kiwigeo

I have another truss rod related question -- I took off the fingerboards of two necks the other day, and the truss rods in both were wrapped (or shrinkwrapped) in some kind of thin black plastic housing.

Is that the way I'm supposed to do it too (the truss rods I bought aren't wrapped)?

Wrapping is mainly to reduce chances of the truss rod rattling or buzzing inside the slot. It's probably good insurance to wrap your truss rod but on my steel strings I dont bother.

Best use for balsa is sandwiched with carbon fibre as bracing under an acoustic soundboard.

I fixed most of the buzz by changing the action (i still get small ammounts if i play harder).

Cheers for the help!

Sounds like the guitar wasn't set up too well when you bought it. Were did you buy the instrument.... if you dont mind me asking?

i have a new (bought it on the 8th of April) Ibanez grg170 and i seem to be having trouble with the Low E and A string.

Low E will buzz on every fret between 7 and 20 and my A has small ammounts of buzz on these notes too.

I have tried adjusting the saddle height with no success

I have placed a capo on the first fret but the buzzing is still present which leads me to assume its either intonation or i can't adjust the saddle for sh*t.

Intonation being out shouldnt make an instrument buzz. Sounds like something funny going on the bass side of your neck. How low is your action? Note that if your action is very low then bass strings will be the first ones to start buzzing. If buzzing continues with a higher action then id be looking at the neck....first thing id check is neck relief and trueness. If youre not sure how to adjust a truss rod then take the instrument to someone who does.

Cheers Martin

on a sidenote?...didn't the US officially convert to the metric system in like the 70's...what's taking so long??

If they did the process is taking an awfully long time. I'm currently stuck out on an offshore oil rig where just about every measurement known to man gets used at one time or other. Drill pipe in metres, drilling mud in barrels, pump flowrates in gallons per minute and helifuel in pounds.

Cheers Martin

stewmac over charges on so many things its not even funny

Nitefly,

I agree Stewmac are a tad more expensive than other suppliers but I also factor quality and speed of service into the equation.

Down here in Australia I can get stuff shipped from Stewmac (and LMI) quicker than I can from the other side of Australia. Whenever there have been (rare) hiccups with shipments they get fixed pronto....so far Ive only had one Australian supplier match Stewmac for service.

Cheers Martin

as for noise, thats really the neighbour's problem, because you wear hearing protection. right???

cheers

darren

Darren,

Not trying to be the noise cop in here but I think Javacody will find the noise will quickly become HIS problem once the neighbours complain and the council noise control officer comes knocking.

Noise is one of the major cause of conflicts between neighbours and 9 times out of 10 the conflict is easily avoidable by a little communication and consideration. Being on good terms with your neighbour is also cheap insurance for your workshop....a neighbour youve p**ed off with nocturnal routing sessions is probably not going to do much when he sees house breakers making off with the offending tool.

Just my ten cents worth.

Cheers Martin

Dayvo,

Ive got a dandy conversion list which came with one of my Stewmac catalogues. Has all the common sizes in metric and fraction and decimal imperial.

PM me your email address and Ill send you a PDF of same.

Cheers Martin

Martin,

Nice to see someone else working on a hot pipe. The Fox benders are great but I love working up a sweat and burning the cr*p out of my arms and hands on a pipe.

You are not supposed to hold the pipe while you bend the wood . You must be a pretty tuff fella .

Peace,rich

Well the instructions mention maintaining good posture while working on the pipe and bending your arms was one suggestion they make to achieve same.

I got better results using a good steel rule and working all measurements (as printed by Wfret) from the nut to fret position, that way the error is not cumulative.

Keith

Im in agreement. I mark up with an Xacto knife and a steel ruler with measurments engraved into the ruler. I run the knife down the appropriate marking on the ruler and put a nick across centreline of the fretboard. Once the whole thing is marked up I CHECK measurements and then run the Xacto against a square across the fretboard at each nick. I then CHECK measurements again before sawing slots.

Cheers Martin

Hi,

as some of you know, Ive been looking for a means to heat a pipe to make a bending iron. Im in australia so I cant find a lightbulb compact and powerful enough to do the job.

