jmrentis

Thank you much guys! Been a good bday all around, man almost everyone I know has gotten in touch with me, its been cool hearing from everyone. I do prefer to skip the whole ageing part considering I feel like I'm 27 going on 50, but what can you do, but just keep on trucking. Thank you everyone again for the bday wishes, you guys made my day. J

The way it was done was how everyone described it. There are easier ways, however at the time I didn't have resaw equipment, so I basically needed to route down the thickness on the body as killemall said about 3/8" I think and just left a raised section that I cut with a japanese handsaw, they are flexible which enables you to get a fairly flat cut against the body. I would suggest leaving an area as big as you can cut, so you can properly align the grain. I'll post a couple pics of the process, I didn't really have much equipment at the time, so I kinda just made due, worked out though. stinky zebrawood chips Done routing Handsaw the cover Starting to clean up body and cover Pretty close on the grain match! Designing cavity and cover templates Laminating cover for extra stability Routed and test fitted Honestly, the only reason I put all those pictures is because I took hundreds of photos while working, so I might as well use them somewhere. As I said, I didn't have many tools or money at the time, so it is what it is and there are better ways to go about it I'm sure. I just posted pics to show how I did it, I would definitely look to the advice above from some of the other posters as there is more experience there. This project is getting close to being finished, slow process for me, but its enjoyable. The notch was done to remove the cover, thankfully I remembered to do this before gluing on the top, wheew. I saw a few guitars with small notches and honestly, from a short distance it looked like some kind of dent or knot, so I kinda made it more of a noticeble feature as I prefered this look, should look better when finished. With a somewhat thick wood cover you need some notch otherwise there's no getting it off, especially when its snug and overdone with magnets, didn't need that many. Thank you Wez for the heads up, probably would never have seen this thread. J

Man, Oh, Man! What an amazing looking guitar! Your wood choices are just impressive, they just suit each other so well. I can't stop looking at it, it flows perfectly, fretboard, body, neck, all of it. Very nice work and excellent wood choices! I still can't get over how great that cherry neck looks either, nice stuff. Keep the pics coming in! J

As some others suggested, try making some. It really would be easy enough and you would be the only person to have them, considering no ones makes those. Thats really why I like this site, making your own stuff is the basic purpose that this site supports. It always feels so much more gratifying when you make your own anyway. Just buy white and gold knobs and a quick diy job and bammm, you can kick it up another notch with black numbers! I guess its your only real solution at this point anyhow, since they don't make them. Anyhow, best of luck and let us know what you do and how it works out. J

Was it the tropical exotics shop that I mentioned before or somewhere different? They have good sales sometimes. Anyhow, I'm curious now if thats where you went. Nice grab there, I always try grab a couple random unique and figured pieces from the cutoffs/turnery bin to play with and use on small projects, plus I like trying to figure what type of some of the cutoffs are, not always easy. Cool stuff, not really sure on which type of ebony, not super informed on all species of it, though flamed figure seems to occur in almost anything. If you went to the place I am thinking of, check out their site often because they'll post when they have deals. In their deals they'll drop the bd/ft prices a few dollars at a time on all kinds of nice stock and sometimes they'll do sales like 10 coco fretboards for $40 and such, just gotta keep an eye out. J

I'll check this one shop near me about shipping. I recently tried to find a couple similar bolts for a cheap ryobi router I had and minus special order, no one carries them. I believe they were 5/16" and I guess few very places carry anything over 1/4". If you can't find anyone to get those to you, just pm me, I believe I saw those exact screws numerous times while looking for the 5/16" version, so I could mail them out. J

Good point, I kept worrying myself about the polarity also, after rechecking the third time before glue up I decided to mark the backsides with black magic marker, so I could easily see how to place them. However with 1/8" I'd bet it'd still be tough see, where you marked them. I never thought to try magnets for truss covers as avenger63 suggested and with those 1/8" it would be easy and cool. I'm with Hydrogeoman on the never using screws again, too many cool things to do with magnets. Where did you find the 1/8" magnets Hydrogeoman? Are they thinner than 1/10" also? Good idea, like I said I way underestimated the strength on those little things.

