tdog

Don't need one....Don't want one. A drill press is not meant to be a planer. If these things will kick back while shaving less than 1/16in....you run a great risk of damaging your work piece beyond repair. All too frequently, planing a surface will involve passes of less than 1/32in. I'll stick with my over-arm pin router and vertical mill.....at least with these machines I get enough rpms.

What you are looking for is called a brace.....a good one will set you back anywhere between $45-$165!.......You can find one at Bidge City Tools and also in the Garrett-Wade catalogue. If you have never used one, you may do more harm than good......You are best off with a drill press with a centering bit for the accuracy.

Sears/Craftsman used to offer the same type of "planer" for use on a radial arm saw.....As I recall it was a piece of junk then and most likely is still a piece of junk.....You won't get very even planing......My advice is save your $$$$ for a better tool.

Open that wallet of yours and shell out the $4.75 for a template......make life a little easier.....These templates are very accurate and of course the have all the screw holes correctly laid out. Stew-Mac Template

Ronny..... Does this mean that you would replace the older-not-up-to-snuff J-bass and P-bass plexi templates with the new and improved versions? The ones I got from you are pretty much unusable....and when I compared them to actual instuments, they were not even close!... Not to mention the uneven, erratic edges. I haven't even stripped the paper coating off of the J-bass set. Here is a pic of a P-bass that I built off of Ron Kirn's templates. http://groups.msn.com/GuitarGallery/shoebo...oto&PhotoID=112 BTW.....I used one of your templates to route the pickup cavity.......It was accurate and I liked the fact that there was a tight radius in the corners(@1/8in)......it makes for a very tidy look.....most other templates have a larger radius in the corners.....which leaves a very open, sloppy look when building an instrument without a pickguard. Also.....you might consider offering a heavier plexi on some sets.....1/8in can be very brittle when removing them. I use 3/8in plexi for any template that I make.

.......and the ones I've purchased have been nearly unusable. His plexiglass P-Bass and J-bass templates aren't even close to actual dimensions....I don't know how good his plywood templates are. There is a fellow on ebay.....member name is ronkirn.....has some seemingly accurate Tele templates, but he is not offering any at this time. Here are a couple pics of a Tele that I made from a set of ronkirn's templates. http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/index.html?recid=2973 http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/index.html?recid=2958

You can cut plexi to sixe on your table saw......I like to put a masking tape along the line to be cut, so that any chipping is minimized. You can then use a router to cut your template to shape from there.....scroll saws would be good for cutting intricate patterns, but my guess is that the blade would wander around a bit with anything requiring a high degree of accuracy.

Ipe is a very heavy....very oily....dark wood. It sometimes has an interesting curly figure present. If you build outdoor furniture or decking, this stuff is bulletproof!.......Being so oily, you may have to wipe it down with acetone or naptha before you glue. ....BTW,,,,I have a source for some curly Ipe....if you are interested, I'll pass along the info.

Sorry Krazyderek.....I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday, I own the blocks...I use the blocks....But some particularly resinous woods, when sanded....the dust, in conjunction with the heat generated, nearly bonds itself to the sandpaper, much like when sanding glue that is not quite dry.....it will come off ....but not with "THE BLOCK"! BTW.....I am using a 5hp dust collection system.........Anyway you look at it, you can't use a drum sander as a planer.....if you sand too aggressively, you will get burn marks and build up.

I have 2 Performax drum sanders....22in single drum and 37in dual drum.....both work very well and I think it is money well spent. They are both in constant use in the shop......but don't get too aggressive with them, you can burn and clog-up the sandpaper.....remove a little stock at a time and you'll be fine.

Look in your local phone book for glass installers or plate glass....These guys may have some cut-offs which may work perfectly for your purpose...It would be a lot cheaper also. You ought to use 3/8in plexi for your templates....it gives you more latitude when making plunge cuts.....you won't have to make spacer blocks and the template will be more durable.

You are kidding about $85 bd/ft for EI Rosewood, aren't you?

Be careful working with this stuff.....The fine dust that is created while working with it can be very irritating......It can cause some nasty skin rashes with some people....WEAR A DUST MASK OR A RESPIRATOR!