Shimmy

Shimmy, try some of the herpatology suppliers. Theres a few with websites here in Oz. I sourced ceramic bulb holders for my side bender from a place in Queensland. Out working on an oil rig off the NW Shelf right now so dont have the details on me. Will post website URL in about a week if youre interested.

Nice to see someone else working on a hot pipe. The Fox benders are great but I love working up a sweat and burning the cr*p out of my arms and hands on a pipe.

Cheers Martin

Pm Sent.

Yeah i'd heard about using ceramic socket but haven't located a supplier yet.

I have though about the LMII dishes but for the $80US plus shipping to australia, i figured it would be better to build my own.

cheers

Dave

Rosewood dust mixed with titebond?

Brian.

For filling work on a dark wood I generally use 5 minute epoxy mixed with wood dust. You can also try burn in laquer sticks available from Stewmac and LMI.

Cheers Martin

One more time ( ) :

Epoxy is just as easy to soften with heat as yellow glues like titebond or probond. I've done both, and there was *no* difference in difficulty.

On a joint with hidden surfaces, like the neck, epoxy may be tougher, but on an easily accessable joint like fretboard to neck it's no different.

All comments appreciated Setch and taken on board. Its horses for courses I guess. Im happy using white glue and youre just as happy using epoxy. The great thing about luthiery is there are as many different ways of doing things as there are luthiers!

Cheers Martin

I'd disagree about fretboards not lasting forever - there's no reason why they can't. A great many turn of the century instruments still have their original fretboards, and I'd guess that of all the guitars around the world seeing regular use, maybe 5% have had the fingerboards removed at some point, if that.

That said, I use epoxy to attach my fretboards, since the moisture in titebond caused backbow when I used it. Epoxy is just as easy as whiteglue to separate with heat.

Hi Setch,

Yes some luthiers use epoxy on their necks but to me its like using a sledgehammer to knock in a nail. White glue does the job quite adequately and leaves you the option of undoing the joint. Epoxy is also alot harder to clean up than white or yellow glue....

From my experience reversing a white glue is easier than undoing an epoxy joint....more chance of taking wood with you when you part the joint with epoxy. Youve obviosuly had more luck than me with epoxy joints. I've never had problems with backbow after gluing on a fretboard.....the only time backbow has been an issue with me is after frets have gone in.

Cheers Martin

I guess I'm going to plunk down the change on a set of binding bearings and a bit. (Yay. Alliteration.) My dremel system just isn't cutting it anymore. I'll most likely make my decision between LMI's set and Stew Mac's based on where I end up needing to make my next order from, to combine on shipping.

The only thing I can see that seems like it would make a huge difference is that the LMI bit seems to have the bearing ride a bit farther from the blade, which might make headstock binding more difficult if I don't plan ahead.

I don't know, this is probably a dumb question, but figured I'd ask.

JP,

LMI set is generally preferred by alot of people. I have both and generally use the LMI kit. Reasons...bearing runs lower on the bit...helps keep router a bit more stable and allows for deeper binding cuts if necessary. Also more bearings in the set....sticking tape around bearings is a P in the A.

Cheers Martin

I have also thought about building a fox style bender using LMIs plans has anyone built one these? how was it?

If anyone has other jigs or tools that they use that are easy to build and that they find useful ideas are much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Dave,

If youre building a Fox style bender youll need ceramic sockets for the light bulbs. Dont under any circumstances use normal plastic batten holder fittings..theyll melt and youll probably burn down your workshop. PM me and Ill give you adress of a herpatologist supplier over in Queensland who can supply the proper ceramic lamp holders.

I built myself a Fox style bender but I dont use it much...I do most of my side bending by hand over a hot pipe. Not as easy as the side bender but I like the challenge and Im old fashioned.

Dish forms...I bought mine from LMI. Could have made my own but dont really have the time. For drawing up large radius curves I use a pencil tied to a piece of string. I had a huge garage built just so I could do this!

