Thread: my thicknessing jig

Originally Posted by black_labb

the main reason is i dont want to buy one of those router bits from stumac as they seem pretty expensive for something just so i can put binding on a guitar. maybe ill see wether i can get a suitable flush trim and get a different sized bearing to fit it to do the same thing, but i dont know if i can. might end up just getting it from stewmac.

Seems expensive but the bearings are going to last for 20 years and the kit will pay for itself after a few builds. Especially so if you dont always use the same sized binding/purflings.

Ive decided to go one better than the bearing/rabbiting cutter kit and have ordered a binding cutter jig to fit my Porter cable trimmer. The jig is made by Chris at Luthiers Tools and it registers off the side of the guitar rather than the top (which is usually arched). Depth and width of cut are both finely adjustable which means Im not restricted by bearing size.

Photos of the jig in action when it arrives.

Cheers Martin

i have been thinking about getting a bearing to fit to a router bit, but i dont know if i can find the right size.

youve got me considering making binding, how difficult is it to do? do you just get little strips from things and glue a few together. how do you get the flat edge? is it a circular saw, or do you thickness it somehow holding it upright?

that looks like a great little jig kiwigeo, nice and adjustable so you can even do odd sizes.

The simplest way for me to do timber bindings is this.

If you've got a fretboard blank ,uncut and not pre-sawn , you can rip off the excess from the sides of the blank .
In fact every blank I've received has yielded enough to enable binding to both sides and a bottom run also.
Once you've cut off , lets say 2 x 3mm long strips and a shorty, you can then double sided tape thet down to a flat surface. I use melamine for this and for glueing too. ( non-stick)

Grab your router and stick a 10mm shim ( can be any size from 5mm to 20mm)
under each side of the base plate, stuck with double-sided tape. Same size for both.
This should be on either side of the binding you are going to thickness.

All you have to do now is drop the router down until you get an evenly thicknessed
topside of your binding, turn it over and do the same, then you've got yourself a thicknessed binding.

This is rather abbreviated but hopefully I get my point accross.

cheers, Stu

Originally Posted by oz tradie

The simplest way for me to do timber bindings is this.

If you've got a fretboard blank ,uncut and not pre-sawn , you can rip off the excess from the sides of the blank .
In fact every blank I've received has yielded enough to enable binding to both sides and a bottom run also.
Once you've cut off , lets say 2 x 3mm long strips and a shorty, you can then double sided tape thet down to a flat surface. I use melamine for this and for glueing too. ( non-stick)

Grab your router and stick a 10mm shim ( can be any size from 5mm to 20mm)
under each side of the base plate, stuck with double-sided tape. Same size for both.
This should be on either side of the binding you are going to thickness.

All you have to do now is drop the router down until you get an evenly thicknessed
topside of your binding, turn it over and do the same, then you've got yourself a thicknessed binding.

This is rather abbreviated but hopefully I get my point accross.

cheers, Stu

nice tips, might use that for something soon would many fretboard woods be suitably bendy for a body? or do you mainly use yours for freboard and headstock binding?



regarding the amp i went to pick it up, and e turned to power on, then once we flicked the standby it was alright for a moment (hadnt plugged in yet) and then something blew. we are pretty sure its a output tube, considering the amp has been used twice in the last 20 years, one of those times being this week to ensure that it was alright to play. he seemed to be a nice guy and wanted me to get it in the best condition i could and know that im a happy buyer.
will probably mean that hell pay for some of the output tube costs which is good, as i think it would be a good idea to get a new set ( 2 of them are original, and the other 2 were put in randomly, matched sets arent completely nessisary, but im sure having closer to right would be good, aswell as having the bias set)

the amp head looks to be in great condition. the cabinet is a bit ragged but other than the cosmetic things it seems great. the speakers in it are 4 50w australian made speakers, cant remembr the name, but they look to be in great condition. id say theyre most likely ceramic magnets, but ill have a better look when i get it/test it next time.

black_labb, what tubes do you need for it? We have a lot of NOS tubes at work, might have what you are after. I can find out if you like, just let me know what one it is you need.

Originally Posted by Hammered

black_labb, what tubes do you need for it? We have a lot of NOS tubes at work, might have what you are after. I can find out if you like, just let me know what one it is you need.

thanks alot hammer, im after some 6550's, ill probably be after a quad as im sure the other tubes arent too far from dieing. how much would you think 4 6550's would come to?

ive been keeping my eye on 4 6550's on ebay from a n ebay shop in victoria that has 4
EH 6550's going for 140$, which seems to be a great price for new EH's

i think the guy blew them/one because he looked like he plugged it into the wrong impedence jack (he couldnt remember which it was, but this time ill stop him before he does it again, for his sake and mine, i want the amp running)

get matched output valves only
jj's are great and you can get em at evatco in brisbane
if you put in a mismatched tube it will sound crap

plugging a 8ohm amp into a 4 ohm speaker load prolly cook the ot
the other way - 8ohm speaker load into a 4 ohm amp should be fine

that amp will blow your head off man once it fires up

speakers arent rola's by any chance??
they might also be msp's

they are prolly alnico's which have a great tone
sounds like you got a monster there man - i remember those old 100 watt amps and they were killer

i would think about running it stock with attenauator or running it low volume with pedals to drive the preamp - ts808 or 809 is nice

