get rid of the blushing caused by the water that is drawn out of the air. You could build a small spray booth out of a refrigerator box and heat it with a lightbulb to reduce humidity inside. If you do that make sure you leave a couple small vent holes in the top of the box. Also make sure the light has some sort of globe around it to keep the fumes from direct contact with it just to be safe.

Basicly, high humidity = bad.

You are just going to have to do a test on some scrap wood and see how it looks..

That is always a good idea, though it seems I'll have to wait till monday annyhow since now it's raining, and tommorow seems to have pretty high chances of rain too.

Did a bit more googling with better succes, if the results are anything to go by, between 40 and 50 is ideal and up to 60 is okay.

Guess I'll use the inbetween time to do more sanding or work on the neck or something

Ehh, the climate here is pretty much fail, but at least it doesnt rain quite as much as Britain

If you were using Nitro you could spray with the humidity and use blush eraser to get rid of the blushing caused by the water that is drawn out of the air. You could build a small spray booth out of a refrigerator box and heat it with a lightbulb to reduce humidity inside. If you do that make sure you leave a couple small vent holes in the top of the box.