CrazyManAndy

You could make your own templates. The price will depend on the material you use. The nice thing is you have a lot more options. I would personally rather make them than buy them from him anyway, I hear they have some accuracy and quality problems. I have yet to hear of a template maker with a very solid reputation. But maybe I just don't go out enough. CMA

New update! Yee-haw! Here I have drawn the shape onto the maple, as well as the center line and nut position: First thing to do is route the slot for the truss rod! The Neck 1 - I started off by drilling two pilots holes with a 1/4" bit in the drill press. I used tape on the bit to know when I drilled to the desired depth (7/16"). The Neck 2 - Close up, Point A The Neck 3 - Close up, Point B The Neck 4 - Another view The Neck 5 - Here you can see the guide setup I used to keep the router centered on the center line. Pretty self-explanatory. The Neck 6 - The truss rod route is complete! I made two passes total, a 1/4" pass followed by a 3/16" pass. Worked like a charm! The adjustment nut is wider than the rest of the rod, so some of the wood had to be chiseled out to make room. Not too pretty, but it won't matter since the fretboard will cover it up. Also, the brass block at Point B was sitting slightly proud, so I chiseled off just a bit of the wood under it so the block would sit flush. The Neck 7 - Close up, Point A The Neck 8 - Close up, Point B That was my first time using a router! A fun tool, and a slightly scary one too! I have to say, I am extremely impressed with the Hitachi router (KM12VC). It has very solid construction, and comes packed with many nice accessories. The motor is extremely smooth (and powerful), the variable speed is awesome, and it was pretty darn quiet, overall. It's very easy to adjust the height on the fixed base, smooth as a baby's bottom. I haven't used the plunge base yet, but, toying around with it, seems pretty nice as well. Using a slow, steady pace, and the nice bit I got from Stew-Mac, it sailed right through the figured maple with no problem. To bring it all home, it also has an excellent price for routers in this range. Great job, Hitachi! A+ Xanthus: Good idea, using the template to drill the tuner holes! I think you made a good call getting the robosander. As time goes by, I am less and less impressed by the rotary shaper. The robosander just seems like it would work better for most things and the replacement sleeves are much cheaper than those for the rotary shaper. Dust issues can be minimized significantly, if not eliminated, with a shop-vac. I'm sure I'll get a robosander before too long, I'll do a side-by-side comparison then. Anyway, that's all for now! I'll probably be busy the rest of the week, so I may not get much done until next week. Plus, I'll be getting a band saw then! That'll be fun. CMA

Hey MiKro, I am told that your order only has to be $100 if you want to start an account. You can still order from them like you would any other place, you just won't be able to start an account. Whatever that means, lol! Let me know if it works out or not. CMA

The guy I got the pipe kit from now has a page on his website for pipe kits, if you want to check it out: http://penguinbriar.com/kits/ Good prices and great quality. MiKro: I've been looking around, but so far, no luck. I'll keep on it though, and let you know what I find out! Other than that, not much to speak of, haven't taken anymore pics yet. I should be getting a bandsaw soon, so that'll help speed things up for sure. CMA

Those paints are acrylic lacquers. You can use them if you want too. I know many people who have, but most, if not all of them, used a nitro clear coat. With a nitro clear coat, obviously, that puts the recommended wait time at about a month. I don't know about the drying time of the acrylic itself though. Edit: I should warn, you have to be careful using nitro over acrylic. It's best to mist the nitro on very lightly, building it up slowly, before you start applying heavier coats. Test on scrap first. CMA

Hey Chris, I didn't realize you replied! I need to check my threads more often, lol. I did not want to start until all of my tools arrived, so that's the real reason for the delay. I do have a small update though. Here is a pic with the shape drawn onto the briar: You may notice that the tobacco chamber is now angled. I told the guy who drilled it for me to do that, as I want to give the bowl a sense of forward motion. I've already started taking off the excess with a coping saw. Boy, do I wish I had a bandsaw now more than ever! Briar is some hard shite! It laughs at any cutting tool I throw at it, lol. At the very least, I'm going to finish cutting off the excess today, and take a few pics. CMA