Cheers Martin

Hello gentlemen, i have a problem with a bandsaw blade, I just bought a bandsaw yesterday and taking a curve on a cut i twisted the blade ,the problem is 99 3/4 is a very unusual lenght and none of the big hardware stores carry it,anyways,i was trying to correct the twist with no luck, did any of you try this before ,is it doable? I already ordered new ones but in the meantime i have none but the twisted one and i really need to use the bandsaw,any help ? thanks a lot for your time.

Olyen,

Chuck the blade and get a new one..you wont get it straight.

If youre twisting blades check following:

1. Check you've got the upper guides set to about 10mm above surface of wood youre cutting.

2. What sort of guides does your saw have? If theyre block style and there are roller replacements available get them...theyre far better. Check the blade is tracking in the guides properly as well.

3. Check your blade tension. Should be something in the handbook about recommended setting.

4. For tight curves best to use a 1/4" blade or thinner.

5. If you have to back out of a cut..turn the saw off first and then back out of it. Backing out with the saw running is a good way to bend/break blades.

Cheers Martin

Vinny,

My advice to beginners is build something basic as a first project....if youve got Campiano's book then build a classical or a steel string following his method.

Starting off on an archtop is jumping in the deep end...I admire your bravery but there's the danger youll find it very difficult and the project will kill your enthusiasm for luthiery.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

Cheers Martin

Hi everyone, I am working on a guitar that I designed (kind of a cross between a les paul and a PRS, on a budget). Ash body, Walnut/ash neck. I will post pictures up later.

Heres my question - my neck pocket is not perfect, but its not bad, but there is a tiny bit of wiggle. I'm ready to glue it in. What glue should I use?

Some kind of epoxy? Would Titebond III work better?

Another question, I used Titebond III to glue the fretboard to the neck. Good? Bad?

If the neck is loose try and shim it.

Glue for fretboards....white glue best as its easier to undo the joint with a bit of heat. Fretboards dont last for ever and your fretboard is going to have to come off at some stage. LMI white glue is good....I use Selleys PVA here in Australia.

Cheers Martin

If you want to route, GET A ROUTER.

Dremels are good for...inlay. And not the best at that either. Not powerful or accurate enough for a whole lot else, IMO. Drill presses move far, far too slowly to give you a good cut with router bits, even at top speed, and a 3-jawed chuck is not the most stable of toolholding bits. Drill presses aren't really designed to take lateral loads (though they work OK with, f'r instance, sanding drums), and the chuck head can and probably will fall off if pushed too hard towards the side. Forget even trying to use a drill press, and you're completely out of your mind if you were pondering a hand-held drill. There are some 'milling' type bits desinged for 'drill routing', and those might be OK, though not great, but NEVER EVER put a real router bit in a drill press.

Not trying to be harsh, but I do want to impress upon you the danger of what you're suggesting.

Mattia's right. Dremel way underpowered for routing out cavities for an electric. Do yourself a favour and save up for a router and get the best one you can afford. I use Dremels but only for light work such as intricate sound hole rosettes on acoustics. Stewmac sell router and rossete attachments for Dremels but I prefer doing these tasks with a router....router gives a much cleaner cut than a Dremel.

Cheers Martin

that one guy did make that WHOLE dinosaur using ONLY his dremel

The guy was probably a Dinosaur by the time he finished

One thing to watch if youre buying routers. Some brands come with 1/4" collets and they also call 6.35mm collets "1/4". Routers with 1/4" imperial collets wont take 6.35mm cutters. When you buy your router, poke in a few cutters while youre at the shop and make sure theyre going to fit.

I bought a UK made Trend router here in Australia which came with 8mm and 1/4" collets. It wont take the cutters Ive got which are mainly 6.35mm shank.

Cheers and happy routing

Martin

The nice thing about Mahogany is that because it's relatively soft (compared to Maple, for example), the router bits seems to go through it without issues. It's the hand tools that I found problematic.

Cool tips, those. If I work with mahogany again, I'll refer back to this thread!

It might also just be this particular piece or species (which I haven't checked into yet), because at times it feels and works almost like a thick hunk of balsa.

