MIMF

Have a look at Joewoodworker.com A vaccum setup might work for you.

Also, 1/16" (0.0625) is pretty thick for veneer nowadays. I think most is 0.020" to 0.040"

Chris, I'm glad you posted that. I was thinking the same thing. On the first section that I glued there was a spot that I didn't get quite right the first time, and so I put a small drop of water on the joint and then applied a clothes iron with a puff of steam. I was able to loosen the piece and re...

After thinking about it for day or so, I think it could be improved. At present, I did one side, and then waited for the glue to set before moving to the other side. Another option would be to add a bar with pegs that spans the length of the soundboard parallel to the centerline, and the bar would b...

Oh, the term 'gum band' is a figure of speech from my hometown near Pittsburgh, PA. There are other curious colloquialisms that are unique to that region. I think that 'gum band' comes from the German word 'Gummiband'.

I didn't have enough patience and hands to apply hot hide glue and then fiddle around with short sticky bits of tape to hold the binding in place. The jig is a MDF baseboard that was traced around the body, sawn out, and then screwed down to an oak tongue that was clamped to my bench by the tongue, ...

Jacob,

Keep building. Many people build towards an established form, and not to their imagination. You're lucky that you have a friend who can afford your imagination, and I'm not talking only about money.

It's a place to my daughter's potential In-Laws. I think that they're likely Ok considering that they attend most every year, but will it be fun otherwise?

I'm glad that I asked about this because it can be a delicate issue. While I believe that every person should stand by, and be appreciated for their work, whether as maker or repairman, still I agree that the maker's work has precedence and one should never devalue an instrument by 'rethinking or im...

Mario, I haven't had the opportunity to use fish glue, but I'll look for it. Also, I was thinking about the concept of 'open time' and got a grin. A production manufacturer would never have the time for such 'open time', but for an individual craftsman builder, the time that is managed and spent to ...

Bill, woodturning is a genre of woodworking that can be very enjoyable to learn and practice. It has its own Zen of sorts, and is adaptable to situations when/where time is tight. It's possible to start and finish a beautiful item in one single session, or one can plan very elaborate projects. If a ...

I'm doing a repair on one of my own, and so I need not ponder what the maker might think of my bodged-up repairwork. But I've been thinking about the Dad of my best friend from high school. He was a highly skilled watchmaker/repairman, who worked on many timepieces over the decades. I might see some...

Scarfing the joints is an excellent idea. I'll try it. I went through 4 or 5 pieces before I got a bending technique down. Bending the grenadillo was much easier after I soaked it in water for a half-hour or so, and occasionally wetted it while ironing it down. I bent the waist curve first over a sm...

Thanks Bob. I've been away for some time, so I know that products have changed, and I've forgotten or never learned many other things. I prebent the moldings around a 3/4" MDF form that I traced around the body -- the body that has handbent sides that are very asymmetrical, in both planes. It's...

I forgot to mention the other important item/issue, the tape that is used to hold the binding in place. I like the plain old tan 3M tape. Are there any other brands & types that should be considered?

Are there advantages or disadvantages to using Titebond Molding & Trim 'No-run, No-drip' wood glue? It supposedly has a hign initial tack but has enough open time to arrange things. I generally like to use hot hide glue, but I think HHG sets too fast for gluing wood bindings because it might tak...

It's a pleasure to make a tool that is reasonably accurate and precise. A woodturner by the name of David Reed Smith posted an online article about how to make a Direct Reading Caliper. It's meant to be a woodturner's diameter gauge of 0-1" capacity, but it works for measuring the thickness of ...

If memory is correct, when making up a 4 piece top, using offcuts from the waist to make up the width of the lower bout, then the offcut pieces must be exchanged to the other side, and then flipped over, so that the chayotance of the offcuts matches the main halves. Did I get that right? It means th...

My best wishes to Amy. We've never met or corresponded, but I have always admired her generosity of spirit and personal effort. I'm glad that it was possible for Amy to go to Johns Hopkins, and if all goes as I hope and think it might, then I think you'll see her up and about soon, and feeling good....