Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Ok today the forum was inaccessible for most of the day thanks to AI bots hammering our server. Jeremy is doing his best to address the issue but every time we apply defensive measures the bots get around them. At the moment we're seriously considering taking the forum private as a short term measur...

LOL...3016 views for this threads. Unfortunately most of them are probably bldi AI bots

Thanks for the info Rod. A sad reminder that we're all getting old

Two unfinished Fleta classicals here.....halfway through making them I lost my mojo and ended up chucking the guitar making in. They're sitting in the empty workshop with a nearly finished Gore OM and the lute.

Mark McLean wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 27, 2025 7:11 pm

Plus the leadership role you have played of late, keeping the whole show going. Legendary stuff!

Jeremy must take at least half of the credit...he's the quiet guy in the background keeping things ticking away server side.

Mark McLean wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 27, 2025 7:11 pm

You took us all on an epic journey building a f##@* lute.

The lute hasn't been strung up yet...it's the only instrument left in what is now a very empty workshop. Ill get around to stringing up the instrument one day...maybe in time for someone to play it at my funeral

Hopefully you’ll still be sticking around, but without the headache of moderating. I may pop in from time to time but to be honest Tom my heart is no longer in guitar making. Events of late have forced a life re-focus. I'm glad some of my tools went to someone who's going to put them to good use.

To all forum members please be advised that I will be resigning all administration/moderation duties as of October 1st. Jeremy D, Trent Paleili and Steve Toscano will continue as admins.

Regards Martin Turner

"An Executive Order by US President Donald Trump, signed on 30 July, extends a series of de minimis suspensions that Trump said were made to address “a national emergency regarding the unusual and extraordinary threat to the safety and security of Americans.” Pete mate...your mandolins are an unusu...

peter.coombe wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 26, 2025 2:28 pm

..The world is going mad.

Welcome to Trumpanomics.

the most reductive version of the reality we're now in is that Australia requires that US companies collect a 10% GST on their behalf, and now the US is collecting a reciprocal 10% tariff from Australian companies. Different mechanisms with the same effective outcome. Yes..but the absurd aspect is ...

Trump doesn't understand the difference between a sales tax and a tariff. Pre Trumpanonics Americans buying goods from Australia didn't pay 10% GST on the items. Australians buying goods from US were usually charged 10% GST. Post Trumpanomics Americans buying goods from Australia now pay a 10% tarif...

No surprises Pete......Trump doesn't care about people who actually earn their income by honest means. Maybe if you send Trump an email praising his accomplishments on the golf course he might grant you a special dispensation from tariffs.

Thanks Robbie!

That said - I’m aiming to use Osmo PolyX as the finish on my next build. Would that work to seal the channels as well, or would that compromise the superglue’s bond? I've always used hide glue for my purfling/binding glue ins. The beauty of hide glue is the bond is reversible with a bit of heat so ...

Shellac....buy flakes and meths and make it up yourself. Cool, I'll get some normal shellac and give that a go. A small tin - I don't think I have the patience for French polishing :lol: . That said - I’m aiming to use Osmo PolyX as the finish on my next build. Would that work to seal the channels a...

Wipe normal (2lb) shellac into the channels with a folded piece of medical gauze. I used to buy the stuff in packs of a 100. I've tried to be careful with that. I glued the bindings on with Titebond Original, but for future builds I quite like the look of the technique where you tape the bindings on...

Yep, I have become a committed supplicant at the altar of superglue and ebony dust, and I have learned to love the linisher, despite it taking my fingerprints off a few times. Careful if using superglue anywhere near a light coloured wood such as spruce. Many superglues will yellow spruce if it lea...

I've always stuck to spruce..light and stiff.

King Billy pine...only wood that Ive actually tested for stiffness. The stuff is si variable its risky using it without testing actual stiffness.

Coming together nicely.

Re sanding down the inlays....options include running the blank through a drum sander. Keep in mind that you're going to be sanding a radius into the fretboard at some stage so you could sand down inlays during that process.

Looks similar to this guitar in Powerhouse Museum..made in Japan.

https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/365958

If this wood was sold as tonewood I'd definitely send it back to supplier. If sold by a general timber merchant you can probably still argue its not fit for purpose for structural purposes

What's he doing with that chisel? A bit of last minute top tuning??

As many of you will have noticed the forum is running slow and at times log in just isn't happening. We're working on the issue...basically we're getting bombarded with traffic...most of it from Chinese AI companies out to suck information from the forum. People who think if it's on the internet its...

Just learned that Carbatec will be closing their Perth and Adelaide stores in mid August.