Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Hi, at the risk of becoming boring another Jig post... After 15 years of feeding bent sides out of my side bender with some difficulty, LMI came out with their new side bender that was only supported on the backside. Dah! That makes so much sense. So I made the modifications shown, and it’s just as ...

Hi, interesting build, thanks for sharing the process and thinking behind it.
Taff

Hi, Very nice build, it's great when the customer likes the guitar better than you do.
Cheers Taff

Hi, over the years I have built many instrument cases, starting back in 1964 when I made a dreadnought size-shaped case for the very nice Levin acoustic I had at that time. The case was made to get that guitar from the UK to Australia in one piece…it did that. It also traveled [with the guitar] on t...

Hi, yes I was thinking the same thing, I haven’t opened one of those emails for a month. I wait till I need something. Back in the day I remember I used to enjoy getting their paper catalog in the mail.
Taff

Hi again Bob, just posted the hole borer over on the Jigs and Fixtures section, enjoy.
Taff

Hi, I had not planned to post another jig post so soon, but after a question from Bob H, regarding my neck fitting method I said I would show how I do it. As with many of the machines and jigs I come up with they possibly seem like overkill to some. However, they work for me and make my time in the ...

Hi Bob, I was always a bit concerned about disclosing this method many years ago as it was not the done thing, but then I saw Taylor Guitars was doing it so I felt better then.

I'll have to show my dedicated drilling machine for doing the neck holes.
Cheers Taff

Hi all, thanks for your comments guy's much appreciated. Bob, the finish if I remember correctly was a waterborne lacquer, I was trying different finishes at that time so not sure what brand. Here is a photo of a neck I'm working on at the moment, I use flatpack furniture bolts and insert nuts. I dr...

The Cockatoo. This is a 000-style guitar and is named after an old gold mine in my area. It has 14 frets to the body with a spruce top and New Guinee Rosewood back, sides, and neck. The story. Whilst building this guitar I decided that as the name was going to be the cockatoo I would put a feather a...

Hi, wow a fantastic-looking guitar, I love the detail. Certainly an eye-catcher that one.
Taff

Hi Nigel, yes that’s the bandsaw method I have been using for kerfing. I had a fret slotting circular saw that was buckled and gave a too wide slot, too wide for frets so I designed a kerfing saw using the same principles, but never got to finish it off.
Taff

Hi, I thought I would post 3 simple shop-built jigs this time, I hope you find them interesting. #3 speeded up the time and the ease of cutting frets to size prior to fitting. #4 repurposes an old belt sander for putting a radius on my bridge bases. #5 is the way I glue up my fingerboards. Shop made...

Thanks, Martin and Asgilbert, so long as somebody finds it interesting. I enjoy seeing other people's solutions and achievements at different tasks.
Taff

Hi, it’s jobs like this that keep the old grey cells working. A customer complained of something banging around inside his flamenco guitar. It turned out to be the tail block, it had somehow come completely detached from the sides. 1.JPG 2.JPG Getting it out was easy getting it back took some workin...

Hi, great looking pair of guitars, very tastefully executed.
Taff.

Hi Trent, what a beautiful guitar I love the detail and clean lines, it all comes together very well.
Cheers Taff

Hi again, just came across this in one of my files... I used to get the brass blocks from Gilet in Sydney.
Cheers Taff

Hi, here is another small but handy jig, I think the photos will tell the story. I came up with this when I bought a batch of bridge pins that were not slotted. Many times though I would slot the pin holes in the bridge. 1-IMG_0309.JPG 2-IMG_0302.JPG 3-IMG_0303.JPG 4-IMG_0301.JPG 5-IMG_0307.JPG 6-IM...

Hi, it's all been said and I agree. I love the figure on the back, if that's hard shellac, I'm sold on it.
Taff

Hahaha, Martin where do you get these great ideas? Anyway, I could not stand the noise of a diesel idling away in the backyard.

Hi, I’m even lazier, I use a window too… but it’s still in the wall at the back of the bench. I can only shoot my boards in the daylight.
Taff

Hi, Hi, I used to make my own rods back in the day and still do if I need a custom size. Basic description: They are only one-way acting and consist of a 3/16/steel rod bent in half and taped as shown with aluminum tape One end stops at the brass block while the other goes through the block and is t...

Hi I thought I would post some of the tools, jigs, aids, and machines I have come up with over the years. It occurred to me that there must be many hundreds of members and others out there who visit this forum in search of ideas and inspiration. I came to this assumption when noticing that regular c...

Hi, that's a nifty-looking setup, how is fret spacing arrived at? I suppose you could make kerfing on that too.
Taff