tdog

I'm not sure that I wood use Zebrawood in a neck....It has a tendency to develop hairline fractures....Under string tension, it could lead to problems.

I've got a few bookmatched panels of some mildly quilted maple up on Ebay. This should be good stock for some first time guitar builders. Also is a very nice set of Brazilian Lacewood panels. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...MESSE%3AIT&rd=1 Thanks, Greg......aka tdog197 on Ebay

Jivin....Let me know if I can help you anywhere in the binding process.

If you can afford a 14in ....get one. I personally have an 8in, a 14in w/riser, and a 36in which will resaw anything up to 20in....I've never regretted buying the 36. The 8in doesn't have enough power to cut anything accurately but the thinnest of material...."Power is Everything"!

Binding isn't as hard as you might think. The correct supplies are necessary. The binding can be purchashed from Stew-Mac or LMI. You will need a cement.....I prefer the thicker cement that LMI stocks....and I'd recommend the binding tape that either vendor has available....This tape is a much stronger tape than masking tape ......Both of these suppliers will have everything you will need, including bindings and router bits specifically for bindings. You will need to route the ledge that the binding will sit on.....be sure the rabbit(ledge), depth and height, corresponds with the binding thickness. After having this task completed, I like to shape the binding by hand to the contours of the guitar's edge. I start at the back strap button with the center of the of the binding, laying down a bead of binding cement...abouy 3 or 4 inches at a time......not too much cement because it will have to be cleaned up later. Lay the binding onto the ledge and using binding tape, about every inch, pulling the binding as snuggly as possible into the ledge. Repeat these steps along the entire length of your ledge....Now you'll see why masking tape isn't so great for taping bindings....masking tape will tear quickly. You CAN use thick superglue for your cement, but trust me, the working time is too short, not to mention the glued fingers! After the cement has set, you can tidy-up and level the binding using a single edge razor blade as a scraper.

I bought a couple of PBass and JBass templates from the Ebay guy ....they were not that great in quality.....rough edges and some questionable measurements. The neck pocket template did not have the necessary taper that would make for a tight fit.

It is difficult to tell from the photos, but it appears to me that your wood may be eastern red maple....which is a soft maple. That would explain the extra "flex".

Setch/asm....Now we're talkin' knobs! You guys ought to try a few sets out of Black Palm......These make great-lookin' knobs with the cool end grain which this palm displays. I've made many sets out of Macassar Ebony and African Blackwood....also nice stuff. Greg

budbostick....How much Chechen do you need?......I may have some in my stash.....I've got a big board that I think is Chechen(most likely is, but I haven't even thought about it in more than 5 years!)........If it is Chechen....it is 4/4 stock @10in wide........ I can cut and resaw what you need.....I'll check in the AM......E-mail me or post your dimensions and I see what I can dig up. Greg

I shipped a strat to Switzerland last year and it cost @$200 via UPS....so the $100 shipping figure probably isn't outrageous.

I have 6 Porter-Cable routers and a Bosch.....They are both excellent brand names. P-C has just released a multi-speed version of its old standard router...the good old model 160.....(I think thats the #).....If you are going to buy a router, this may be a good one to have. You might want to check to see if it comes in a kit along with a plunge base.

canuckguitarist.......Sandi1070 on Ebay always has some nice spalt. http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...&sort=3&rows=25

Check CMT, Jesada and Whiteside....there should not be a problem locating these bits....I have several odd sizes from Jesada...including a 15/64.......for a few $$$$$....you can have a 7/32 custom made.

Try Gilmer in Portland, Oregon. They can be expensive, but I have always received top quality wood from them. There are quite a few pages of one of a kind boards and musical instrument wood on their site. http://www.gilmerwood.com/

Power is everything. Many motors are rated at 1hp, but will only develop that power not under load. In theory, a 1hp with a riser block CAN cut 12in of wood....but what type of wood? Surely, resawing 12in of purpleheart is out of the question. One should be able to resaw 7-8in of maple or Mahogany without too much trouble....make sure you have a sharp, aggressive blade so the saw dust can clear.....sawdust build-up can rob you of a great deal of power. I resaw on a 7.5hp, 36in Powermatic bandsaw........It will cut up to 20in of whatever you push at it......I did a resaw on some 16in Pheart this past week......the saw never broke a sweat! If you guys need something cut....feel free to contact me. Greg

I'd go with a Birds Eye Maple veneer to compliment the purpleheart......It will add a nice contrast.