I had almost finished my response with links and all a few hours ago and as I was finishing up the power died, ugh I hate that. I'm extremely happy that I finished my homework before it went out though. Anyhow, I got mine at Rockler because I saw them there first. I grabbed the smallest ones they had and they are probably the biggest you'd ever want to use. I'd probably go smaller if I could. Here they are Rare Earth Magnets (Rockler). The worked just fine, though I didn't quite realized how strong they would be at that size, so I way over did my cavity cover. I used the 3/8" diameter X1/10"thick magnets. I believe you get 10 in a pack for less than $5. I installed my magnets with epoxy, I found a 3/8" forstner drilled it to the proper depth so it was about flush, then just used a dab of epoxy, which worked well because the forstner left that little extra deep hole where the epoxy could sit. It really worked out great. I think in some applications and for the really small magnets you could just use a tight fit, but honestly with the ones I used, I don't think they would stay in place. I've seen those magnets jump so far, they are amazingly strong, I can barely get my cavity cover off. I'd probably use epoxy or CA, either should be plenty enough to hold it in. Magnets in cavity & cover Cover in place Cavity from a distance I really dig the magnets idea, this was my first attempt so it's not perfect, but it looks and work fine. I'll probably try for the next one to find a bit smaller magnets, diameter wise or just use 3 sets instead of 5. There is no real issue with how many I used, there is just no need for that many. The thinner you can get them, probably the better otherwise you'll need to be very alert on the thickness of the cavity cover or truss cover. Well, best of luck. J

Trynyty- I know what you're saying and I wasn't really trying to say no one will ever know how to tune because obviously as you learn this becomes something so simple, I was just getting at that learning how to tune helps one with the basics, when you are learning mainly. I'd bet if you asked any guitar teacher which would you prefer your beginner students to have, they would almost all say manual tuners, I know mine would, he always wanted me to learn everything the hard way. I think learning the notes and how to hear when the notes are in tune are quite useful in learning and will increase the speed at which one would learn versus having it done for them. I'm not trying to dog the tuners or the idea really, just adding some points I think are relevant to the topic, plus I was having a little fun with the examples I worte. I'm sure its great to have, but like with all unneccessary technology, its just another thing that can go wrong maybe similar to choosing between automatic and manual transmission. Hopefully, they will be problem free and work well for those who choose them. Its something I am not into at this point, but who know what the future will bring, I would have never guessed automatic tuners would come out, thats for sure. And just when you thought there was nothing left to do, they'll put little keyboard keys under each of the saddles on the bridge and instead of picking you just press the keys and they'll be played for you.

Yeah, the Rikons look very nice, though shortly after getting my machine I heard Rich refer to Steel City tools and I looked them up and really liked them. I had never previously heard of them and I really liked their products. I would have definitely looked at that Rikon if had a bit more to spend, though like I said, I may have looked at the Steel city saws. All very nice. I went back and forth on so many machines, I looked at the rikon, jets, even the craftsmans looked alright for the money. The extreme was about the most the saw I could get with the money I had. I really like those rikon/jets especially like the one you are getting with the tall resaw, but it was out of my price range really, the ultimate was really the most I wanted, but the improvements on the extreme seemed well worth it for me, it had the nice 6" tall fence(very helpful), the light, cast iron wheels, bulkier, heavier and more stable base, extra hp and more. So far I'm very happy with my purchase and it takes care of everything I've thrown at it with no problems, I've gotten it very accurate to my surprise. There are a few good bandsaw threads here, when you get your saw going post your feelings and thoughts on them because all those posts are what helped me and others figure out what to get and whats good, its super helpful information for people researching. Also, if you don't have some already grab some johnsons paste wax for the tables, makes them like butter. I actually found it at home depot for a couple bucks, its well worth it for the protection of the table for that and all your other tables. Best of luck and let me know how you like the saw, it looks like a killer machine. J

