MIMF

For all the folks thinking of going into the study/practice of the Luthiers' Craft and Trade, can anyone point to any statistics into the realities of such a venture. I know great luthiers are far a few between but for the rest of us what can we expect to find doing repairs, manufacturing work and c...

I have been working on a design for a one piece aluminum bracing system for the back of a dreadnaught style guitar. Does anyone know of anything done before in this area of design/building? My thoughts are using a 3D drawing to print on a 3D printer. Basically it would be a forward X bracing style f...

Buy 8/4 stock or greater. But if you find a nice plank with the grain that you want do not pass it up if it is more. You can always take wood off but you can't add it on. 16/4 can be resawn into two bookmatched blanks.

Mark is right don't over think this. Hardly anyone does it the same. I've velcroed my bobbins and now I trap them with the headstock and use a small piece of double sided tape for safety. I do not put my spool on a spindle. I set it on the floor in front of me and between my legs. Just wind a bundle...

I thought I needed a gang saw to cut all the frets at once. I took a Belsaw planer, bought small diameter( 3") blades custom ground with spacers and many shims etc and etc. This was only for lapsteels but it was still one of the dumbest things I've ever spent alot of money on. If I needed to cu...

Clay, I agree with all that you've said. The discussion of mankind's relationship with his tools goes back to when the first man used a rock or a lever. But all the passion in the world will not make a better guitar if a person does not have the skills and tools. I realized the possibility of having...

I do not know what exactly I hear when I put a pencil in an old fashioned pencil sharpener but I can hear the difference between red cedar and fiberboard. What I call Western Red Cedar is just a wonderful soundboard and one of my favorites. It does seem to grow a bit fast which translates into large...

Thanks Charlie, sorry I didn't look deep enough in the forum.

With all this movement towards fancy looking and rare woods in custom guitars is any wood pattern other than straight grained wood better for soundboards?

Can CADCAM be taught to tap tune instrument soundboards ? Got ideas?

There is no doubt that the CNC cutting machines with the designs coming straight from the CAD design softwares are here to stay. It will soon be as accepted as the chisel and bowsaw. Young workers in the music industry are taught using these tools and are expected to know them. I'm working on bracin...

I'm in need of a person or shop that will cut out a 3/4" aluminum frame for my lap steel guitars. Roughly 6"wide X axis, 30" Y axis , and 3/4" Z axis. This is a Rickenbacker style aluminum frame. If you know of anyone let me know or have them contact me directly.

Oak is a mixed bag of problems in cabinet and furniture making. When it comes to using it in instrument construction I must ask why? It is sometimes a beautiful wood but has been so overused during the past 20 years in cheap kitchen cabinets that the saleability is gone even for cheap kitchens. Oak ...

Didn't Martin make a run of guitars out of the oak seats from the Ryman ? Contact Martin Guitars.

I've worked alot of green wood for Windsor chairs etc. I've also used PEG for wood turnings. DA, I have no experience with but the flash point makes it very dangerous to use. Even the green wood that I use for chairs is not as green as what you have, it has air dried for at least 6 months in the rou...

If this is only your first or second guitar us a long bed hand jointer plane. Learn how to do it with that in the first place and you will save many hours of setup and many dollars. Do you really have to save time on something as important as a neck? The best hand planes in the world will cost less ...

People simply us whatever they have to make music. Whether you use trash or the best materials in the world has no bearing upon the hearts of the player and listener. Greater mysteries are at work.

Final Height = what sounds best in your situation. Using your woods with your measures whatever they are. I truly wish that the final tonality of an instrument could be easy enough to figure on a calculator. All instruments need to be tuned and retuned and will eventually settle into a voice of thei...

Masonite and HDF are two different materials. All materials have their outstanding qualities and limitations. If a jig is worth making it is worth making out of the best material you have available for that purpose. I tend to like using baltic birch plywood and Nylon sheet goods. Wear and strength a...

Right on Dave. When we get all big headed about the art and craft of what we do we often forget why we do it. We put together materials is such a fashion so when we strike, pluck, hit or touch them in any way the item makes tones so people can then make music. Music will continue to be produced long...