Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Thanks for showing your projects Bob. I like them all, nice flowing grain patterns, that real busy stuff on some guitars does not alaways grab me. I like the soundhole rosettes too, I use a style similar at times.

Hi Jim The mandolin looks cool, I have not heard it yet, my computer seems to play music in fits and starts so I don't bother much with listening to sound clips. When I built instruments in Alice Springs [dry as] I was always worried about the ones I sent to Darwin, but never had any complaints, I p...

Hey Mark Glad you got it sorted, thanks for advising of the outcome. I still have two of my early guitars, and I remember I overbaced and overbuilt every thing for a good few years. My most recent Rosewood body guitar compaired to the 1980 Rosewood model feels like half the weight when both are held...

Hi Jon and welcome. Thats a nice cosy work space to work in and an impressive well sorted wood rack. Thanks for showing it. I find that if Ive got space enough for something, then somethings gotta fill it. I can't walk around my shop without smashing my mobile phone on something as it hangs off my b...

Heres one of my uses of my drill press, Wish I had a flash one like yours. I have a thicknesser/jointer and a thickness sander but for fine stuff I like this setup. Here it is thicknessing material for bindings. http://www.anzlf.com/phpBB2/userpix/101_DSCN0431_Small_1.jpg http://www.anzlf.com/phpBB2...

Just had a thought, does the forum hold a party at the end of the year, if so who's place is it at.

Hi Lillian Iv'e got the Stumac digital and an old anolog version. The other week it was so dry it stopped displaying, just a row of dashes. I got a bucket of water and a fan blowing across it and found that when the MC of the room got to 15% [according to the digital device] it started recording aga...

Hi Allen I expected a friendly comment or two but thought I'd post it anyway, I've got broad shoulders. I dont think HD made the knife [Schrade, Brown Bear] but HD did put their name on it and the price went up 4 fold. Oh 'Mojo's' done over 80,000k pulls like a train and never had mechanical work do...

No brainer beveller I had cut these strips of spruce as reinforcing for the sides of a couple of guitars and wanted to bevel the edges quickly. They were a bit too small to use a plane so I came up with this idea. I grabbed this knife I keep around the workshop, it no longer locks open so is a bit u...

Hi I could not find it in Aussie either, like most things, tried for long time in the end Stumac to the rescue. I did not realise how big the guitar building community was in aussie until I come across the forum, and I only come accross the forum by accident cos I never looked at Australia I always ...

Hi Dave Welcome to the Forum I agree with some of the above, you do not have to have the nice new machinery shown in some workshops to be able to build nice guitars. As I have proberbly mentioned before on the forum most of the machines I started out with were home built, some a bit scary, from idea...

Hi Liam Sorry I missed your query, I might not have responded earlier as I am not up with whats what in Aussie timbers. I have not had the time to experiment. When getting an order for a guitar I use what I read about as I know the qualities and expected tone of traditional timbers. I have, most tim...

I do as per Kims post, and also sand on the angle and finish up straight. I get close to the sanding stage with my thicknesser. I'm in no rush most of the time so I use many shallow passes on both machines.

Welcome to the fold Thommo, great first effort looks like nice clean work, a joy to play I'm sure. I don't think I'd be game to show my first guitar on the forum. Althought built in 76-77 I still enjoy playing it. You are right about the information thats out there, it can be confusing there are so ...

Thanks for the update, I can wait also. No rush.

Hey Dom
Thats one busy piece of tone wood, gonna be great to see it come together. My latest two/three guitars, two with three piece backs, recently started look boring in comparison.

Hi There, I'd be looking at the top like Allen suggested, has a brace in the top let go? Matons are one easy guitar to pop a top or back brace on as they are not checked into the lining. This will make it easier for top movement due to environment changes. Changes in the rod adjustment are best done...

Hi Allen
When I ride I like the kind of chaps I can ride with and then stand around getting drunk with.

Hi Yesterday I spent an half hour typing a contribution to this thread and some how lost it...again. Heres a shorter version. I like to buy wholesale, I can do that shopping in Aussie, 30 or more years ago I could even buy tonewood from Lamberti in Melbourne at wholesale prices, not any more. I've h...

Hi Allen I have a stack of old necks from other guitars that I or the customer would refer to. In Alans case with 'Dawn', he suggested a Maton style neck [ by Email] so I reached for my Maton 'Southern Star' neck and took it from there. I do not have many standards of anything in my shop, but I'm wo...

Wow. I do like that guitar a real class act.

Hi James
Might be the time to experiment with side ports.......well, not much experimenting needed as you have only one choice of position I'm thinking.

Well all,
it's good see I'm not the only one with storage problems

Sabastiaan....
The guy was from the education department, say no more. He also said there were a lot more where these come from.

I suspect that Cello stands are not as common as guitar stands

Hi Jake I always used to hate doing this job. Heres one of the ways I used to do it years ago. Makita trimmer white base is standard size, blue base shows how I modified it so theres very little of the table on top of the guitar, so there it little interferance from the radius of the top or back pla...

Hi Hesh It all looks fantastic and inspriational, let the good times roll. Surley you have some crap to stash in all those open spaces. I've never had a purpose built bench, I just counted mine through out my 3 rooms I've got nine benches and every one is converted out of something else. Very well t...