Another thing about technology like these tuners are loss in skills or never developing these skills. Its hard to describe the exact benefits, but I know I gained quite a bit in learning how to tune a guitar. Aside from slightly helping you to learn the notes along the board, you get to hear these and learn how they go with one another. The more tunings you know the more you learn. The same concept goes for so much of technology. I dunno, its not a huge reason, but just another to add. As I said learning to tune helped me out quite a bit. I bet in the future there will be a bunch of kids that have no idea how to tune, yet will be able to play perfectly fine and all the old guys who know how will look down with shame and the kids will see them as old men with "classic axes". What do you wanna bet?J

Well since you posed the question Mike, I guess we'll have to halves on the sales. I'm thinking of using those garage door laser beams that stop the garage, but instead when someone enters and breaks that beam it reacts as a kill switch and everything in the garage goes dead. Or instead the beam deploys some high voltage taser nods that will knock them out until you are done, you could substitute the beam for a trip wire for this option as well. Generally this isn't something I worry about all that much because my spidey sense alerts me to any intruders, but I can see how dangerous that would be. As soon as you started explaining the first thing that came to mind was a table saw and router table, just as you posted. These things are dangerous enough without being startled. How well did you handle the situation? I don't know how well I could have kept my cool considering the person could have cost you your wood working career(in the extreme). Scary stuff though Mike, glad it was minor. A sign wouldn't be a bad idea, but it would have to be big and obvious and facing towards the outside which may not be a viable option. Well, best of luck Mike, hope this never happens again! J

I found a few different types those included at my local Rockler. Not many Rocklers around, but you could always order them from Rockler. I've seen some threads at home depot I think, but I don't know what the selection looked like, but somewhere along the hardware isle I saw allen bolts and inserts. Just a little fyi the brass is fairly soft and I actually busted the slot on a couple of these and had to back them out and use a fresh one. I eventually got them in and they work great, it just could have gone much more smoothly.

I think my eyes are totally fooling me, but it just looks like the finish itself chipped up and cracked, I don't see the cracks in the neck. edit: I see now the fretboard lift, hopefully you should be able to fix that. The guys here will have some good advice for you and check out frets.com, they have a large index of tutorials about fixing problems like this and that should also help to get you going. Best of luck.

I just bought some of this the other day and plan on trying it Formsby's Tung oil. I can't find it on the site, but the can calls it a varnish, but I think as suggested it is a mix. I bought the high gloss version and will test it soon see how it works out. I've been testing different finishes for my neck. I just finishes testing Watco's Danish Oil. While, it made the wood look nice, its not something I would like for a neck finish personally. ihocky- one thought I had in regards to why someone would choose oil finishes is the safety of it. Oils seem to generally be much safer than laquers and varnishes, plus more environmentally friendly. Plus most often they can be effectively brushed or rubbed in versus spray which takes more equipment and leads to a greater waste of product. Aside from that I'm sure there is some differences in look that people prefer, oils can really create a nice glow in the wood. I think it looks great, however, I also am a big fan of those high gloss clears that look deep. In regards to necks, some people might prefer the feel of specific oils, though many of those pure or raw oils don't really dry, so they probably wouldn't be top choices for necks, at least I would imagine that being true. You can though just buy heated or boiled versions which will dry better, for example boiled linseed oil, that will actually dry whereas the raw version would probably take forever. Anyhow, just some of the reasons I've found on why the preference for oils. So far I prefer varnish, lacquers, and the like but I have yet to test a number of different oils, so we shall see. I'm sure doug has some much more informed answers for you, I haven't been testing long, just learning as I go. J

