MIMF

Please excuse me if I’ve misread this and tell you stuff that you already know. It’s been 28 years since I started doing this by building a kit. My kit was from Martin. The dovetailed neck and dovetail block were supplied overly tight so they could be fitted after the guitar was made (the thickness ...

You probably can’t make it totally disappear but you can glue some fibers from the offcuts in the divots. Use hot hide glue (anything else will be quite visible). Lightly clamp with a plexiglass caul. After a couple of days, sand the insert flat with very fine sandpaper glued to a sanding block. It ...

You probably ought to get a new bearing unless you can prove to yourself that it really does spin freely.

Replacing the plastic end trim seems like a good option.

The job is done. I wore gloves. I got none on my clothes. I first tried a somewhat complicated joint—two angles bracketing a straight line. Even though I cut the pieces simultaneously, it didn’t fit nearly as tightly as I wished and required some adjustment. For the rest of them, I used a simple sca...

Thank you all. Polyurethane it is. Gorrilla glue is easy to get.

Resorcinol is no longer available in consumer quantities (I can still get enough to build an airplane). I need to glue some cedar 2x4s into longer pieces to repair my deck railing (the longest cedar 2x4 I could get was 8’). So, I’m going to do a scarf joint or something like it with a couple of step...

The vacuum won’t pull much volume. It’s suction will be unnoticeable if your table is more than a few inches square. You are right about the noise. Bigger fan, wider ducts means less noise. Have you considered a simple box fan? It pulls a lot of air. for illustration only: https://www.homedepot.com/...

The one I use is homemade and about 18” long. Make another. Or, use two blocks that you already have. To make the clamping work on the neck, make a second tapered board that matches the fingerboard. Two straight boards on either side with the fingerboard on the neck on the bottom, a space, and then ...

I glue the fretboard to the neck after it is slotted and radiused. I use the radius sanding block as a caul. It's easy that way and everything fits. I can't speak to the binding because I've never bound a fretboard (too much trouble to refret). I use the side of my preshaped fretboard as a guide for...

I have the Dylos DC-1100 Pro. It does .5 micron particles. When the count gets up, I put on a mask and turn on the air filter. I’m not sure you need exceptional accuracy (how would you calibrate?). But, you do need to know when there’s enough dust in the air to harm you. The count shows particles pe...

“What? Did you touch it? My warranty doesn’t cover touching.”

Make sure it’s really the right height for you. I work standing up and 38” is the right height for me (I used to be 6’ 2” before shrinking set in with age). The wrong height hurts your arms and your back.

And one other relevant thing: I buy insurance from UPS because it’s pretty cheap and there’s no question on who has to pay, but my theft and damage policy for my business also covers (with a deductible) my instruments when they’re being shipped.

I have used the StewMac system several times. So far, no problems. But, I never had any problems before I started using it either. Who told you that UPS and FEDEX required packing themselves? That may be true at the retail storefronts which are usually franchise businesses—packing is their business....

Max, If you do want to avoid removing the back, I understand the old school way to reset a neck with a Spanish foot is to release the glue at the foot and for a couple inches on either side of the heel block, slip the block in until the neck angle is correct, and reglue it. Of course, this will requ...

Nice rosette.

In the quest for a perfect fretboard, I’ve found that gluing the fretboard (I use hot hide glue) to the neck makes the perfect less perfect. After I glue the fretboard, I let the neck sit for 10 days or so to allow the moisture in the glue to work its way out. I attach the neck (mine are bolt-ons) t...

I do it like Andy, frets before shaping. It’s easier. I do put the unshaped neck on the guitar and level the fretboard before I take it off and install the frets.

Be careful about having the tool wall over the work surface. Gravity can be very disheartening.