ryanb

Also, quilted or figured maple has changes in grain direction (that's why it is figured) which will absorb the stain differently. That's what makes the dyed tops stand out so well.

Definitely go for it. The wood can come from whatever source you have, as long as it is in good condition and it's good quality solid wood to start with. Some of the best furniture is made using wood recycled from barns and flooring, etc. The same thing applies here. It often takes a bit more work to recycle wood into useable condition, but it is cheaper and a good re-use of the materials. There are also lots of other woods that are less endangered alternatives to traditional mahogany.

Maybe this will help some ... scroll to the bottom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-phase_electric_power Here's a quote from the 'web: "I'm not sure what you're describing in the motor. However, induction motor lead numbering is standardized by NEMA. There should be 6 wires coming out from the motor labeled 1,2,3,4,5 & 8. For 110v 1,3 & 8 are connected together to L1 (one wire of line voltage), and 2,4, & 5 are connected to L2 (the other line voltage wire). For 220v motor wire 1 is connected to L1, and 4 & 5 are connected to L2, and 2,3 & 8 are simply connected together. Two reverse rotation switch 5 & 8." And another link that may be useful ... http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/elec-mtr/elec-mtr.html I found this color-to-number mapping, though it doesn't match your colors: Blue = 1 White = 2 Orange = 3 Yellow = 4 Black = 5 no 6 no 7 Red = 8 Brown = J

+1. I don't think it will look good, but if that is what you want go ahead. Maple is very difficult to stain to match, since it doesn't soak up the stain very well. If you are going to use lacquer over the board anyway, you might consider tinting your lacquer instead of staining the wood (probably want a pigment unless you want a transparent look). You might need a light clear coat over that too. If you go the stain route, test first and make sure you can get it darker than just a wierd pink/orange color. Post a pic when you get it done.

If you want the best, get a Bosch. The Delta, DeWalt, etc. are also good tools. Of course those are probably all over your budget. Don't buy a cheap one ... you will regret it. Personally, I hate scroll saws, and only use them when absolutely necessary (I have other options available to me). Be sure to cut wide enough of your lines that you have plenty of room to clean up. If it were me, I would get a small band saw instead. Yes, the bench-top band saws have their problems, but there are some decent ones, once properly set up. They would do a much nicer, faster job on guitar bodies/necks than the scroll saw. But if the scroll saw fits your uses better ... go for that. And yes, you can cut metal with the scroll saw (with the proper blades). You can cut both ferrous and non-ferrous metal, and lots of people use them for cutting sheet-metal.

Cherry can be hard to stain evenly. Remember that the clearcoat will tend to make it look a little darker and wetter. Try clearcoating some scrap and see if that gives you the look you want.

The Stew-Mac ones are 1-1/4" as well. On an acoustic, you are only clamping at the edge anyway, so they don't need to be too big. That gives you 1/2" onto the body ... should be enough.

It's simple greed. Why would the manufacturer want to sell you a reasonably priced battery when they can get you to buy a whole new kit instead? So they make sure their profits are as high (or higher) for the spare batteries. It does suck though.

Yes it will be strong enough, but it may not stay flat enough for very long. Make sure it is properly dried and then seal it up on both sides and the edges really well.

Along with the new blade (which you DO need), be sure to get your saw completely dialed in. It is amazing how much difference it makes to get the saw set up correctly. From the symptoms you describe, your saw is not set up right yet. Once you have it set up, you will be resawing everything that isn't nailed down for fun.

A conventional single-radius fretboard is a section of a cylinder. A compound-radius fretboard is a section of a cone. It is a continuous taper from the nut-end radius to the bridge end radius. The best way to achieve this is to use a long flat sanding bar and follow the path of the strings instead of staying parallel to the centerline of the neck. You can approximate it by using different radius sanding blocks, but i'm not a big fan of that method.

Getting back to the original question, I don't think there is any disadvantage to the angled JEM style jack. It looks a lot better (IMO) than,say, a Fender jack. Compared to the typical non-angled, side-mounted jack, it is better for the connection (the cable doesn't pull out as easily), and the jack isn't in the way if you want to play sitting down. As for being in the way when setting it down, it isn't any worse than the non-angled jack. It isn't a problem if you use a stand, and you shouldn't put any guitar down on the ground without a stand anyway. I'd say go for it. Now isn't it time for somebody to insert the standard disclaimer ... " Go get Melvyn Hiscock's book and read it six times" ... Good luck with your build ...

