Mattia

All the Bari sets I've used (two brands only, with 0.080 in the low E) have thinner windings on the bit that goes around the tuning machine.

I cut, then sand down close to the line (drum sander in a drill press in the past, these days a cheap oscillating drum sander) and then route off the final 1/16" (or less) with a router. Table works better than handheld simply because there's zero risk of tilting the router by mistake.

...as accurate as possible and necessary. Frankly, if the jig's made of wood, just sand it until it's level and square.

What rich said: traditionally the bridge is applied after the finishing process, but to bare wood that's been cleared of all finish. With modern finishes like polyester, you can get away with gluing the bridge down to the finish (I know Jean Larrivee does this, as has Rick Turner in the past) with thick CA glue. However, I really don't trust the finish bond enough; hot hide or titebond, bare wood to bare wood for me.

I have curved pearl that's not quite the radius of either ring on the soundhole of the acoustic I'm making (pics in the acoustics section, somewhere); it'll bend a little bit, but not very much.

The Hiscock book, definitely. Key tool, that.

Beyond that: buy a good router, some good router bits, I'm assuming you have a hand drill and/or a drill press/stand (or access to one) for tuning machine holes. Beyond that, I say buy tools as you need them, not up front. I started with little more than a router, handheld drill, drill stand and a jigsaw, along with a couple of handsaws and a cheap rasp from the hardware store. Plus a bunch of measuring equipment and the like, and fretting tools/larger power tools/etc. were added slowly along the way.

Finish, then scrape, then glue the bridge. Significantly easier to sand, finish and polish without the bridge on there, and scraping the finish off the bridge area is really quite simple.

Sure, if you say so. But we both obviously have very different ideas of what a guitar is worth. I would have no reservations spending 4k on a really special acoustic guitar.

We're completely on the same page, methinks.

I don't own any guitars I haven't built. Although I am frequently tempted by Lowdens...

Have you tried clearcoating scraps of the stained wood? The straight stain won't look much like the finished product. Test the full process.

How does koa compare? I've actually never held a piece in my hands so I don't know what it's like in terms of weight and stiffness, but I was considering doing a flame koa back/sides and I think it would look cool if the headstock over and bridge had matching koa.

I've never worked with it, but I've handled a few sets, and I've got several sets of its cousin wood, Black Acacia. It's mahogany-ish in terms of weight, fairly similar in terms of tap.

I use the balloon trick as well, but again, not my idea, and I'm not sure where I stole it from...

In my experience limba works, finishes, sounds, and bends very similar to mahogany.

Agreed. Except it works and finishes even better/more easily than most mahogany. I absolutely love working with the stuff.

Keep in mind inserts for electrics are a completely different ballgame from inserts for acoustics; on an electric, the load is almost entirely lateral, while on acoustics it's in the same axis as the bolt holding the neck in place. I wouldn't trust press-fit inserts in an acoustic heel, where added pressure might split it. Rather have hex driven inserts superglued in place. You also tend to only have 2 inserts taking signficantly more tension (usually 12-54 or 13-56 string sets) than an electric with four inserts. Experience shows holding power and adjsutability isn't a problem at all.

On the Stewi mac Herringbone Drednaught design (martin), he uses two 1/4 x 20 BOLTS coming out of the neck, so I may just go that way.

I know a number of builders (one in particular who I have the utmost respect for, Mario Proulx) who use hanger bolts - screw thread simply screwed into the heel, with the bolt end extending into the body to be fastened by a simple nut and washer setup. Works great, I'm sure, but I don't find the inserts difficult, and I have enough to last me at least a decade right now...

Keep in mind inserts for electrics are a completely different ballgame from inserts for acoustics; on an electric, the load is almost entirely lateral, while on acoustics it's in the same axis as the bolt holding the neck in place. I wouldn't trust press-fit inserts in an acoustic heel, where added pressure might split it. Rather have hex driven inserts superglued in place. You also tend to only have 2 inserts taking signficantly more tension (usually 12-54 or 13-56 string sets) than an electric with four inserts. Experience shows holding power and adjsutability isn't a problem at all.

Is the radius block true? No warp? Straight? Use QUALITY paper (yes, pay for the 3M, worth every penny, and it's cheaper than the Silverline because it lasts longer)? After rough-routing the radius, I do a quick sand at 80 grit, then 120 grit, 220, 320, 400, 600. At the end you're just polishing.

Also: keep the block LEVEL, apply EVEN pressure, and sand in ONE DIRECTION. Not back and forth, even unidirectional strokes are the key. If you're just levelling inlays, start with finer grit paper (220), and/or file them flat first; MOP files very nicely, better than it sands.

Looking good. I'm having trouble picturing how the binding cutter works; is it 'scraping' at a fixed depth, with the rod riding the sides? How does that give you a clean, crisp cut?

1/4-20 machine screws. Look under the fasteners section at the Lee Valley site, under hardware. This stuff's used for knockdown furniture a lot. And/or check out McFeely's for both bolts/screws and fasteners.

I order from them all the time; they sell whiteside router bits, top quality stuff. As for size...whatever you want to use. My most used bit is probably the 3/4" diameter bit on a 1/2" shaft for outside work, and smaller/shorter cut depth bits for things like pickup templates. 1/4" shaft, 1/2" cut, 1/4" depth of cut is useful for sneaking up to not-very-deep template routed holes.

My first two had M6 bolts, then I ordered a bunch of US hardware from Lee Valley because it was prettier than what I could find locally. Yes, I'm really that shallow.

You say that mat but I have seen M6 bolts in Halfords which have chromed Allen key ends, much better looking than your bog standard bolt. And the worrying thing is even though they won't be seen I am actually contemplating getting them.

Heh. Lee Valley's are nice Steel bolts with a wide, flat head, hex/allen keys, and a classy bronze finish. Nothing else inside the box is that shiny, so chrome just seems a bit wrong. And not pretty enough :-P

My first two had M6 bolts, then I ordered a bunch of US hardware from Lee Valley because it was prettier than what I could find locally. Yes, I'm really that shallow.

Second the lathe. Making small items (egg cups, pens, that sort of thing) is good fun, and you can make knobs. Cheapie one will do, and I'd say don't bother getting a set of chisels (like I did) but get a roughing gouge, skew and bowl gouge (if you're interested in bowls) and a paring tools of some sort. Good fun.

For larger scraps, I've made two scrap guitars to date; one full scale headless (neck through, strips on the side) and one short scale Les Paul-ish thing (tiny, 20" scale length, body scaled to size). Fun little things.

Also, try switching to epoxy. Just did a piece on maple, no problem at all.

For abalam? CA has too many advantages for purfling, IMO, certainly if a quick wash coat of shellac will solve all the problems he has. It's easy to install purfling then simply flood and have it all perfectly in place. Less so to fill things with epoxy, then fit (tightly) all sorts of tiny bits of pearl, methinks.

Do what all us acoustic builders who install binding with CA glue (with or without abalone/abalam): seal the channel with one or two wiped/painted coats of shellac first. Keeps the CA out of/off the wood, and everything sticks just fine. Sands off easily afterwards.

1/4-20 internal thread.