If you are buying direct from Grizzly check to see if they still offer a Timberwolf with a bandsaw purchase. I got mine mid-late last year and it came with a free timberwolf blade. Sadly, it was backordered so I had to wait a few weeks for it to arrive, which was fine as I didn't have the room to setup the saw yet anyway. The blade the saw came with was so-so. The Timberwolf they sent was just a general all purpose cutter, I think a 3/8" blade lower tpi, using the positive claw design. I'd really have to search my emails to get the exact specs on it or go out and inspect it, but really it has worked wonderfully on everything I've used it on from cutting my zebrawood body to slicing off some veneers from 4" jatoba and bubinga very well. I would had preferred a thinner blade if I had the choice at the time as I can't cut that tight of radius with a 3/8" vs. a 1/4" but it works fine and sure does cut very straight lines no problem. Check out some of the other bandsaw threads here through the search, there is some great information on setup and proper tensioning and more, this can make a big difference in your cuts in my opinion. And remember to make a habit out of releasing the blade tension release handle when you are done cutting. I just checked out the site and didn't see the deal anywhere for the free timberwolf, but ask them see if they'll do it, say you thought they had that deal, maybe they'll still honor it. With that in mind I really want to try some of the blades mentioned here like the woodslicers and such, but I would have no issues buying some more general purpose timberwolf blades. FYI, I grabbed the 14"extreme version and am very happy with it. It was tough to decide between the ultimate and extreme due to cash flow issues, but the bit extra hp, the 6" tall fence, the light, the heavier, bulkier base and cast iron wheels vs cast aluminum were the deciding factors I believe. Of course for each step up you can justify the price increase, it just boils down to what you can go with, I had to save a couple extra months to go with the extreme but I'm glad I did. Oh yeah the extreme base is also a cabinet which is cool place to store guitar building stuff, lol. Best of luck. J

Pmarlins inlaid top thread I found one of the projects I was thinking of. It was a really cool thing. As I said a few people did this last year, I believe doug also did one and maybe russ, but I can't recall off hand, if I find them I will add the links. Its an idea worth looking into, it looks really cool also. I'm sure you'll figure it out. I play so much around the house that I'm usually thinking about how it will play sitting down and for me personally it would be too tall to sit and be able to lean over and with how I sit, I would have one point in my armpit and another point right around my elbow. I know how you feel though, my preference for design isn't usually well suited for comfort, but I try to blend my style with comfort to get a guitar I will want to play a lot. If you had plenty of guitars and were touring and needed something to stand out, I would say go for it and make it a stage ax, but so few are really going to have that option. Again best of luck with everything. J Here is HuntinDougs inlaid top guitar HuntinDougs inlaid top

As suggested maybe you could incorperate your desire of this design without making the body that shape, it really would be uncomfortable to play. First it would be really wide/tall meaning any playing while sitting down would be difficult, second usually where you strumming arm lies across the body will really be right in between two points and that alone would make me ditch the idea, you're going to have bruises all over your strumming arm and armpit. As for ideas in using the theme, in the last year or two I've seen a couple really well done inlaid tops, meaning a large portion of the top is inlaid with a different type of wood. I'll have to search for the projects, but I know a few people here did this and they turned out well. You could go with whatever body wood you want inlaid with a bloodwood cross that covers most of the body. This way you could pick a more comfortable body design but still get the look you want. Anyhow, just some ideas to chuck around. As for accessories with crosses, check ebay. I don't know of any tuner buttons in that shape, but I've seen so much else like knobs with crosses inlaid on the top(check QParts knobs) and even strap buttons made in the shape of crosses, like these strap buttons. I think that site has some knobs with crosses, though like the strap buttons are slightly different designs, but I'd bet you could find something that would be close enough on ebay. Also, as for wood, you can always add stain to certain woods. I'd bet you could get some mahogany fairly close to looking the color of bloodwood with some staining experiements. Again, just some thoughts to throw about. It seems you have a lot of good advice here already, I would definitely take it all into consideration before going ahead. Also, you don't necessarily have to chuck the idea, you can always save it till you've done a couple and know all the aspects of building. Well, best of luck, hope it all works out for you. J

I'll have to second the pumps for west systems and second the epoxy itself, good stuff, crystal clear as far as I've seen. I believe west systems also has a finishing resin version, they have a couple types, 205, 206, and then the 207 which I think is the finishing resin, I will have to recheck that though, can't quite remember. Honestly I thought the pumps system was expensive at first, but after using it I would gladly pay even more for it, saves you so much time and trouble. I tried several two part epoxies and found west systems to my favorite. It works perfectly fine for grainfilling, you don't really need the finishing resin for grainfilling, regular epoxy works fine. The 206 from west systems is actually thinner than their 205 and normal epoxy by a decent amount, works great for this application, plus epoxy can be thinned even more with a few products like acetone. Best of luck with the finish and snap some photos as you go for us. There is a good thread somewhere at OLF from a number of months or more ago, about epoxy grainfilling and which epoxies are preferred and a couple people post some beautiful shots of the west system in action. West Systems and Zpoxy I believe were among the favorites. Let you know if I find it. J Edit: OLF epoxy grainfilling discussion More Dicussion similar subject These two links should really add some info to your search. The first link shows a couple pics on the second and third page that are nice a representation of the product. Really some quality info there to read through including some well informed opinions. Hope this helps. J