You want a Top-Mount nut. It is a different part than the standard bolt-through nut. The Original Floyd Rose bridge is the original design from Floyd Rose -- i.e. it is the style of bridge not its age. Floyd Rose style bridges are licensed for manufacture from many other manufacturers as well, and they are all a little different. And if you want some real advise, stay far away from Ed Roman and NEVER EVER give him any money. (In the spirit of not poking the bear, I will leave it at that. Do a search on any forum if you want to know why to avoid Ed.)

You could do that, but it wouldn't be a JEM style (angled) jack. If you want a JEM jack, throw away the plate and counterbore the jack into the body wood at the right angle. You need a jack like this: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_p...utput_Jack.html Use something like a Forstner bit to drill the recess hole with a flat bottom for the jack to seat on. You don't need a plate unless you really want one.

I agree that Titebond would be the first choice for the aforementioned guitar uses. But polyurethane glues (i.e. Gorilla glue) is certainly not only for bonding dissimilar materials (though it is good for that). Polyurethane glue gives an extremely strong bond on wood to wood joints. It is great when you need really strong bonds or a degree of weatherproof-ness. It will not force joints apart if they are properly secured. It does not make invisible joints (if the joints will show, you might pick something else). It can be messy to use, and can get into surrounding grain (not good for transparent finishes). It will not be easily separated with heat. It has some great uses ... but in general I wouldn't put it on a guitar. The LMI glue is pretty much like any white/yellow glue, but it is supposed to dry into a harder seam. Some glues shrink over time, resulting in glue lines showing through the finish. The LMI glue is aimed at preventing that. It doesn't have a long shelf life though.

Is the body routed for trem already (it sounds like it isn't)? If not, and you still want a hardtail, I would recommend that you get a real hardtail bridge to use instead. They are cheap, and it just works, looks, and feels better than using the top of the trem bridge. But yes, you can do what you have suggested. You can also, as mentioned, shorten the trem block to make the trem fit, if that is what you really wanted.

The problem with that is that 1) the screws will be going back into the end grain of the dowels (which doesn't hold as well), and 2) most dowels are pretty soft wood anyway. It's a good technique for a lot of things, but I don't like it very well for an application like neck screws with that much tension on them. Some alternatives would be to use a stronger filler material (maybe epoxy), switch to larger diameter screws, or to put thread inserts in the neck.

Put your sandpaper on a long straight bar and sand in strokes that follow the path of the strings instead of parallel to the centerline of the neck. You are making a cone instead of a cylinder. If you don't have a flat bar (such as the Stew-Mac ones), you can use a carpenter's level or something like that, as long as the edge is flat and straight. Same technique goes for levelling the frets.

Why not just use end nippers like everybody else?

The first thing is to have perfectly smooth and square edges. If the edges aren't square, they will slide around more. Then, as mentioned, alternate your clamps top and bottom. Tighten them down SLOWLY and evenly, keeping things aligned as you go. Don't overdo the clamping force. There are a lot of ways to clamp accross the joint to keep the edges aligned. You can use dowels or biscuits in the joint to prevent any shifting, but you have to plan ahead so they won't end up anywahere that will become visible. You can also go fancy and use four-way clamps like these: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=321 (Nice for doing top laminates too ... )

It's good for catalytic convertors ... but I wouldn't want it on my guitar.

Nice work!

Yes. Put a damp (not soaked) rag over just the dent (you don't want to swell the wood around the dent). Then touch the tip of the hot iron to the rag directly above the dent. That will create steam to swell the wood fibers in the dent and expand them back into place. You will probably have to repeat it a number of times to expand it back enough -- depends on how big the dent is. It actually works quite well if you are patient enough.

I prefer fixed base routers too. I do have plunge routers ... sometimes they are just the right tool for the job, so I use them. But given the choice, I always go for the fixed base. They are smaller and lighter (therefore easier to control), and they are easier to adjust and are more stable. The best option is to get one of the package deals that are currently so common (with both fixed and plunge bases), and then you are always covered.

I've used a lot of Gotoh tuners and they are great. I will definitely use more. They are a good price too.