Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Would have gotten back to you faster, but it took the longest time to scrape the egg off my face. I am suitably chastized. Thanks for your input. This stringed instrument building thing is a journey for me. If it were easy or perfectly straight forward it would be much less fulfilling. Sometimes the...

Thanks Jeff, I was just at the Ukulele Underground site where Kathy M. posted her Kasha compensation question a year or so ago. She was told the middle of the saddle is where to measure to when figuring for compensation using the Stumac numbers. It's good to get this esoteric info out there. Stumac ...

Thanks Michael. Thanks Allen. I will follow your advice. Appreciate you taking the time to respond. It occurred to me a person could have two or three slightly different drop-in saddles to accommodate different strings or playing styles. Wonder if this is done? I, however, will drink a beer and not ...

Allen & Kiwigeo, Stumac says to use a non-compensated bridge at 20.118 inches. Given Kathy's being unsure about the placement of her bridge on her Kasha Barirone Uke I am unsure also if the Stumac number is right. I only want to do this bridge placement once. Sorry to trouble you, but color me uncer...

Hi folks, I am now almost finished with a Baritone Uke with a parlor guitar body and a 20 inch scale length. I have read a lot of forum posts and have yet to come up with the rule of thumb for compensation on a Baritone uke bridge. Yea, some posts on Soprano and other ukes, and even Kasha ukes, but ...

Thank you all for your input. I will go with the Allied rod. It looks like a hum dinger. After posting my question in this post I read it again and lo and behold I saw my answer. With whatever rod length I use I now see I can rout out the channel from whereever it needs to begin at the upper part of...

Thanks for the heads up. I can use Another source for the rod. Cactus

Howdy folks, I am deciding on the length of truss rod for my size 5 with a 14 fret to body neck. The scale length is 22.75". From nut to body is 12.616". My head block is 1.5" deep. This means a distance of 14.116" from nut thru the head block. I spoke to the Stu Mac techie and he said I could begin...

Just an update for those of you who generously answered me. I just took the first pao ferro side out of my bender. It is stained, as expected no big deal, but the shape of the side is WONDERFULLY, UNIFORMLY, fitting into the outside mold. I hesitate to use the word "perfect" for anything I do, but I...

Thanks Kim, for the specific pao ferro info, but also the safety heads up. I did notice a slight skin tickle while hand sanding the sides. I will keep contact to a minimum. OY OY OY Cactus

jeffhigh Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes Cactus at some stage you will be required to provide sexual services to the moderators and site owner. This requirement is only applicable to non ANZ residents...

OK, here's what's up. I just resawed and put more scrap through the planer to get it to .085" with no sanding. I bent the first piece and it went well. I put the thermometer between the heating blanket and the wood. My thermometer only goes to 220 degrees F (little over 100C). The temp reached 220 i...

This post actually has nothing to do with sex. Anything goes, right? Well, I want to ask how the ANZLF is supported. I know the staff must not get paid. I know the Forum software costs money, as do computers, servers, etc. Is there a sugar daddy (I guess this is the sex part) taking care of it all? ...

Wow, the cavalry did come to the rescue. Thank you who responded. My plan today is go out to the shop and bend a couple of more pieces of scrap, just to make me feel good again. While doing that I will use the thermometer, which only goes up to 100 degrees C, and ascertain if enough heat is there. I...

PICTURES BELOW Hi Folks, I did so well with my rosettes I thought I was on a roll and decided to take on side bending. I began using a lightbulb bending form made with an open top and 3/4" pipes. The scrap hardwood I used was easy to bend and I got good results except for some flats on the outsides ...

Thanks Allen, Nick and Hesh. Nick, Do you use shellac/sanding sealer for the inside? Hesh, What color stain do you use for mahogany? I have heard walnut gives a good result. I have never worked with mahogany, at least not to stain. Hesh, do you ever stick a toothpick in the soundboard to see if it i...

Thanks Hesh, This really helps. Taking it all down to 120 seems like a reasonable thing to me. I can do that. I guess I am wondering when, if ever, and on what types of wood you would raise the grain with water before sanding. I do this when I want to keep the finish from raising the grain so much. ...

Hi all, My sides and top and back are sanded to 80 grit. I am going to bend sides in a couple of days. When I make furniture, from maple for instance, I like to raise the grain with water three times or so, sand to 220 before assembly, wax around joints to make cleanup easier, glue up, clean up glue...

Thanks Allen, I am climbing this mountain voluntarily. I hope to gain some insights as I climb. I am perfectly willing to pay any dues necessary to get where I want to go, but asking questions of you experienced builders hopefully will keep me from straying too far off the path, getting lost, hungry...

This seems like a very useful piece of the guitar puzzle. In my case I am building a terz. I should want to boost the bass, but not at the expense of the treble. I have read of some people sculpting the braces differently on one side, some use different material bridge pins on treble and bass sides....

Hesh, I think I get the concept now. What I don't get is does the proper break angle give less stress to the string, or is there some acoustic advantage? Thanks Cactus

Bob, Hesh, These tips are invaluable. Thanks Cactus

Thanks Kim for your reply. This makes perfect sense, now that you've explained it. At this very early stage in my learning my mind goes more to the practical, and less the aestetic. I should try to balance it out more.
Cactus

I was just reading over Ron Wisdom's excellent tutorial on his "Manly Denton Guitar Build." I notice he says "the bridge is tapered from bass to treble to allow for string thickness". I guess I understand the concept of wanting the strings be a certain distance from the fretboard. I have seen many o...

Bob, are you saying you use the rounded nose of the belt sander to get the radius of the curve in the end of the braces? And this makes it pretty and uniform? If so, I get it. I am carving braces soon myself. Thanks Bob, Cactus