M_A_T_T

And when you're gluing, you're doing just bit by bit along the neck or around the body, right? It's not like you're laying down a line of glue first?

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I've observed a luthier doing the whole side of a fingerboard in one shot. Just shoot a bead down the strip of binding and slap on the 'board. I've also done it this way, just work quick. For a body, though, you'd have to do one small are at a time. I bound a body once with plastic binding but I don't remeber exactly how I did it, most likely one bit at a time.

BTW: Wood or plastic binding?

It's possible if it was plastic you used the wrong glue. Obviously use Titbond or the like if it's wood, for plastic I learned regular superglue works great.

Another thing, if you must use cheap tools, use good cutters (router & drill bits, bandsaw & tablesaw blades, etc):

Cheap tool + cheap cutter = poor, inaccurate cuts

Cheap tool + good cutter = cleaner, more accurate cuts

Cheap cutters aren't sharpened properly, enough or equally on both sides.

Cheap bandsaw blades will wander and dull quickly.

Cheap tablesaw blades will give you rough, inaccurate cuts.

Cheap abrasives will dull quickly and belts will even break prematurely.

Cheap router bits will give you rough cuts, and can actually shatter when in use, be aware....

I'm speaking from experience here --since I started my guitar building project (with absolutely no woodworking experience) I've broken two (oldish) drills and a jigsaw! And my router's due for a replacement too...

How exactly? I've only ever broken tools because they were cheap....

LOL. I wonder what that tag says behind the guitar. Sounds like he may have borrowed a guitar from a music store and took pics of it next to the can of oil

Here's some more:

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/3296/dsc000647is.jpg

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/6841/dsc000652go.jpg

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/1097/dsc000633pe.jpg

Look's kinda cheap and probaly offers 0 protection to the wood. See that light spot in the second spot? That's the wood soaking up the oil. Who the hell want's to recoat there guitar with freakin tranny oil every weekend? Not me!

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That dude is totally yanking you. If you look in your 3rd pic. You can read the tag. It says BB whatever....that is a yamaha model

and then it says yellow natural, which is oretty much the color that we see. I don't think he did anything at all. He is just trying to mess with you guys. I guess it worked. hahahaha

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I noticed the writing on the tag, too. That's complete BS. I wouldn't think it would properly dry as motor oil is designed to stay liquid to lubricate the engine. Try putting cooking oil on your guitars..... Tru-oil and the like are designed to dry out, and tru-oil will actually dry thick and somewhat hard with enough coats. He's just trying to make people do it on their guitars to f'em up. Algee you should let him no we're on to him and not to post BS like that anymore. This reminds me of Jeff's food dye thing....

Also, I believe most oil finishes are designed to be 'food safe', makng them great for guitars. I have little reason to believe motor oil is 'food safe', therefore not that great to be handling.

EDIT: I found the thread:

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=266282

Good job telling him Algee and glad it got closed. That guy is just plain dumb. If he wants a matte oil finish just use pure tung oil.

I've had good experiences with my Craftsman 3.5HP router, though most people seem to knock 'em. It's a big, heavy, powerful beast which I found to be abit awkward to use free hand, so it now lives in my router table.

I now use a Dewalt 2 1/4HP plunge/fixed base router. It's great, enough power, small, light weight, low center of gravity.

I have a Craftsman benchtop belt/disc sander that's a workhorse. It was my first 'major' tool purchase years ago. Never had problems with it.

All my Delta tools so far are great EXCEPT for thier crappy little bench-top jointer. I tried using it on my current project a while ago and the results were poor enough to make me buy a hand plane and use that. I've always found the fence to be way to weak and rikidy, actaully moves as I send wood through.

I don't personally care for Mastercraft power tools, a Canadian brand. I have a Mastercraft lathe that I burnt out the motor on TURNING PENS! I was given a replacement for free and this one is starting to go. However, their C-clamps are awesome. Extremely tough and heavy duty.

Veritas tools from Lee Valley - expensive but worth every penny. I have two of their handplanes and they are amazing. Will be getting more soon.

I may think of more.

That's a very limited list. What about Delta, Rigid, Hitachi, Porter Cable, Craftsman..... Even some of the good names have weak areas, some make a good router, but another makes a better drill, etc.

I personally don't think the edging is exactly flat. I think it would look weird. It probably just curves very slightly at the edge until the main arching. Carving a 're-curve' would look even cooler. Here's a comparison:

I can't get yours to open

Try using the link i put up a few posts above... it seems to be working here

Its a link directly to the ".doc" file so no renaming is required!

~~ Slain Angel ~~

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I tried that one too. I keep getting this 'illegal operation' crap...

And plus I guess the more the merrier.

Exactly! I did one on here for a bass, there's lots for guitars out there, but people do things differently, so it's good to have a number of references to look from.