Sorry to hear, bro! I've managed to avoid any holes in the top so far, but it does have a nasty ding or two. CMA

Xanthus, the $65.00 price tag includes both pieces. USACG also has Swamp Ash body blanks, for the same price. CMA

If you end up having to get your body blank online, Gallery Hardwoods is a reliable source, with reasonable prices. CMA

Dean, I understand and agree with Drak's opinion, though I think he jumped on Chris when he shouldn't have. Drak never said there weren't other ways to veneer or that all other methods are wrong. He just wants to keep the non-useful info to a minimum. A few sentences summarizing one's method of veneering is virtually useless to the complete newb who has never even attempted it before, and may only serve to confuse him. I sympathize, because I know what it's like to search through wads of vague, non-helpful information to find that one "gold nugget" post. In reference to Chris' original post, he was only suggesting that Denis look for some books on a particular method, and I have no issue with that. CMA

I've never used that product (don't know anything about them either), but I don't see any reason why it would not work. CMA

Wrong section, bro. And yes, you can use clear coat over decals. Even if you don't plan on using ReRanch, at least check out the tutorial there and the forums. You should be able to find most all the info you need, and a proven method of application. CMA

Once again, pukko, I am reminded why you are one of the best builders around here, in my book! Great progress so far. CMA

Higher grits. Check out this thread: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=33533 As far as polish goes, here is a good recipe: http://www.reranch.com/reranch/viewtopic.php?t=15068 Folks have used other products as well, such as Meguirs. Just try to avoid anything with silicone in it. CMA

So, you're at least gonna make this pipe guitar shaped right? With a tiny fretboard glued along the mouthpiece? Mother of pearl inlays?! Not this time around, but damn! That's a cool idea! CMA

I can only echo what everyone else has said, lovely work! I really like that design. CMA

Hey Matt! I got the block from a pipe maker I know, and he is going to pre-drill the holes for me as well, so all I have to do is the shaping and finishing. Check this out: http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe_Making That website has recommendations on pipe kits, tools, books, how to, etc. You should find what you're looking for there. Some other good links: http://www.pimopipecraft.com/ http://www.jhlowe.com/briar.htm http://www.pipemakers.org/ CMA

Amazing work Myka, fascinating, as usual! CMA

(If the mods feel this should go into a different area, feel free to move it, I just wasn't sure) I'm an avid tobacco pipe smoker and, like guitars, I have an uncontrollable desire to understand how they're made. So I decided to get some materials and tools (got to grab one of these) and put one together for myself. I plan to keep track and take progress pics for anyone who's interested. The wood used to make most pipes is called briar wood, aka tree heath, or Erica arborea. The actual pieces come from the root of the plant. Here is the chunk I'm going to be using: That's all for now, until everything I ordered arrives. To pass the time, here's an interesting presentation on the harvesting of the wood: http://www.theitalianpipe.com/make/briarharvest.htm CMA (P.S. Yes, yes, I know I should be working on my Tele! Don't worry, I will be getting more done on that soon. I've been sick the past week which has prevented me from making much progress.)

I know how you feel. When I first started reading up on guitar building, electronics was the hardest part to understand. Virtually no one has a tutorial worth a damn unless you are familiar with basic electronics terms and concepts (I wasn't). After a lot of reading, eventually it all started to click. Of course, I still have a lot to learn in any case. Make sure you check out the guitarnuts forum as well, lots of useful stuff there and friendly folks to boot. CMA

For me personally, I've never had any issues with UPS. CMA

Nice post Drak! I too am curious about said temperature. I hope someone can help us out here. CMA

There is a guy/company that makes travel guitars. The neck actually just snaps into place. Looked very cool. I don't remember who it was though, so I don't have a link. Maybe someone else does? CMA

Now, now folks. Group hug! CMA (Nice choice on the tools, fookgub!)

Coming along very nicely Rick! I really like the fretboard, the way the sapwood is positioned is very cool. Rock on! CMA