FYI....The RoboSander was invented by Ken Picou(sp?) to speed up his production of template based products...mirrors,etc....and avoid tearout and burn with highly figured woods such as Koa and Curly Maple. I got mine directly from him about 8 or 9 years ago and it still works great.

I can get all parts also. You want part# EP 0220-008....Brass sleeves...5 for $2.50......Go to a hobby store and get a 12in piece of brass tube for $2.00.

BMXGUY.....15/64in should give you a nice fit....I make my knobs from wood...ebony and african blackwood.....If you drill your dice to this spec, you should get a nice snug fit.....1/4in will be sloppy.

Try West Penn Hardwoods in Olean, New York. http://westpennhardwoods.com/unique/index.php

This is also called Shedua. If you haven't worked with it ....you are in for a treat! It is one of my favorite woods. It is an African wood which is quickly gaining favor with luthiers. Check with Gilmer or Eisenbrand or Righteous Woods in Mass...they all usually have figured stock on hand....Try Gilmer first....I have a personal stash of figured 8/4...exactly, what are you looking for? I might be able to point you in the right direction. I may have some figured 4/4 that I may be convinced to part with....if you would want to do a laminated body.

The Minwax product will stiffen the wood fibers, but won't harden the wood like you are hoping...I've used it to try and save an old door jamb and threshold which was starting to give up the ghost....it did OK.....but not nearly what I expected or was hoping for. I have tried it on spalted maple for some turnings and it did not do an adequate job. CPES is what you need....or thin CA(cyanoacrylate....superglue) http://www.rotdoctor.com/ As for the stew mac grain filler and sealer....Grain fillers are just that....fillers. They don't possess any agents that will stiffen wood fibers.

The product you are looking for is CPES.....Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer. This stuff is great to harden the soft areas of spalted maple.....I have never used CPES on a guitar body, so I can't tell you how it interacts with laquer or poly. This stuff, if I remember correctly, is about $30 per quart. The Minwax product does OK. Thin superglue will harden the soft fibers and take a glass-like finish.....but to do a guitar top or body requires maybe 8oz or more.....the spalt really soaks up the CA. The superglue(CA) also gives off some toxic fumes if it cures too quickly....The heat generated by the large amount of the CA in the wood fibers, sometimes causes the rapid cure. I know that you can lacquer over the cured thin CA without any problems. http://www.rotdoctor.com/ tdog....aka....Greg

Stew-Mac sells these planes on page 20 of their catalogue. They are refered to as finger planes. I believe Garrett Wade also stocks them. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Planes.html

I recieved a lot of e-mail responses concerning the Limba. For some reason I can't open some of the mail.....so here is the situation.... The Limba I'm looking at is from Holden's. It is just one possibility. A friend of mine owns an architectual lumber company and loves guitars....(I just finished a very cool Oak Burl and turquoise inlay Tele for him).......We are trying to find a wholesale source for Limba and Alder for body blanks. We are scouting the supply that Holden has this week.....Worm hole concerns are at the top of the list....I've been informed this AM that it is wormy. I'll keep everyone here up to date on what I find. We are also trying to find a direct supplier in Africa......We have a supplier to get us sawmill direct from Mexico and S. America....affectionately known as the "Habanero Express"! We have been getting some nice Brazilian Lacewood and Raintree. As for prices on Limba....who knows! Right now we have to secure the source...I do know that much of the Limba I see online is outrageously priced. Just to give you an idea of prices from "my" lumber yard, Companies such as Gilmer are asking $50-65 for Honduras Mahogany body blank is usually @$25 .....depending on market. What widths is everyone interested in? I like 1 piece bodies.....but others might like 2 or 3 piece bodies. krazydereck......for some reason I can't reply directly to you. Cheers, Greg Savage.....aka....tdog