CrazyManAndy

Glad we got that worked out, Mike! They are supposed to be tops when it comes to service and such, so I'm sure they'll take good care of ya. Now that I have the band saw set-up, I tested it out by doing some more bulk removal on the pipe. Enjoy! Bulk Removal 4 Bulk Removal 5 Bulk Removal 6 Bulk Removal 7 CMA

Pretty sweet build so far, orgmorg! Righteous job on the inlay! CMA

i was being sarcastic. notice the winking smiley That was directed at smokecheck, not you killemall. CMA

Well, I tensioned it to what appeared to be a good amount. I set up the guides and did some cutting. Looks good, no blade lead out and it cuts very smoothly. If I did improperly tension it, what would be the likely result? I had to back off one of the bearing guides, as it would make a squealing noise whenever I cut something. The manual says the bearings should make light contact with the blade but still spin freely. So I assume the blade should cause them to spin (even just a little bit) when the machine is on and nothing is being cut? Whenever I get the bearing that close, it squeals when I start feeding the blade. I'm going to attempt a little more fine tuning and see what happens, but it seems to be ok like it is. I also lowered the speed. After that, and setting the guides, it seems to have less vibration now. Thanks for all your help so far guys! Much appreciated! CMA

CMA

Like I said, Google is your friend. All of this information is readily available on the internet. And shape is not the only difference. Scale length, pickup type/number/position, wood used, hardware, set neck/bolt-on/etc., headstock design, neck size...the list goes on. CMA

Thanks for tip Rich. In the end I went with a Timber Wolf. I figured, what the hay, if I were getting more than one, I'd probably get the Olson's for the better price. So I got the blade installed and did a test run. No weird noises, but I am getting a fair amount of vibration. It's not enough to mess me up if I'm trying to cut something, but it's more than I expected. Most of the vibration is in the upper half of the band saw, and it travels into the table from there. In the lower half (and the stand) it's pretty minimal, if any at all, but I expect that since it has the most mass. In any case, not really sure what's causing it. And I'm having a bit of trouble tensioning the blade properly. I'm supposed to release the tension until it starts to flutter, but I darn near de-tensioned it as far as it would let me and didn't notice much of a difference. It was definitely getting looser (I would turn it off occasionally and feel the blade itself), but I didn't see much in the way of flutter. I was tired though (and irritated, lol), so I'll go back out there tomorrow and take another look at it. CMA

Could you perhaps be a little clearer on what measurements you want, exactly? CMA

Might find this article helpful (I did): http://www.newwoodworker.com/rtrbitspds.html I look at those speed charts as well, but they don't take into account bit length. Given that yours is rather long, it would probably be a good idea to use a slower speed than that. CMA

Go for it! Cherry just isn't a traditional solid body wood, which is why you don't see a lot of people using it, but there is really no reason not to. Post some pics of the piece, if you can! CMA

The Grizzly arrived today. Got it all out of the box, did everything up too the blade setup. I'm going to wait until I get the new blade before I go any further. So far I'm very happy with it though. Everything went together nicely, and the manual is very easy to follow. Lot's of good info in there as well. I'll report back when I get the blade. Thanks for the tip on the paste wax, I'll see if I can find it. I read that a lot of folks use Penetrol before they apply the wax for better rust protection in humid locations. I may look into that as well. I know Timber Wolf is pretty much king when it comes to band saw blades, but I was looking at the Olson All-Pro blades and they appear to be pretty nice. They're about $10 cheaper as well. Have you guys tried them out? Their 1/4" blade in my size is only 6 TPI though, rather than 10. I don't mind paying the extra if it's worth it, I'm only curious. CMA

That's a pretty vast question. Do some searching on Google. If it hasn't already been recommended to you, get Melvyn Hiscock's book "Make Your Own Electric Guitar". Besides being an excellent resource on the subject, he'll talk about various designs and what sets them apart. CMA

SG Supreme is mahogany, with a 1/4" maple top. Anyway, good providence, and let us know how it goes! CMA

Thanks for the tips guys! I hear the optimum is to have 8 teeth (IIRC) in the material at all times. Is it worse to have too few or too many teeth in the material? jmrentis: I decided against the Extreme, given that I didn't feel like the price difference was worth it (the Rikon is only a little bit more). I told my Dad (he is the one paying for it), if he does not want to cut more than 6", then go with the Grizzly Ultimate 14". If he does want to cut more than 6", go with Rikon 14" Deluxe. Great price (no shipping since I can get it locally, and my woodcraft is having a sell on band saws), great quality (has cast iron wheels for one), it has a great track record, and you avoid any possible complications with using a riser kit. CMA

I've been around large, dangerous power tools my whole life (my Father was a contractor), so it's kind of second nature for me to simply wait for the person to finish before I approach. I believe your best bet would be a sign saying something like Setch and ihocky2 suggested. CMA

Awesome stuff, Greg! I really dig the headstock shape and inlay. This one's going to be a beaut! CMA

That's crazy! And you know I like crazy! Nice job! CMA

Well, BA3822, professional equipment would be nice, but many of use don't have the wallet or produce enough pieces to warrant it. And I would not discount rattlecans as a viable option. It's more about what's in them, rather than the fact that they are spray cans. I've seen plenty of very professional, absolutely stunning, finishing jobs done with rattlecans. As long as you use quality materials, and you know what you're doing, you can do just fine with them. CMA

We're picking up a bandsaw (the Grizzly 1HP 14") and I want to get a good blade for it. This blade won't be used for resawing. I want something that can handle between 3/4" and 2" thick material, and manage a relatively tight radius when necessary. I'm thinking maybe a 3/8" or so. I have no idea how much TPI I need. What's the deal? Is there a guide I can use that tells me how to match a blade to my application? CMA

I think Mattia pretty much covered it. I highly recommend 3M Super 77 spray adhesive for attaching the plans to the MDF, works great. It might be a good idea to make (or get) an extra copy of your plans. I got a little excited making my first set of templates and ended up trashing them. The extra set of plans came in handy. CMA

MiKro: You can also get push-pulls at J.H. Lowe. Quick update, just a few pics after doing some cutting with the coping saw and a little sanding with the belt sander. I'm gonna wait until the band saw arrives before I finish removing the excess. Bulk Removal 1 Bulk Removal 2 Bulk Removal 3 CMA

I'm curious to know what products you used and in what order. And I hear a lot of bad things about Krylon. Are their acrylic paints enamel, or lacquer, or do they have both? CMA

In order for the message to show up in your sent items folder, you have to check the option that says "Add a copy of this message to my sent items folder" when you send your message. CMA

Duplicolor makes pretty good stuff, and I know plenty of folks who have used it. Their color coats anyway. I've heard that Duplicolor's clear takes a long time to harden up, more than nitro even, and probably will never get quite as hard. Similar stories with some other acrylic clears. As far as compatibility issues between acrylic and nitro, I believe you just have to be careful when you start applying one over the other. That is to say, build it up slowly, misting it on at first. And I hear it's best to let the acrylic dry a few days before applying the nitro. I think there are two universal rules for finishing: 1. Test on scrap. 2. Don't rush it! I'm sure you want to get this over with, but if you take your time and do it right, it'll come out much better. Personally, I'd use nitro rather than acrylic clear. CMA

You could do that, or you could buy a set of plans (Stew-mac, MIMF, guitarplansunlimited all have strat plans), or you could download some and have them printed out. Here is a strat plan (also has other guitars). I don't know if it's accurate though. CMA