MIMF

I'm increasingly thinking there is an acoustic guitar somewhere in my future...

I can't answer your either/or question, but if you're making a neck, I just did a bass that had a taper at the heel (continuous straight lines from the nut to the heel) and used two templates to rout both the heel of the neck (actually the entire neck shaft) and the neck pocket. I got as close to a ...

Yeah - I'm looking for an opportunity to do more of this. It's really enjoyable.

Can't help you on the "memory" that I'm triggering though...

I recently finished a build that involved carving the body by hand. Not having any experience in carving, here is how I did it. The carve amounted to a "fillet" that varied in width around the body. I used a piece of 1/2" MDF to define the shape of the inner edge of that fillet, and used a top-beari...

Thanks, Marc.

Yes - overall, I'm very impressed with Tru-Oil. It has some limitations, but experience is rewarded. I did a test piece, but didn't really settle on a technique and schedule, so I was still learning when I started on the guitar. Big mistake!

This build went more smoothly than the previous two, until I got to the finishing. That turned slowly into a disaster, and I ended up doing a complete sand-back-to-wood-and-start-over. The finish is Tru-Oil, and I will be doing a post based on my experience with that. Plays and sounds really good ex...

Thanks, Peter - that’s what I suspected!

I’m building a bass with an active EMG P-J pickup set. Just noticed that the jack that comes with the pickup set is a stereo jack. Is a stereo plug required for this jack, or does this use a stereo jack simply to provide a way of taking the battery out of the circuit when the plug is removed (a conv...

Sure - it isn’t particularly sophisticated carving, but achieved what I was shooting for design-wise. And yes, I have a “guitar gallery” folder in which I’ve saved a couple of really spectacular carved bodies - way beyond what I think I’d ever be capable of, but definitely good grist for the idea mi...

Tom - this has been fascinating. Looking forward to the finishing. W/regard to the carving, my current build (an electric bass) has a hand-carved fillet around the edge of the body (the width of the fillet varies, so no way to machine it short of a CNC router.) While it is, as you say, a slow and pa...

We’re retired so we voluntarily locked down the first week in March. Marcy is asthmatic and immune-suppressed from arthritis meds, so we were very hesitant to come out of the bunker for quite a while. I started taking drum lessons in January and have continued with that via FaceTime. Started back to...

Seeing wood like this reminds me that one of these days I really have to tackle an acoustic guitar. That stuff is really spectacular, Tom. I've got to come by your shop some day when we're free of this damned virus!! I've been enjoying your build log on that cello.

So on the current build (a short scale electric bass) the neck was a little too long for that piece of 8020, so had to change things up. Digging into the rathole I had another square piece that was long enough, but needed a way to clamp it to the bench. A couple of pieces of 1/4” scrap and some T-bo...

Clay - that seems to be the trick. Getting a good grip on the stock and controlling the cut. Part of the fun for me is making jigs, so I do sometimes go a little over the top. :D But I too do a lot of one-offs with MDF & hot glue, though I’d be inclined to put some kind of handles on it - I’m afraid...

Sorry it wasn't clear, Bob. I'd be happy to explain anything further. One thing I didn't mention was that I made a total of three passes, so obviously I was taking extremely thin cuts. The cut you see above was on the solid plank of wenge I was using for the FB. After that pic, I thicknessed down to...

Barry Daniels wrote: ↑

Mon May 25, 2020 11:54 am

I would think you would want a hefty table mounted router to drive those bits.

I agree 100%, but it seems (from the videos on that page to which I linked) that there are people that use some of them hand-held!!

Remaining three pics:

This could go in the tool reviews, but since the bulk of the discussion here is how I jigged things up to use this bit, I figure this is where it belongs. A while back, several of us were discussing the Yonico radiusing bits. They are available for all common radii. I purchased mine here: https://ww...

Someone at a meeting of our woodworking club mentioned these sometime last year. They are perfect for luthiers in that a) they come in lengths sufficient to route a solid body in a single pass, b) they have both top and bottom guide bearings so you don't have to move your template from one side of t...