ryanb

Yes. Dan Erlewine does a Mary-Kay white finish in the spray-finishing video SM currently sells.

Cutting at an angle to the blade is what gives you a radius larger than the blade radius. If you fed the stock at a right angle to the blade (very dangerous BTW), you would get the radius of the blade. As you move the angle of feed closer toward parallel to the blade, the radius increases. The blade is kept at a right angle to the table always. That method has been used for a long time to make mouldings. It can be done pretty fast, but you will still have to clean up the surface. To do it like the safety-planer method by tilting the blade, you would have to be feeding the stock at a right angle to the blade, which is a good recepie for a nasty accident. It would also take longer and cut rougher than feeding at an angle to the blade. But if you really want to use this method, the safety-planer would be a safer and cleaner way to do it (other than a purpose-made moulder as Spoke mentioned). Though, I have to agree with Mattia about just buying them. The value of my time making blocks with any of these methods is WAY more than the $10 it takes to buy one already done. And I can buy a whole set of blocks for the cost of a safety-planer (since I don't already have one). It's a good method to have in your bag of tricks though.

Ryan, "Kerf" means relief cut. That is why they call it kerfed linings, as opposed to linings. But, yes you are spot on correct Peace,Rich Yes, I know that. My point is that a lot of the pre-kerf linings you buy are not kerfed enough to follow the contour of the back without making ADDITIONAL kerf cuts (or some alternative like perhaps the fox bender or water soaking that have been suggested -- I don't do it that way). The back curve actually is bending in two different directions at once, which is why the pre-kerfed lining doesn't always sit down well without some help. The point is just to make sure you maintain good contact with the sides. At least if you want to avoid sanding off a lot of extra kerfing... But I agree with all of the above ... whatever method works for you ... it's the result that matters.

If you are going to build necks of Wizard I size or thinner, I would definitely use the CF rods. Yes, mult-laminate necks are stronger than single-piece necks, but even laminated necks move and warp over time. Ibanez learned that the hard way with the original Wizard I necks, and they use laminates and reinforcing with the current reissue Wizards for that reason. It's cheap insurance, and will keep the neck more stable over time if nothing else.

You need to make relief cuts in the kerfing with a knife (particularly on the back because of the taper) as necessary to allow the kerfing to lay down flat on the side while following the curve of the side. Otherwise, the kerfing will pull away from the side and leave a gap as you try to bend it in two directions at once. Once that is solidly installed, you can sand it to the correct radius so that the kerfing is even with the sides and has the correct radius.

Sanding timesavers ... (couldn't resist) http://www.timesaversinc.com/wseries.php?series=1

You certainly can round and shape the heel area to a point -- just don't go too far and make it too weak. You won't be able to go as far as the Ibanez joint, but it will help smooth things out. Remember that the Ibanez neck also extends a lot farther down into the body, which gives it back the strength lost when the joint is cut away (probably more). Personally, if I was doing a custom guitar and wanted AANJ, I would build it into the neck and body from the start instead of adapting a Strat joint, but do whatever works for you.

Allparts is one place that sells bridge saddle shims, but you can make your own too. Pop cans are about the right thickness. You can shim the saddles to match your fretboard, but you need to find a locking nut that matches, since you can't fix that with shims.

I have the Woodcraft ones too. They are nice clamps.

What does it do that one can't do with a regular scraper? Why is "hand scraping" the "hard way"? Just curious. Looks to me like a scraper with handles. If you are just wanting an easier way to hold a scraper, there are a number of scraper handles on the marlet too. I guess the shorter blade might be handy on rosettes.

I agree. Zebrawood has soft parts and hard parts in the light and dark stripes. It can sometimes be VERY splintery and have a lot of tearout ... depends on the piece. It is pretty, but I find it to be a pain to work with in general. Doing a guitar top or something like that probably wouldn't be too bad though.

Most locking nuts are not the same on both sides (i.e., the back is lower than the front and the slots may be shaped differently), so i'm not sure mounting the nut backwards is such a good idea. However, in your case with a zero fret, I think it should work out fine as long as the lock nut is low enough ... it is only acting as a string clamp instead of a nut. (Maybe just use locking tuners unless you are building a serious whammy machine.)

Congratulations Matt. I have had that Jet for a number of years now and it is a great machine, at a really good price. It is quiet, reliable, and effective. There really isn't any comparison to a drum sander in a drill press.

Body shops use two-part polyurethane automotive paints. That stuff is the hardest, most durable finish you will get. It is also generally pretty thick, and is deadly toxic if not handled properly. Think of the finish on most current production guitars (electric).

1) http://www.universaljems.com/cart/bobbin.htm 2) Yes, left-handed locknuts do exist, but aren't very easy to find. Floyd Rose and Ibanez have them, to name two. Check around a bit to find something that meets your specs.

Thanks for the link. Nice videos.

In this case, i'd probably say the HS-2. The HS-3 would probably be good too. The Evos are pretty hot, so some of the more Strat-ish singles would not be as good a match.

Many 12-strings actually have 2 truss rods side by side ... but otherwise they are the same. A pair of Hot Rods would work well.

The ZR is a great trem and perfectly capable of any whammy abuse you care to throw it's way. Make sure it is set up right, and I would also suggest you try disconnecting the zero-point system to see if it gives you something more to your liking. The route is completely different from an Edge route. Changing it would require extensive filling, re-routing, re-finishing, etc. Also, as mentioned, you may likely have thickness problems putting an Edge in there with low action (you might be OK if you can track down a short trem block). I'd say it isn't worth it. You could always pick up an old S-series with an original Edge if you decide that is really what you need.

Yes, they are laser cut. You can tell from the burns on the masonite. It's like a CNC mill, but cuts with a laser. And yes, they are expensive. I have several templates from him. They are good, but they are definitely off a little in some places. Just depends on how picky you are. Never trust somebody else's templates without checking them yourself. Also remember that some things on the templates require the templates to be relocated first -- you can't cut everything at the same time.

Here's a link to Stew-Mac's instructions for using the proportional ruler to set up a 12-string nut (go to the bottom of the page). http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/ts0028...&clk=111260

With all due respect, of course you aren't having any trouble with a 16 1/2" Delta floor-standing press. A drill press like that can easily handle the job. But a lot of people are using inexpensive bench-top drill presses. Many of these have flimsy table construction. Another problem comes with putting too much stress on the bearings which can cause premature bearing failure or extra runout. Again, you shouldn't have any problem with a full-size press though. For me, a $30 arbor press is a much better deal anyway. It does the best job and doesn't tie up my drill press. At that price, it's an easy choice.

To answer your question, you definitely want the random orbit model (the round one). However, I would strongly suggest you stay away from the B&D junk. It is cheap consumer-grade stuff and won't hold up long. Get out of Target, go to a real tool store, and get a professional quality tool for almost the same price. You'll be glad you did.

I think his point was to try to provide an easier method for first-time builders and that HE thought routing the body pocket with square sides would be easier than with sides angled to match the neck taper. Maybe that is the case depending on how one does the templates. Personally, I don't agree with him for the reasons you have already identified. Sometimes the "easy" way just isn't the "right" way to do something.

You could always use an LMI or Allied truss rod and save yourself a little depth. You could also use a standard single-action rod if you are really tight on space. Don't leave under 1/8" under the rod unless you want the rod to bust out of the back side.