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If you're looking for Black Ebony, don't buy the Queens Ebony as linked above, Queens Ebony is better known as Pacific Blackwood, it's not an Ebony at all and is dark brown.

Looks like the members...

It's been about a year since I put it together so my memory may be off, but I think the spindle on my radial saw had size options in form of a step down? It is an older saw.

I might be wrong, but...

I haven't been to this forum for maybe a year or more, but it appears I missed out on some excitement.

I had a similar setup to what simso described having, a compound mitre saw that I adapted a stewmac mitre box to fit.

It served me for a while and made dozens of guitars however I found I wasn't...

Thanks again issatree, Brian was very helpful.

Issatree: thankyou, I will call this number.

Alan: thanks for the offer but I couldn't trust my ute on a three hour round trip. It's a bit under the weather and needs some TLC at the moment.

I have an old log from a ash tree that was on my parents property where i grew up. Its been laying in my shed for approx six years.

It is just over a meter long and widest point is approx half a...

This pic shows the guard I was talking about.

I used this and the steel wood to scrub the clear off the fretwire after the clear had cured. I had done the majority of the fretwork prior to paint...

Well it's a matter of opinion

If you do it before hand you have the jon of getting the metal shavings out of the maple before paint

If you do it after you avoid the above but risk messing up...

If you look at my blackwood build thread below, I used a maple board and just sprayed two or three really thin coats of 2k.
...

Slightly off topic, but if you plan on making some you may be interested.

For years I have used the 6" long timber radius blocks, however earlier thus year I swapped to the stewmac aluminum one...

Yeah - I have a self confessed habit of that with reverse headstocks! I'll look through a rack of guitars I've strung up and some will be right and others will be done whilst I was brain dead and...

Even if they are the same I've always found the postage from LMII to be excessive and AL is always reasonable. UPS vs USPS I think

I've tried nearly all the major rods and the market and believe the allied lutherie ones to be the best. I always buy those in the batches of 12+ to get them discount.

I've only had one allied...

Finally a day that's not raining - I got some snap shots:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_3282small.jpg
...

Electronics and Assembly stage:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_3247small.jpg

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_3253small.jpg
...

Clear coat update.

I sanded the last lot of clear back to 600 grit, then airhosed and prepsolled the entire thing before shooting another few layers of clear yesterday.

Theres a lot more peel...

Plexiglass day.

I had the router set up from copying/combining some new templates, so at the same time I ran off a couple cavity covers in transparent black 4mm perspex.

When I assemble the...

Four coats of clear. I'll let this hang for a week before block sanding back, then I'll spray another couple coats of clear.
...

Second coat of clear, the timber is just soaking it all up, looks like it may take four coats at this stage:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_3065small.jpg

Today:

Hole drilling:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_3048small.jpg

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_3049small.jpg

Hand and...

Knob recessing and cavity control steps.

Most people like to do all routing before they carve a guitar - but I like to do routing towards the end of the build as this way I can freehand carve...

Tomorrow I'll be doing this, I'll take pics and post them in the tassy blackwood thread.

I drill the hole the size of the bearing that is at the the of the bit, which is just a curved router but....

I've just used the drill press as its easier and I can see clearly without having try look through the router base.

Todays mission was to fix up all the floyd route and carve the top.

Flap disk - freehand lines to guide me where to carve. I really need to make a template for that!
...

You have access to CNC ... Very lucky. Even if it's only for the templates, that's still a giant help.

Then repeat:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_2924small.jpg

I then trim the tang so it'll clear the binding:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_2899small.jpg

I then crimp the ends of the fret with these special "fret tang...

Fretwork.

I start by angling the tops of the fret slots with a file. Only just slightly.

Where the fret tang and crown meet isnt always a perfect right angle, so this helps the frets seat flat...

The radius.

You want it to be straight before radiusing, otherwise your fret mill is going to be extreme.

First I gently clamp the headstock with the neck resting in a caul and check with a...

Factory guitar finishes won't be 2k so it's not a fair comparison. 2k is too time consuming for them to use. Too expensive.

As far as auto pro, I can only comment based on our local one and it...

Most "cheapo" guitars with a gloss finish the necks are shyte, I agree. My ealier necks I oiled (by choice). Since then I've learned a lot about painting and finishing. I paint all my necks now.

I...

No probs. I was just stirring. Theres a whole trend at the moment of oiled guitars - it anoys the hell out of me.

Oil? OIL ?? - You're banned from this thread! hahahaha

I don't oil guitars. It's my personal belief oiling guitars is for those too lazy or unskilled enough to learn how to paint. Also - it makes...

After finishing shaping the heel of the neck (reshaping to bolt on heel) I noticed that I'd damaged the binding. Bugger.

Heat gun and paint scraper and about 30-60 seconds later it looks like...

Bit more catching up today:

I cut the heel back on the neck to turn it onto a bolt on rather than a set neck.

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_2870small.jpg

I...

I know what you mean. I seem to go through router bits like they're free or something. I prefer new to re sharpened.

I'd really like a pin/overhead router but they are out of reach financially....

Baby steps on this one as I've had another guitar in paint stages, meaning I've had to not do woodwork on those days.

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_2856small.jpg

Just a quick teaser pic of where it's at now:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_2838small.jpg

Tip with this glue: less is less!

Use just a bit more than you would if it was wood glue or you'll be re doing it. It's very runny and very sticky.

I use this on all plastic type binding. I buy it froma local perspex distributor so you can most likely get it local to yourself.

STEWMAC.COM : Weld-On Cement

It's tempting to do a truss rod slot in one pass - but do it in two smaller passes.

Also - I've noticed (and I only did this once) theres a right and wrong direction to push the neck into the...

Today I decided to route the neck pocket so I could carve more on=f te actual neck back to the heel area.

Should have stayed in bed. Router bit #1 came loose from the collet. Titan Collets are a...

I haven't got much done on this today as I've been working on another two guitars this morning, but I managed to get the neck rough carved.

I mark out the profile depth in greylead and a 1m rule...

More than that, heres a quote they'd made public:




The last I heard (on another forum) was they found two guys driving the Chevy Blazer. They were arrested and they also found the hybrid...

Then I moved to the body:

First pass on the router table:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_2773small.jpg

Remove the template and use the first pass as my new...

Put in a bit of time today.

First job, square off a line where the nut and fingerboard will meet:

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/searlsguitars/023/IMG_2761small.jpg

Now the truss...

Exactly as both have described above.

I use a 12" long drill bit. Make sure to keep pulling it out to remove the excess or the bit will seaze up on you. I've had one break and when it did the...

Back from the shop - bandsaw blade on and setup

Check out the burnt cut from the old blade and the fresh cut from the new blade, makes so much difference it's not funny and for only $27.00 I wish...

What he said...

This is the last body I ever tried a single pass on - I've always done several passes since this.

Notioce the tearout? Do I have to point it out? This went flying across my...