Lex Luthier

I just checked a book I have, I shows a cutting pattern similar to the bottom right in WWW's diagram, calling it radial sawing, which is another term for quartersawn. It must refer to the pattern in which you cut the log, though I DO know the grain orientation for a single board is as follows:

I think you have 2 and 3 backwards in your diagram. The bottom right portion would produce a few perfectly quartered boards, but the rest on either side of the center board would be more and more off quarter, and the ones closer to the edge would be considered rift sawn, which is kinda between flatsawn and quartersawn. The bottom left protion would produce the most quartered boards, though it does waste alot of wood.

I'm actually thinking about getting a second router, so I can keep one in my router table and one free for handrouting. I really hate having the router out, then re-install it in the table for one quick little job, then take it out again. I actually removed the plunge springs out of it for using it in the table, but because of the switching back and forth, I don't bother putting them in at all now, even when I don't use it in the table. I would most likely get thwe same one again, because I LOVE it. My router

Like these?

Yeah, I actually use a polimerized oil on my instruments. I get it from Lee Valley. If you put on like 15 coats of this stuff, it will actually get thick and glossy, and you can actually wetsand and polish the stuff like lacquer or something. I love the way this stuff brings out the grain in a real natural way. I don't care if my instruments seem 'cheap' with an oil finish, ask anyone who's played one and they'll say it's SWEET. I usually I use a sealer first, then the oil, sometimes just the oil. Polimerized Tung Oil Sealer Polimerized Tung Oil This stuff is also cool because it comes in a few different shades. I've used it on a body before, works well if you want to sorta darken or tint the wood to a darker woodish tone. Danish Oil

Yeah, I'm good friends with the owner of a 'Mom & Pop' type music store. It's where I buy alot of the hardware that goes into my instruments and it's where I've been selling them, plus I get WICKED discounts! I do 'Hand Rubbed Oil Finishes' on my instruments. I hated using spray paint on my guitars, so I started putting the oil on the bodies as well as the necks. It's not 'cheap' or anything, most big manufactureres actually charge more for that type of finish because of all the hand sanding and hand application involed. I'm just starting to get into spraying finishes with a comperssor and gun, but I LOVE the look and feel of a natural oil finish.

I don't think that's it, I think it's the fact that no one knows who you are, and has no idea how the guitar will play or feel exactly. Selling them on consignment in a music store is a WAY better way to go. I've tries selling a guitar on Ebay, never sold, but did then sell in a music store. I have sold a mandolin I made on Ebay, however.

Am I crazy or do I see 6 pieces??? 3 on each side... I think you maybe right, but it still looks SWEEEEEEEET!

Where do you buy your wood!?!?!? This one looks pretty cool, except the body is too pointy for me. This one is SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! It looks like Lava or Fire! Also REALLY cool! Looks like Cocobolo. Looks like Lacewood, which I've never really been a big fan of, but you make it look COOL! Plus you have cool bursts.

Quilted figuring appears best on the flatsawn face, and most Maple I see in lumber stores, and used on guitars, IS sapwood. Maple and some soft woods like Spruce seem to be the few woods where the sapwood is the most used and prized portion, in most other woods it's the heartwood that is most used. Anyways, I prefer that most Maple is sapwood, because it's lighter in color so you can dye or stain it with more success.

I'm starting to use synthetic steel whool for inbetween coat sandings. Works quite well.

I'm remembering now from when I used a jointer to do that, I first used a hand plane to smoothen out the rough sawed surface of the headstock piece, making it pretty much flat and level with the rest of the neck, but not perfect, though flat and level enough so the jointer doesn't cause stupidness in my piece. I must have planed it down so much by hand, that when I placed the neck on the jointer bed, it actually rested on the main fingerboard surface and bairly touched the headstock portion. Maybe that would work.

It's been a while since I did one of those, but I'll try to answer your questions. I used a bandsaw and bench top belt sander. I took the piece of wood, and cut the angle. I used the belt sander to flaten the bandsawed surface of the main piece for the neck. The bandsawed surface on the headstock portion becomes the fingerboard gluing surface. Once I have the pieces glued together I smoothen that portion. I've used a Jointer to do that, and my belt sander. I think I liked the belt sander better, I have more control. I also found it difficult to glue, because of the angle, it made the surfaces slide. I found dry clamping the pieces and bolting them together(placing the bolts in a scrap protion of the neck blank) help ALOT for stability during clamping AND for clampling. I don't remember having a problem with the heel when I used the jointer, but I would just mark out the heel thickness and use my belt sander if the heel diproportioned.

I've done it this way. I haven't done it this way, because there is less cross section, then the above method, for gluing, and I also just think the joint is stronger being closer to the middle of the neck, then at the headstock.

I've used the steam method on Maple, worked awesome, I've also used it on Cedar, did not work too well.

SWEEET top, SWEEET finish...what did you get from StewMac? I can see some packaging in the pics.

Actually, can any of US even be considered "Luthiers"?

BUMP!

That's why I've only ever used it once, and hated it. I prefer good 'ol bone.

Acoustic guitar manufacturers that have bolt-on mortise and tenon necks usually use those. I think Taylor uses them.

Build a 'ukulele to get the hang of bending and thicknessing and bracing and everything. They're cheaper and fun to make.

Do the insrtuments have to be guitars? Would I be able enter one of these 'ukuleles I've made in later months?

I just shaped the neck of a bass I'm making, and I'll also use it to radius the fingerboard. Also headstock thicknessing and fingerboard gluing surface truing, and there's other stuff.

I think a year is too long, make it "Luthier of The Month".