MIMF

Keep the dovetail jigs simple to use so that you can adapt to any angle that you have. It's good to have your dimensions set, but it's better that you have flexibility in the jigs. You may want to do experiments in future guitars regarding the top arching. Making the neck should solve your understan...

You're not alone! In making a guitar for a friend I showed it to him...he burst out laughing and didn't mind the ebony plugs...oh but he does point it out to other friends!

Thank you Todd!
I like using solid molds and spring steel slats. In San Diego I found some sheet titanium that I use for cutaway sides. It has almost NO memory. Unfortunately it isn't long enough and I haven't found any other source so far. I use it for the cutaway section.

Anyone had success with the Fox bender?

Keep a list going while building. The list should keep you from jumping ahead. Think through everything about making the guitar and write it down...cross off what's been done...but write when you've forgotten something. On the next guitar read previous lists...then write the new one. Think about wha...

Sand in between coats. Try out different fillers to apply in between coats. There should be conversations here about fillers. The idea is to keep the finish thin while plugging up the holes.

I've used wenge for veneers on multi piece maple necks and had access to large boards. I should have listened to you guys back then (70's-80's).
Dave, have you used it for normal fretboards? How well does it re-saw?

I think it's a poor choice for a fingerboard...I can't help thinking of splinters...but....think about this: 2P-10

I like your last post....removing fingerboard and splines on either side of the tension rod. You may not gain much from a tension rod swap. How well did the original rod work? Two-way rods are not that efficient...I'll probably get hammered for saying that but have done a lot of this stuff. Is the l...

I love the shape! I love the freedom of ideas. I love that it looks musical.

Thank you for sharing. What's next?

Here we have many centuries of fitting the bridge to the top without glue. The main concern is intonation and that changes with gauge of strings. You want to be able to move the bridge ever so slightly.
Don't mess with success!

I'd go with Barry Daniels and add a couple of suggestions. If the block does not fit perfectly at the break then rough the two surfaces and use epoxy with light clamping using tape to hold it in place till setup. I doubt wether it would need reenforcing, but if you don't agree then use hardwood dowe...

There's a good book on classical guitar making in which the guy makes two veneers for the sides. The method would work for your situation. http://www.jsbguitars.com/classical-guitar-making-book/ Amazon has the book much cheaper: https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Guitar-Making-Approach-Traditional/dp/...

A bit expensive but well worth it I recently bought a Byrnes Model Machines table saw, hand built machine that works great!! I also got their sander BTW and between it and the table saw making things like bindings and rosettes is great.. of course a regular table saw with the right jigs will work a...

I vote that this belongs in the: "That's Not Fair" category!

Barry's method is old, tried, and true. But start playing with magnets with no glue. A tiny bit of double stick tape to attach the patch to magnet and take it in by hand or tip of the finger. The outside magnet placed on the crack or not, etc. The idea is to try things out. See what you can make wor...

The simplest of all ways is the mortise and tenon.

Tops are flat. 3 fan braces are common. Keep everything light for the best sound.

My comments about Stewmac's Fret Barber were addressed to repair, not new building. It's pretty obvious that when building you want to match the frets with the slot width beforehand.

The beauty of Stewmac's Fret Barber is that you control exactly how much fret you remove by using mechanics metal shims measured in the thousandths! AND its fast! You can pull a whole strand of fretstock through or chose to use short sections. The most important thing about this conversation, in my ...

Driving the neck into a back bow is simply that you haven't matched the frets to the slot. Before you commit to fretting always test the 1st fret you put in. If it feels tight then you must cut the fret down. Stewmac has a brilliant tool they call the Fret Barber. It's probably the single most impor...