MIMF

Dennis, I don't even think of using cocobolo anymore. However, as to your other allergies, consider this: I'm seeing an allergist and following a more recent desensitization therapy; instead of shots, you place a couple of drops of the allergens under the tongue every morning. It's helped me, and it...

One thing I've discovered is that you can rout a 1/16 " ledge for binding using a 1/2" flush trim with a 3/8" diameter bearing. I think the bearings are mounted on a 3/16" "watchamacallit" (extension? mandrell?) The tighter radius may be better in minimizing chipping or...

I prefer single rods to the two way or double rods for two reasons: 1. they are lighter 2. the bending point of the rod and it's influence on the neck set can be precisely located. 3. Additionally--I think--the rod can stiffen the neck a little; at any rate I'm certain that the double rod has very l...

I've been looking for well-quartered cypress wood but found none locally in the widths I'm looking for.
Can anyone recommend an on-line source?

Thanks

You can think of the neck as a ship's mast, where the strings act as guy wires. The truss rod in steel sting, and some nylon instruments, are designed to counter act the pull of the strings in a way that can be periodically adjusted. So, yes, tensioning the low e string will cause the neck to deflec...

What Clay said.

Bet your life on it.

I predict that we'll suddenly discover here-to-fore unknown hordes of Ramirez, Santos, Torres, etc. treasures.

A question to all: Suppose Karl picked up a pint of lacquer thinner, or acetone, carefully masked the area 3mm or so on either side of the scratch, and using a fine sable or similarly soft brush, lightly flowed or puddled the solvent into the crack, allowed it to flash off, and then repeat? A few re...

What Mike Lewis said. I'd try a little bleach-- start with hydrogen peroxide. If that doesn't work, try Oxalic acid, and then chlorine bleach--easy does it, let it dry between treatments. A cheap artist brush can be trimmed to make the hair stiff enough to scrub. If using Oxalic acid or bleach, I se...

Sonnerup,

I don't think I'd have done it any different.

Nice work.

Tom

Definitely post pictures, and include a shot of the neck, from the headstock to the bridge. The millenium guitars were designed with the neck tilted forward so that the strings would exert more of a pull on the soundboard, somewhat in the way the strings of a harp couple with the soundboard and thus...

Hi Clay, I have a "Rigid" brand planer from Big Orange and taken wood down to around 5/32 with a 3/4" backing plate. But I did have a blow-out when I tried it with padauk, serious enough to make me abandon the effort. It seems the cutter adjustment wasn't as accurate as claimed. Groov...

I'm just curious: Has anyone ever used toothed or serrated planer blades? Let's say you took a set of knives and ground a series of notches 3mm apart, sharpened and offset them on the cutter-head. Do you think that would allow you to thickness down to .1"-3mm or so? Would you dare try such a th...

Hi Chuck, Excellent video. I've used the wood slicer blades and found them to dull very quickly. I think the tooth count is too high for the thickness of the lumber we need. You can buy 2 tpi blades and they should run cooler for you. I'd also use a lubricant on he blade, especially for green wood. ...

I've been using a Thomas pump but it's loud and I can't stand to be around it. There used to be information on the fridge/freezer compressor set-up. They are quiet. I got a compressor from a junk dealer, but it needs a start capacitor to run. If anyone knows about how wiring the thing, and how to ke...

If this is restoration then you should look at StewMac. There's also an outfit on that big online auction site, located in Canada, with brackets that will do the job. If this instrument is your own work, or a generic factory instrument , make your own: a die, say 10-32, a matching tap, some 3/16&quo...

Consider a violin style design, with separate sections at the waist.

Check the sole for flatness again, but with the blade installed. Clamping the blade will stress the sole and distort it, often creating a vexing convexity behind the blade.
For this reason it's best to flatten the sole with the blade installed but safely retracted.

In the future I'd recommend a water-based glue over epoxy-- Titebond, LMI or HHG glues provide a bond exceeding the strength of the wood, and cure out to a much thinner glue line. Epoxy is almost all solid, so what you have when you make the joint remains after cure; the water in H20 glue evaporates...

Clamping is absolutely necessary with poly glue. It expands as it cures. Many praise it for its "gap filling" qualities, but this is wrong. Unless the mating surfaces are in perfect contact your joint will be a web of foam. The cohesive strength of poly is very low. Water based glues, on t...