This is the guy on Ebay that I was referring to!.....I picked up a set of templates from him to make life around the shop a little easier, but they were so rough and crappy, that they are just gathering dust......If you are interested, They can be yours for a nominal service fee!!!!!!......The plexi still has the paper on it.

Be careful if you buy Jazz Bass templates from a vendor on Ebay...tsnsales or tsrsales or something similar...This fellow is out of the South Florida area and the templates are poor at best...most are out of plywood or 1/8in plexi......They are laser cut, but I believe he doesn't know how to program the info to get a good template yet. The edges are very rough and the size does not quite match up with a real Jazz Bass body.

Southpa.....Funny you should post a link to an auto darkening welder's helmet. I was looking at a Lincoln TIG 185 yesterday and also checked out the auto-dark helmets...Somehow I think that at $315, the helmet at the welder's supply is a better helmet than the $49.99 Harbor Freight!

....don't waste your time or money on Harbor Freight.....go to your local hardware store and pick up a few Vermont-American files.....They are of decent quality, not great, but are made of a much higher grade of steel than the Chinese stuff, and will work well for more than one project.

You can make your own truss rods, I make mine.......but, you do need some metal working skills.....If you look at the Hot Rod trusses, you will see how simple they really are. The great thing about making your own is that you can substitute metals such as titanium for the rods and save weight and gain strength, but at a much higher cost. But with the amount of time it takes to thread the rods and tap the blocks, It is more time/cost effective to buy a truss rod.

westhemann....Finally someone who appreciates fine tools....I have about 10 Lie-Nielsen planes and spokeshaves.......I also have a couple Record block planes and jointer planes....Believe me, the difference in quality is amazing! The Lie-Nielsen has so much more mass allowing the plane to easily glide through most anytough grain and the hardest of hardwoods......The Lie-Nielsens are also truly beautiful tools. They are expensive, but I believe that you get what you pay for. BTW.....I have the Chisel Planes and they are terrific for cleaning out glue lines on the insides of drawers and cabinet carcasses.

Czar.....Let me know how it works for you.

Sherwin-Williams had a product called Kemvar.....Types "C" and "M".......I don't know if it is still available....it sounds like what you are refering to. Kemvar was or is a commercial product used mostly for finishing kitchen cabinets ond other furniture pieces. This stuff is a catalyzed coating which could be sprayed and cured for shipping in 15 minutes......and it was damn near bulletproof!....resistant to water, anything that you could spill on it from the kitchen, and many mild acids. Of the 2 types...."C" or "M".....one had a gloss lacquer appearence and the other had a hand-rubbed look.

Go to the Bartolini website. Here you can download their catalogue. The drawings of the pickups match the actual pickup dimensions. Print the drawing of the appropriate pickup and use this as a template for your template.....contact cement the drawing to plywood or plexiglass and carefully cut out you template....remember to allow for a little wiggle room. http://www.bartolini.net/productinfo.htm

Now THIS is a planer.......It is about the size of a small car!!!!!!.....32in and weighs in at @3000+lbs.

The carbide on Stew-Mac bits is not as high a grade and dulls easier......You will notice the difference if you would use a Whiteside or other "name" bit....I quit using my Stew-Mac bits after the first project I used them on....It was the bit with bearing set for cutting binding ledges....BTW.....The bearing wasn't too good either! Upcut and downcut refer to the direction in which the bit ejects the cut material from the route....example....If you would be routing a channel for a truss rod, an upcut bit would be a better choice because it would pull the sawdust out of the route,cleaning the channel, thus, giving you an easier path and greater visibility. As for compression bits......WHO KNOWS!!!!...There are so many specialty bits and toolings for commercial and industrial applications, you'd have to be a sales rep for the tooling companies to know these special bits exist!

7/32in straight router bits, anyone? Try a Google search! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...&s=hi&n=3459231 http://www.american-carbide.com/Woodworkin...lection=0&Cat=4 http://www.right-tool.com/romcardoubfl.html http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc...e/closout1.html