MIMF

One of the mistakes that new builders usually make is overbuilding resulting in a non-resonant body. My motto is "Build Light".

It’s not worth anything. Experiment away.

The repair I recommended works well especially if you don’t wait too long. If you rework the area within 24 hours of the original glue up the glue will react more and you will have better results.

If you used a heat reactive glue, you might be able to smooth down the high spots by heating the area with a hot household iron. After heating it up apply a caulk and clamps.

Bryan Bear wrote: ↑Fri Sep 26, 2025 11:08 amHaving that inside corner rounded would provide further insurance against splitting…

Good idea.

I estimate that it would take at least 100 pounds of weight to break that hard maple bracket. Of course other species would be nowhere near as strong because they have more tendency to split along the grain.

It is my understanding that Baltic Birch was made in Russia and importion was stopped a couple of years ago due to an embargo. There may be other sources of similar, void free plywood that will work.

Here is a L-bracket from hard maple that is many years old.

I think the inherent weakness of the “L” shape could easily split plywood because there is a stress riser at the inside corner, and that will always intersect with a joint of the plywood no matter which way you orient it. I recommend you build it out of a solid piece of hardwood, like birch, maple, ...

Don’t know what they are called but they are easy to make.

You need more room around the double G set. I would lay the strings out so the gap on either side of the Gs is the same as that between the other single strings.

https://www.swisco.com/Screen-Door-Roller/pd/Patio-Sliding-Screen-Door-Replacement-Rollers/84-005?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21511157907&gbraid=0AAAAAD_HAIjkfoqDJaZTGdmJwB3v7_FHX&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJTGBhCbARIsANFBfgtd1jTeR7BbRuA5JWILjlykGSSgeiwgzDZJmYi8byxuQdaXVobCmWcaArevEALw_wcB Here’s ki...

Spring fed rollers/feeders are available (usually for table saws) that might be able to be adapted to work with a router or Safety Planner setup. Holding the stock down on either side of the cutting blade path to give a little more precise thickness of the finished plate.

Sharpen the cutters on the Safety Planer frequently for best operation and to lessen the tendency to grab the wood.

anzlf is running now. They said that Chinese AI bots were sucking data out of the forum which caused an extreme slow down. That’s getting crazy. Hope we can avoid that.

After mentoring new builders over many years, I have found that starting out with existing and proven designs will lead to greater satisfaction, rather than trying your own designs. After building a few successful guitars is when you should start to try something original. This comment mostly relate...

I use Super Soft II on all sides and bindings that go in my bender. Probably unnecessary on the easier bending woods but it doesn’t hurt the wood so a lil extra insurance is a good thing, right?

I’ve got a lot of tools that I have made over the years to work through a round soundhole but nothing is small enough to fit through a f-hole. I think you will have to live with it.

I like to put my carbon tow or pre-cast bars into their own slots on either side of the truss rod. I don’t know how much difference it makes, but I think it could have more effect to control twisting of the neck. However, the bottom of the truss rod slot is further from the neutral axis of the neck ...

It depends on what tool you will be using. I made a tapered laminate on my Performax abrasive planer by taping cross pieces of wood of increasing thickness on the back of the laminate.

Carbon tow on the back of the body? Does that mean it will be exposed? I don’t think that is a good idea. I have used tow in necks but I bury it in slots cut into the neck before the fretboard is glued on. Warping is mainly a factor of unstable wood that has not reached equilibrium with your shop en...