MIMF

P.S. His website is www.keithhillharpsichords.com.

There was some discussion of the book on the Harpsichord list. Apparently the author has "strong opinions" and the reaction by most makers of harpsichords was not positive. There appears to be more of a philosophical rather than scientific bent to the book. The author's website has the pre...

I don't think a taper in the thickness of a neck is necessary, unless you like the feel of the taper. I've made necks both ways and have no complaints about playability--they feel much the same to me.

Never thought of rubbing almond oil on my bowels!!

If you are making your scarf joint at the end of the neck (not under the fretboard as Freeman does) the joint may be seen at the back of the head instead of at the throat, depending on the thickness of the neck blank where you glue the head. I have taken to thinning the neck blank at the head end to...

Here's my take on a side laminating form.

I've cut thin strips from the end of a scrap piece of fretboard using a miter box to fill in an occasional misplaced fret in an ebony fretboard. Veneer should also work, but I wanted the grain orientation to be consistent with the fretboard--though I doubt that it really mattered.

Certainly wood, certainlywood.com, often has wide sheets, also 1/24 inch thick veneers and rotary cut veneers.

Look at YouTube for Alex Karas' playing the Theme from The Third Man. He plays melody with his thumb on the fretboard, and a bass note + rhythm with his fingers.

Perhaps you could find some nails of the right diameter for hitch pins. Cut them to length with a diagonal cutters and file the cut end. Some guitar strings can be had with loop ends instead of ball ends, or you may be able to remove the "ball" from the loop in the end of the string.

I would suggest lowering the bit and taking a smaller bite on the first pass, then raising it to finish the radiusing. If that isn't possible because of the length of the bit and the range of depth adjustment on your router table, then affixing a riser to the carrier fixture. But definitely practice...

A quick search of the Library produces a number of posts about Rockhard. Apparently, the formula was changed somewhere about 2012/2013. Rather than distill the Library info for you, I'd suggest you just search the Library for "Rockhard varnish".

tape the razor blade leaving a narrow gap the width of the splint; that way there's little if any risk of accidentally scraping the finish. I usually grind a flat 90 degree edge on an old razor blade by honing on a whetstone. The little burr left on the blade makrs it just like a miniature cabinet s...

If you put a small mirror in the soundhole you should be able to see the underside of the soundboard, which would be unpainted, and make a guess as to what kind of wood it is. At least you might be able to determine whether it's a softwood species, such as pine, spruce, fir, or a hardwood such as ma...

Happy Birthday!! I'm in for the drawing.

Caley, the preferred method of dealing with separated cracks that can't be brought to close is to fill them with wood splints, not glue and sawdust. The cracks are opened a bit with a knife so that they are wider at the surface, narrower at the interior, then a thin piece of matching wood is prepare...

Oscar, if you are seeking fret positions for a 36" (or any other) scale length, you will find fret calculators in the MIMF library under "Programs, Spreadsheets and other programs". There are other programs available on the internet that will calculate the fret locations for whatever ...

I would imagine that a sack of steel BBs or perhaps lead pellets for an air/CO2 gun, if these are available to you in Canada, should suffice; but I can't, of course, say for sure, as I've never tried them for this purpose.

A Japanese-style flush cutting saw (I bought one from Home Depot) might work well and prevent any scarring of surrounding finish caused by tooth set.

Constantines is also a good source.