Originally Posted by old_picker

get matched output valves only
jj's are great and you can get em at evatco in brisbane
if you put in a mismatched tube it will sound crap

plugging a 8ohm amp into a 4 ohm speaker load prolly cook the ot
the other way - 8ohm speaker load into a 4 ohm amp should be fine

that amp will blow your head off man once it fires up

speakers arent rola's by any chance??
they might also be msp's

they are prolly alnico's which have a great tone
sounds like you got a monster there man - i remember those old 100 watt amps and they were killer

i would think about running it stock with attenauator or running it low volume with pedals to drive the preamp - ts808 or 809 is nice

yeah, am planning to put matched valves in, ive sent the guy a message earlier today proposing getting a matched quad and splitting the cost, ill see what he suggests in terms of splitting the cost. im going to see what he suggests in terms of splitting the costs.

regarding the speakers, dont think they were rola's, may be msp's. the reason i think they were ceramic is i cant imagine a vintage style speaker with alnico magnets being rated at 50w each. id be happy if i was wrong (not that id be unhappy with ceramic)

im thinking i might end up using it for bass with a bass cab that ill either buy or make, quite possibly make. really depends how easily i can get ahold of suitable bass speakers. i cant see myself using it too much for guitar as i like a bit of grit, but im not a big fan of pedals. i was originally planning to make a 100w amp that could be used for bass and guitar, but when i saw this it seemed so perfect (i was looking for something similar, not nessisarily 200w watts though that i could use for parts and such. im not in too much of a hurry to change the circuit though, it seems to have a nice bit of history, and the head seems to be in great condition (dispite the lack of matched power tubes and the fact that it probably hasnt been rebiased since 1972, considering retubing for him involved putting a new tube in the blown ones spot.

maybe ill make a tube od pedal using the PT i got for the 5e3 project, as ive realised that it isnt suitable for rectification via a tube rectifier . means ill have to either get a different transformer or some diodes and rectify it that way, which will mean none of that sag/sustain thats so great on a 5e3. hell, without power tubes to drive i might aswell incorperate some effects. essentially it can be a preamp for any amp to plug into, with a variety of effects and gain stages to turn any amp into a verstile tube preamp amp. will be damn big and heavy for a pedal though.

black_labb, I can't get you matched pairs (or quads). Sorry, didn't consider that when I posted.

I'd have to look at work and see what is there anyway. I know alot of the valves used in audio gear are running out. We had pallet loads of NOS tubes a year ago, but they've been getting rid of them in bulk lots to various people. There's some great old brands you just don't see anymore though, including some aussie ones. In fact, probably everything there is manufactured by now obsolete companies (no Svetlana or EH there)

Originally Posted by Hammered

black_labb, I can't get you matched pairs (or quads). Sorry, didn't consider that when I posted.

I'd have to look at work and see what is there anyway. I know alot of the valves used in audio gear are running out. We had pallet loads of NOS tubes a year ago, but they've been getting rid of them in bulk lots to various people. There's some great old brands you just don't see anymore though, including some aussie ones. In fact, probably everything there is manufactured by now obsolete companies (no Svetlana or EH there)

thats alright, thanks for the offer though. so where do you work that you get shipments of nos tubes like that?

I work at a Repair & Calibration lab. specialising in Test & Measurement instruments, largely for telecommunications (everything from testing phones for 2 wire lines, right through to high end optical and RF equipment).

Some of the older gear here uses the tubes, but I'd say mostly the boss just bought a bulk lot of tubes a long time ago and forgot about them. We also sell and referbish testing equipment, so it's pretty big. We have two warehouses full of crazy bits of gear, it reminds me of those Mythbusters guys and the places they visit to find things suitable to test their myths.

Anyone here know how to use an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (no joke, this thing really exists).

Originally Posted by Hammered

I work at a Repair & Calibration lab. specialising in Test & Measurement instruments, largely for telecommunications (everything from testing phones for 2 wire lines, right through to high end optical and RF equipment).

Some of the older gear here uses the tubes, but I'd say mostly the boss just bought a bulk lot of tubes a long time ago and forgot about them. We also sell and referbish testing equipment, so it's pretty big. We have two warehouses full of crazy bits of gear, it reminds me of those Mythbusters guys and the places they visit to find things suitable to test their myths.

Anyone here know how to use an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (no joke, this thing really exists).

sounds like an interesting job. have any ef86 tubes laying around? im looking to use some in some future projects. i want to make a master volume amp, but getting a pentode to distort as opposed to a triode. the idea is to be able to dial in some distortion at any level like a master vulume, but have the sweet distortion that you only really get from power tubes (which i think is atleast partly to do to the fact that they are pentodes, and most preamp tubes are triodes)

This job is a lot less interesting than it sounds unfortunately. I am not planning to return after the new year (provided I can get work somewhere else).

EF86, you might be in luck. Definately we HAD some. We sold four Philips EF86 about six months ago, so there is a good chance there are more.

You'll have to give me a few days to get the chance and have a good look. There is a LOT of tubes here mate, hundreds of different ones. There is probably half a dozen pallet loads worth on the shelves.