Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Pictures of the actual instruments -

I have mostly been lurking the last few months, but have been busy in the workshop. Some might be interested in what has emerged. I hope someone finds this interesting because it has been a lot of typing because IE crashed on me, plus some other problems with broken links and previews on this site, ...

I found a draft definition here http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/2171884/draft-list-of-regulated-timber-products-for-consultation-a.pdf So, guitar tops, backs and sides are less than 6mm so they would be unregulated according to 4407. Ebony and Rosewood fingerboards and bridge blan...

From the legislation section 9 (3) - "(3) A regulated timber product is a timber product prescribed by the regulations." So looks like the definition is determined by regulation, which means it can be changed at any time by the government without needing to go through parliament. But the regulations...

I'm Not sure that it will cause any problems for us Peter,as long as it is not illegal to log the timber in it's native country. Yes but depending on what a regulated timber product is, we might need to show due dilligence - i.e. you will need to show Aussie Customs you have taken reasonable steps ...

It is about to become much more difficult to import timber into Australia. http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011B00256 How this will affect small importers like us I am not sure, because I don't know what a regulated timber product is, but we have 2 years to comply. Basically this is the Aussie equ...

As i posted in the beginning of this post if using blackwood for the back & sides what Tasmanian species would be suitable for a soundboard I have used a lot of Blackwood in mandolins, but only one guitar so far. Best with Blackwood has been either King Billy Pine or Engelmann Spruce. The Guitar is...

Had one $6000 transaction decline, then their next card, then their next card... and whilst im doing all this the bank called to say they had been contacted by a US bank to decline the transaction. Less than two minutes it took. That sounds all too familiar and is one reason why I cancelled my merc...

I cancelled my merchant facility because it was becoming too difficult to do international transactions, and as a result it was not being used much at all. The amount of international credit card fraud is now so high that many of the US banks have a blanket stop on all international transactions, an...

Here is one of my latest. Oval hole mandolin with Carpathian Spruce top, Tiger Myrtle back and sides. Neck is Queensland Maple, Blackwood pickguard and bindings, Lancewood tuning knobs and Ebony fingerboard, bridge and headstock overlay. I have used a lot of Myrtle in my mandolins and I like it for ...

I had an old big piece of Huon cut dead on the quarter and was wondering the same thing so I contacted Scott Wise. He has used Huon and has made a lot more guitars than me so I believe him. Answer was that he loves Huon Pine, especially in small bodied guitars. Now the big piece is cut into guitar t...

No wonder you have made it clear you don't want me around here. Not true! Where on this discussion has it been said you are not wanted? Can't we agree to disagree? Isn't that what politics is all about? So we disagree with your politics, so what. What is the big deal? As for the quoted text, that d...

The Bunnings blonde dewaxed shellac should be fine. Bunnings is a bit far for me to go so I don't know if they still stock it. Don't use the orange stuff. I use the dewaxed shellac from LMI and ordinary metho, but if you can get better quality denatured alcohol then use that. You will also need pumi...

Ha ha, I think my point about seeing things from a different perspective has just been proven in spades. Dave, as far as universal health care is concerned none of us here down under have any idea about the fine details of the US health system, nor do we care. However, what we have seen are republic...

From the other side of the world we look at it from a different perspective. What did Obama not do? Answer - he did not start another war. Bush et al started 2 wars, and our pollies in charge at the time got our boys involved and they are still dying on the other side of the world. We don't like it!...

I was sitting quietly watching TV last night when the ad came on. Nearly fell out of the chair! Forgot to say what the woods are. The woods are Carpathian Spruce and European Maple. This is the first mandolin I made using Carpathian Spruce. It turned out so nice that since then I have been using it ...

Thsi is a bit of a blow of the trumpet, but I am so stoked about this I thought I would tell you lot.

Watch out for the ad of Kasey Chambers and Shane Nickelson advertising their latest CD on TV. Take note of the mandolin he is playing. It is one of mine. Woo hoo!

Here it is -

Also, science is not neutral, and neither are scientists. I must disagree with that statement. Science is based on the scientific method which is specifically designed to eliminate bias. In it's most basic form it consists of formulating a hypothesis and then testing that hypothesis. Testing is don...

I have been firmly of the view that nothing much will really happen until it turns into a major major disaster. No amount of scientific evidence will convince those that don't want to be convinced. Those that don't want to be convinced will (and have) invent fictional conspiracies and attribute that...

I wonder if there is also evidence (that could be read as such) of cyclical global warming Well there certainly is evidence for warm periods in the earth's history, but the changes in temperature occurred very slowly. The current warming is very fast, faster than what has ever occurred before. That...

Thanks for that John. The same piece at 9:05 had me sitting up as well. This whole climate change debate has been interesting, and from the video it has obviously been going on in scientific circles for a very long time. Having done a Phd in the distant past, I always tend to look at the evidence an...

Thanks. Still on the right side of six zero, but getting closer. I spent the afternoon cutting up an old garden shed that got blown away and mangled in the strong winds we have been having. So, no celebrations. Was worried a bit more wind and it would be on the neighbour's property causing some seri...

Nice one John, looks beautiful. You should put some pictures and a link to the sound clip on your web page. Is it sold?

Peter

+1 on buying a kit shed. You get standard plans and all the engineering info necessary for the construction certificate included in the price. The council just needs to rubber stamp it because they are all the same. Coupled with that is you get instructions on how to build it. They are not difficult...

What I did was to buy a steel shed frame and clad it with Hebel panels. Hebel is the best building material for sound insulation and has a R rating of 1.5. I can record in the workshop during the day and it is dead silent. The shed is a 4 bay shed, so is roughly 6 x 12m divided into 2 rooms, facing ...