Know what youre talking about Greg. Working with hand tools can be a pain and it takes awhile to get the hang of it but I enjoy the challenge and I get big satisfaction when I get a good end result. Getting there can be a chore though....Ive still got the two mahogany neck blanks I tore to pieces with my (blunt) smoothing plane while building my first acoustic. I keep things like that for times when I think Im not making any progress.

Mahogany blanks can be highly variable depending on species and how its been cut. Sometimes you cant tell youve got a piece with a rogue grain untill you attack it with a plane.

One of my favourite woods for working on is Spanish Cedar...easy to work and I just love the aroma that comes of the stuff when you work it.

Cheers Martin

Alright, well soon I'm going to be starting my first guitar project and I'm going to order my blanks soon...

I'm not really sure what an average peice of *insert wood species and dimensions here* would cost...

sooo...

I turn to you guys!!!!

So, how much would a maple neck blank of 1.5" x 3.5" x 30" long cost???

and is there and tonal diffrences between regular maple and curly fiddleback maple???

and how much would an average 2 peice alder body blank w/ 2" x 14" x 21" overall???

I've seen a body blank this size go for about $18 + shipping and a neck blank this size go for $14 + shipping...

MS,

Im not an electric builder but I wouldnt think there'd be a whole lot of difference in the acoustics of regular and fiddleback maple. Ive used fiddle back and regular Houn Pine (Aussie tonewood) on acoustics and not noticed a whole lot of difference in acoustics.

No doubt the electric boys in here will be able to provide an answer to your question.

Cheers Martin

Olyen:

I'm feeling that alot myself. I look at the beautiful - if not superb - instruments that seem to be childs play for other members, and think, " I can approach that". But at the end of the day I always go cheap first. In my experience the cost of a guitar isn't in the wood, but in the hardware. Obviously I haven't purchased first rate wood yet, but then my skills don't necesitate that yet. My big problem is self control. I see all these wonderful instruments being made and want to jump right to that level - after all it doesn't look that hard! But without the proper knowledge, the best tools in the world aren't going to get me any closer to that kind of craftsmanship. That's where members such as fryovanni and mattia make such an impact on me. They show that they have the ability to push my work so far into the mud it makes me fart dust balls, and at the same time encourage and propel me to ask "stupid" questions. So - first rate wood - who cares? Do what you can with what you have and keep the learning curve steep.

Good Luck

Nate Robinson

Nate,

A few comments:

1. I wouldnt use highest grade wood for your first instruments but at the same time dont use a grade of wood that is going to be hard to work and will give poor results. When I started off I used mainly "AA" grade tops. I think I wrote off two Sitka tops in the early days but written off tops will always get used for patching and making grafts for other tops. They can also get hung on your workshop wall to remind you not to make the same mistake again!!!!

2. Tools..get the best you can afford. Working an "AA" top with a chisel that wont hold an edge or a plane that chatters is going to get you very p***d off and quickly dull any enthusiasm for buiding guitars. If youre on a limited budget aim for a basic set of good tools than a workshop full of poor quality ones. A decent smoothing plane might require a high intial outlay but the thing is going to last you all your life.

3. If and when you can afford it...buy yourself a router. Its the most versatile and useful tool you can have in a luthiers workshop.

Cheers Martin

here s some pics of the actual piece,I guess it s late to bakeit now.

How thin are you taking that top? Be careful with those knots. The wood is rift sawn with a good portion really flat sawn. Hopefully that runout does not seperate with wood that thin and carved. I sure hope for the best. Your work is looking pretty nice. In the future you might want to look for quartersawn wood that is free of knots. It will be a much better platform for your hard work. It would be cool to see more pics as you make progress.

P.S. Don't even worry about baking the top. It is just a quirky little option, and by no means a requirement. I would never subject a glue joint to that anyway.

Peace,Rich

I agree with Rich, those knots are going to cause you grief. You've gone to alot of effort and it looks good but you'll get alot more pleasure out of a piece of quarter sawn spruce. If you have a hard on for using ply then Id go for top quality marine ply....alot more stable and less knotty than construction grade.

Cheers

Olven,

Is that piece of spruce solid or is it ply? I was assuming it was ply in my last post.

Cheers Martin