ryanb

They spec 0.0015" per foot (not for the full length of the item) for the straightedges, but I don't see that spec for the radius beam (it may very well be the same). 0.16mm is 0.0063", which is still out of tolerance, but nowhere near what you stated. More importantly, if you checked against the Stew-Mac straightedge, how do you know how much of that difference is the beam onstead of the straightedge? The Stew-Mac straightedges aren't the most perfect things out there either (but they aren't meant to be a Starrett). Stew-mac has definitely struggled with the quality-control of some of their suppliers at times. At least they have the customer service part right. That's what the prices are paying for after all.

Bostik Dri-Cote

Rikon definitely makes good equipment. I wouldn't have any problem recommending any Rikon gear. 650 CFM is the low end of the dust-collector market. (I have an 1100, and wish I had the space for another.) If you run it with only one machine at a time, it will do fine. Don't try to hook it up to every machine you have at the same time, because that definitely won't work. These collectors are mostly all pretty generic. Essentially the same model as that one can be found from Delta, Jet, etc. as well. As I recall, Lowes wanted $149 for the Delta version, so you might check around for prices (but 170 isn't bad). Remember to save a chunk of budget for the hoses, fittings, etc that you will need. If you are willing to spend a bit more, I would suggest looking into the "canister filter" collectors. Instead of cloth bags top and bottom, they have a rigid top canister with a pleated paper filter (like a shop vac), and a heavy plastic chip bag on the bottom. These are MUCH easier and cleaner to empty than the messy cloth bags. They flow a bit more air too. If you will be using tools that create a lot of large chips (like a planer or jointer), you can improve the performance a lot with a "chip seperator". It is a plastic lid for a steel trash can with fittings for the 4" hose. You put it in the line before the collector and it seperates the heavy chips (like a cyclone collector) before the smaller, lighter stuff goes into the collector. This saves wear on the collector (since the heavy chips don't get pulled through the impeller), greatly extends the bag fill time, and is often easier to empty.

Those things are worse than freehand IMO.

I have both of them. I haven't spent a lot of time looking through the new one, but it is very close to the previous version. Things are arranged a little differently, and some things are expanded a bit, but the content is very similar. The DVD is short. It has some info on evaluating electric and acoustic guitars (as if you were looking to buy), an extremely fast glossing over of intonation, and some stuff about how to install strings on an acoustic without destroying the bridge pad. That's about it. I see very little specifically about basses. If you have the previous version, there probably isn't a lot of reason to upgrade. YMMV.

I haven't seen the thread you are referring to ... I take it you are trying to join steel sides and top. Are you building a resonator or something? Welding material that thin can be done but it is VERY difficult to do well. If you have a really good TIG welding expert around, it would be worth a try. Heat is going to be problematic. I would suggest you either just tack weld it and finish with bronze brazing, or just bronze braze the whole thing to keep the heat lower. That will hold up to the chrome just fine. You still have to be very careful with the heat though to avoid warping the metal too much. If you had a lip on one piece, you could even spot weld them then (again) fill with bronze. Practice on something else first.

Real Ibanez logos are paint transfers. Stickers or waterslide decals under clearcoat are pretty much your only replacement options, unless you know someone who does screen printing.

These are individual at StewMac ... maybe not the style you were looking for ... http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,..._6-In-Line.html WezV has posted about Sperzels being reversible ... you can take them apart and reassemble them the other way to suit your needs.

No, they are definitely not compatible. I wanted to do the same thing, but the LMI templates do not fit the StewMac box. You could make a rig that will work with both, but that one won't. I think they may both work on the LMI box (with the question of the index pin size), but not the other way -- the StewMac box is too narrow.

I prefer cam clamps to go-bars, but there are a lot of different things you could choose. Yes cam clamps are pretty easy to build, but I don't really see saving much money going that route after buying all of the materials -- especially if you put any value on your time to build them. You can sometimes find deals on them.

I'll second that. I've used a lot of Weller stuff professionally and it is great stuff. All of the soldering irons sold by RadioShack are absolute crap! I've been there before. But you may not need to jump all the way up to a full station. You might just go get a 25 or 40 watt Weller iron (from any Home Depot, Lowes, or most hardware stores) and you can do just as well for guitar work. That will only cost you $20-$40 and last a lifetime. The soldering stations don't really add much value until you get into the professional electronic work with dense circuit boards. I can't comment on the ceramic tips since I haven't used them. My reaction is that they may work, but surely aren't necessary. Not sure how you tin a ceramic tip. You certainly don't need precise temperature regulation for guitar work. Stick with a brand name you can trust.

Thanks for the reply Rich. Your comments are pretty much exactly what I expected. I have already been thinking of ways to address those very concerns for a setup of my own. I think I am going with the laminate trimmer approach, with improved guide bearings.

Rich, would you please explain specifically why you find this tool to be "total crap"? (I'm not disagreeing, just curious as to the weakness.) Lack of power, not stable, uneven cut, hard to adjust, etc. ?

That seems like it just adds unnecessary complexity. If you are skilled enough to get good results that way, you are probably skilled enough to get good results without the template. But the ends justify the means ...

You can use Titebond, or CA, or pretty much any other glue that suits your fancy. No need to dilute it, just use a small dab. Most glues don't bond very well to nut material, so it doesn't take much impact to break the glue loose.