I can't get yours to open, so I don't know what it looks like, but I'm currently doing a pictorial for a violin using free forum software where I can just post an update and people can instantly read it, and basically watch in real time as I built it, just like a thread on here, but with out any other posts cluttering it up. Just a thought.

I've heard of this. I think Dan Erlewine demonstraits it in his advanced fretting video. I think part of the object is to slip the glue joint of the neck/fingerboard to bow the neck back, but I'm not sure. Never done this myself.

I do think you would be better off with a 110V compressor.  But, since you mentioned it was a Craftsman, I wonder if it really is a 6HP motor.  Craftsman advertises many compressors that are 6HP PEAK / 2HP continuous compressors, which are a far cry from a real 6HP compressor.  Also, most Craftsman compressors can be rewired for 220V operation, though a 50 or 60 amp plug would be way overkill.  But it sounds like you already have the information you need.

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I true 6HP motor will not run off 120VAC. From my experience looking at tool HP and voltage ratings, 1.5HP is the max you can run off 120, as most 2HP motors are listed as running off 220VAC. A true 6HP motor may even be better off with 440VAC.

I've seen the 'bark thing' on quilted maple billets/tops before, as quilted maple is flatsawn and the quilted figuring tends not to go that far into the tree.

Both. 

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If you want a good workout. My shop is in two separate rooms, one upstairs one down. I find it annoying to run upstairs to use the bandsaw, then run back down, find I cut it to long, run back up, etc. This is why I am in talks to rent out space at my work so I can stuff everything in a single, larger room.

Take them apart if possible. This is how I moved a floor model drillpress, large edgesander, 14" bandsaw and 16" thickness sander up a flight of stairs by myself. Getting them down to 100lb 'chunks' made it managable for myself.

I just found it.

http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.cfm?

I remember a program where you'd type in your shop dimensions and then there were these little scaled tools icons that you'd move around to get an idea of the layout of your shop? I found it on another forum, but I though I posted it here, but can't find it. Anyone know where it is?

Carving the neck is the best part, the worst part is worrying if your fretboard is glued on straight. Well for me it is, i did the measurments no less than 300 times too.

Use locating pegs. Drill a shallow 1/8" hole (1/8" depth) off center on the neck and the same on the fretboard. When they are glued together it will line the fretboard up exactly.

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Use alignment pins. Drill 1/16" holes at either end of your board into the neck while the board is clamped in place, then cut short lengths of 1/16" metal rod to fit in the holes, leaving enough to grab with pliers so you can remove them afterward. The fingerboard will not move when gluing. To hide the holes drill them in fret slots.

The move will be taking me to Abbotsford, British Columbia

HAH! You're going to be about a half-hour drive from me! I'm in Langley. Good luck with everything.

Neatness and organization will be the key to keeping frustration levels low in my 270 sq. ft. work shop.

DEFINATELY! 270 sq. ft. is big, though. The two rooms I have my tools in are only 100 sq. ft. & 55 sq. ft. and I have no trouble working in them. If you search for one of those 'shop pics' thread you can see how I make out with my small rooms.

Yeah, I think I've reached the sad conclusion... flat top semi this time... carve next time

So thinking forward, ya'll know where to get a nice thick top (spruce... maple...?) cause all the pre-bookmatched tops Gilmer has are 3/16"

Chris

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You could try here:

http://stores.ebay.com/Free-Bracing-With-A...geNameZl2QQtZkm

I have an arch-top blank from him I'm turning into two violin tops. Nice stuff.

Just look around at wood suppliers on the net.

OK, here's an idea. I fork out another $50 to get another 3/16" of spruce... but i strain this one BEFORE glueing it to the other spruce. So then, it's not 3/8", so I can carve 1/4" total, HOWEVER when the carve carves down PAST the unstrained top it all of a sudden turns ____ (insesrt color of strain of second spruce top undernieth). OR do some other sort of wood (darker than spruce) in the same manner.

Thoughts?

Chris

PS: Cause yeah I'm a fan of big carves too...

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A 1/4" carve will still be un-noticable, like the 'carve' on those lame bolt-on epiphone LP specials or juniors or whatever. Plus you'd have to carve it PERFECTLY for the stained/unstained transition to look good.

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of... but I DON'T want a flat top on this...

Would I be able to carve it thinner than 1/8" safely since it's not a full hollow, only a semi?

Chris

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Then buy a thicker piece of wood. You'll end up going through to the lacewood if you try to carve deep into the 3/16" spruce. It will just be frustrating and not worth the time spent in the end. Just buy a thicker piece of wood.

I saw that show last night. Very interesting. A con I can see is I they probably don't 'open up' like wooden instruments do though, ie - sound better after a number of years, the instrument and sound always evolving.

but the back is injection molded

That's similar to how the instruments in the original link are made.

That's like trying to turn a flat-top acoustic into an arch-top. I wouldn't waste my time.