I agree with Setch check around the web, I've seen some good tuts and even some good videos. Once you setup your sharpening process and get good at it, it literally takes a minute and you'll be pulling the fluffiest curls without much effort. I know you don't need to really, but I bought myself a burnisher, normal style. I just get it all nice and square on a 10in single cut file,edit missed a step here, I started with trying stones to smooth the squared edge, but I ended up switching to sandpaper of a high grit, works just as well for me, then once squared and smooth I put the scraper in my vise between two pieces of mdf(crappy vise), I take the tiniest dab of oil run it on the edge of the scraper with my finger, then run the burnisher down perpendicular to the scraper like 5-7 times or so, then I do this again angled to each side, though usually less times. You can vary the angle to create more or less hook depending on what you want. It definitely takes some getting used to and don't be afraid to put some pressure on the edge, just don't slip and gouge yourself on the corner. With practice some process close to that should get you a nice curl. You don't need to square the scraper everytime either, you can resharpen a couple times before needing to resquare things. This is just how I do it now, I learned basically from online tuts videos and some helps from all the guys at rockler who all are quite proficient with scrapers. I'll look for some of those tuts and videos I used and link them if I can. Best of luck. J Here is a good link with many, many articles and a few down on the page there is a great video that explains it all very well and will show you exactly how, once you know how it just takes practice. One thing to keep in mind is you shouldn't be getting any dust, it should curls of wood, dust means resharpen time. Also experiment with the angle you hold it at while scraping, if you angled the hook too little, you might need to hold the scraper almost vertically to catch that good cutting edge. Experimenting and understanding the angle and such will help you to find your preferences. Best of luck. J Scraper Sharpening tuts and vids Check the 10th link down first, great video to get the idea, very helpful. There should be a few like this around the web, I've seen probably 3 that are all almost exactly like this one. The pdf file after the video is also great, 11th link down.

Cool woods, really diggin' that cherry. The more I see cherry the more I want to use it. That figured cherry you have is just gorgeous. I know of a site that sells maples and they sometimes have some wicked figured cherry like that, may have to snack some up. Very cool project and super cool wood choices. Keep the progress coming and the photos, best of luck. J

Wow, absolutely beautiful Stu. Not sure if I could actually sit down and play that, I'd be too tempted to mount it a big glass case as a design piece or something. That Queensland walnut is truly something else, looks like it has a couple figure styles going on like ribbon and curl figure and just finished real nice. Is there any other wood you'd liken it to? it almost reminds me of mahogany or something, very cool wood. Great choice on the top too, I always love those Aussie woods. One of my local wood shops deals with mainly exotics and not too long back they got a massive shipment of all Aussie woods, it was pretty dang cool, they still have a ton left and I plan on grabbing up what I can. The carve is great as well, very neat. I also really liked how you did the headstock and headstock cap, it was a little different than any I've seen and very well done. Again, just an excellent build, plus it has my favorits pup combo. However, I might suggest one thing to you, let the owner know that he or she should invest in a explosive proof guitar safe as I really don't think I can keep myself from going after this one. J

I bet if you checked it now it might work. It was the same issue I had I believe about having permission and I think they solved it, though maybe they haven't done so completely. Either way glad you got back in. Best of luck and see you there. J

Same here, I have some binding on hand from both lmi and the mac and both look fine me. I even made binding glue out of both and it work beautifully, no complaints. Best of luck though, hope you find something that suits you. J

Did you bevel the slots at all? This can make some very tiny gaps sometimes. After making sure the depth is enough, I might look at this. J