Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Yep, the first few hundred are fun! This is a batch of ukes - I'm making them whilst I wait for more of the stuff to arrive. One of the ways I keep myself interested in the job is to keep trying out different ways of doing the same tasks. Doing necks on the lathe is a bit of fun, but yes, it is supe...

I tried this idea out yesterday and it worked a treat - http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/necks-on-lathe-3.jpg A pair of necks done in about 5 minutes flat. It took me longer to make the jig. Now, the jig size, or rather thickness, dictates the end result. I worked it out wi...

If you can find maple or sycamore veneer here, I'd be interested to how from where. But to be honest, I never use either for purflings any more. They can look nice if it goes well, but they are both more prone to getting dark dust in them and bits pulling out during scraping than fibre. "Simple and ...

Thirty years ago I wouldn't have considered any African mahogany. Now they are a little more appealing. Khaya is very nice stuff to work with, it resembles South American stuff (more so than sapele) and it comes in substantial sections. If you buy it from Spain or the UK, it's pretty cheap. I use it...

Anyone out there know of a supplier for traditional uke rope binding?

Any of you tried either of these apps:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spectru ... 78884?mt=8

or this?

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ultraso ... 69926?mt=8

Found another - looks like a step up from the plastic bodied ones...Any users out there?

https://www.gasweld.com.au/535815-toolex

That's the one I had first, it was great, but sold it when I went to Germany. For the number of instruments I make, the light one is fine. I had one for two years in Germany and never had an issue with it. It ended up with a pal as part of a deal we did. I'm just interested to know if anyone owns th...

The last sander I had was one of these: https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/W843 It was ok, it did the job, not as good as the bigger machine I had before that, but it did what I needed. I've just seen this one: https://www.ebay.com.au/p/Powertec-OS1400-14-Oscillating-Spindle-Sander/10017651235?iid=25...

Welcome down under Nigel. If you are interested in second hand tools and equipment you should get onto Gumtree, which is a local version of a Craigslist-style online marketplace. Make a dehumidifier one of your first purchases. Lots of good local timbers for you to get to know. Many of us favour Qu...

Thanks fellas. What's the stuff they sell in Bunnings? I was in yesterday, and they had a dark mahogany-like board - looked like it was for decking or something, (lightly grooved one side) about 80mm x 20mm x 2000mm. This stuff looked decent and was highly figured! The display was a bit disorganised...

Well, when I first visited Oz in 2013, I was really struck with the place. My daughter was living and working in Melbourne, and I travelled up to do Trevor Gore's course up in the Blue Mountains. I had a great time, and I've been thinking about moving here ever since. Well, the wife had the points t...

Nigel, I hope that park bench isn't home these days.... :D Nice job, BTW! This year me and the wife have lived in quite a few places Trevor - Thailand, Sri Lanka, Oz, Japan, England, Singapore, India, Germany, and we just got back to the UK from Switzerland. It's been a nice year - apart from getti...

It's fun doing a relic from time to time. This is the latest - an Odd Ball Junior. https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1Ltx5neUa0/W2V4Y7rYdOI/AAAAAAAAF-Q/DrjYzwzsaYgGWfzeDDCHdhgUxSB7DbJsgCLcBGAs/s1600/Odd%2BBall%2BJunior%2Bfront.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xrW3ttE4qEw/W2V4Y1HZEeI/AAAAAAAAF-U/CeeIisGbkpIO...

As regards to the use of superglue on raw spruce, I have found occasionally that the superglue stains the wood a greenish tint. Does anybody else experience this and what would the reason be for it only happening on some spruce samples and not others? Ross Canary yellow is the popular one. Some sup...

I've tried loads of things over the years. The best results happened when I started adding mass to the whole setup. I bought several of these when I was in Germany: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Fraszirkel-fur-die-Oberfrase-Frasschablone-Frashilfe/322541219708?hash=item4b18f46f7c:g:7nwAAOSwo4pYI2gc There ...

Lovely instrument, lovely finish. Are you spraying the poly? How do you find working with it? Humidity must be an issue where you are?

You might want to try Osmo oil. It's a nice finish for simple work. Two or three coats is enough for a nice satin filled finish.

I made a few guitars with it, and I was impressed by it. Glueing isn't always straightforward. Treat it like an oily rosewood, even though it doesn't feel that oily. The main issue I had with it was it's not very "commercial." Not a great demand for orange with a hint of green steel string guitars. ...

Just watched an old video of the Hofner factory in Germany. Really enjoyable - old fashioned wood machining. There is a great simple centre line finder around 11.20. Loads of great jigs and such.

Enjoy!


youtu.be/

If you want to do it for a living, I'd suggest doing a marketing course.

Lovely looking stuff. Just cut one set and try in water and maple. If it snaps (and short grain can, even with fabric softener) I'd be hunting someone with a good quality saw to make that into veneers. In Germany here, there are several shops who offer the service. Vacuum veneering is a lot easier t...

If it looks like it might cause trouble, I soak in hot water and fabric softener for 20-30 mins. Usually does the job. The alternative, which I do more and more of these days is to cut or thin the wood down to veneer thickness and laminate it to something more bendable.

Gday Nigel. it would be nice to end up with a burst that looks something like the old Gibson that David Rawlings plays, i think its from the 1930's. The guitar is a concert size, and the only reason im looking at a sunburst for it is.....umm.....i bbq'ed the sides a bit when bending and have scorch...

It depends on what market your work is intended for. Some markets prefer the sprayed look, others the hand rubbed look. If' you're making guitars for the "hair rock" brigade, it should be sprayed. If it's for the "pencil 'tash and braces" crowd, it's hand rubbed. "Vintage Gibson" look covers both, ...