Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by keith peterson on July 26, 2010 at 5:17am

I agree with Wes glueing up a lam nect is the bomb because you can mix hard woods and make it your own. I use maple and oak base trim. The oak I get from a local mill all the wood is cut offs, I get it cheap. Laminating is a good way to keep the lumber cost to a min, why build if it cost alot. I would just buy one done if that where the case.

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Permalink Reply by Mister Scott on July 26, 2010 at 5:44am

keith peterson said:

I agree with Wes glueing up a lam nect is the bomb because you can mix hard woods and make it your own. I use maple and oak base trim. The oak I get from a local mill all the wood is cut offs, I get it cheap. Laminating is a good way to keep the lumber cost to a min.

Is cost the obvious benefit for laminating, or are there other ones? Is a laminated neck stronger than a neck made from a large piece of lumber?

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on July 26, 2010 at 6:01am

Well with todays glues, the joint is actually stronger than the wood itself.

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Permalink Reply by YeahDoIt on July 26, 2010 at 11:12pm

I heard a power saw. I tracked the sound down, asked the guy to make some cuts for me and offered a bottle of cold soda pop. The neck got cut in a couple minutes, just what I wanted, and the carpenter thanked me for the root beer.

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Permalink Reply by Scott L on July 27, 2010 at 11:31am

I know what you mean about being limited by tools. I'm in the same boat, live in a condo with no much space to work so I'm working in a corner of the living room and getting sawdust all over the place. I've been using a handheld electric jigsaw and handsaw with miter box and an all purpose file for the finer work. I've used this as an excuse to buy one of those oscillating multi-tools which cut through the cigar box like butter and also does sanding work. I will be using a Dremel for the sound hole work. The miter box is absolutely necessary for the fret slots which I will be putting tooth-picks in for this build, going the cheaper route this time until I get the hang of it.

The main problem I had was getting the slots right for the cigar box, I cut them too low and ended up having to put in spacers to bring them flush with the cigar box properly, which happened because the box I selected has a rounded top and I miscalculated my measurement. Oh well, I'm taking this thing slow and as long as it sounds half way decent when I'm done I don't care if it has a really fine finish.

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Permalink Reply by Mister Scott on July 27, 2010 at 12:06pm

Scott L said:

I know what you mean about being limited by tools. I'm in the same boat, live in a condo with no much space to work so I'm working in a corner of the living room and getting sawdust all over the place. I've been using a handheld electric jigsaw and handsaw with miter box and an all purpose file for the finer work. I've used this as an excuse to buy one of those oscillating multi-tools which cut through the cigar box like butter and also does sanding work.

Good call, Scott. I'll be picking up a Jigsaw myself around the next paycheck, or thereabouts. Which oscillating multi-tool did you end up getting? Any opinions to share with someone who is looking at them as well?

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on July 27, 2010 at 11:38pm

[How this post ended up in the wrong discussion I will never understand. Reposted it here] Here's one poor man's way of getting something like a lid recess cut down. Try cutting parallel groves about 1/8" apart by X deep. Once cut, knock the pieces out with a chisel or screwdriver. Sand or rasp flat.

The tape is to mark where to stop. You could even clamp two pieces on either side as guides. That will make the depth more even. The above is from an instructional manual I did for kits. -WY

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Permalink Reply by Scott L on July 28, 2010 at 2:41pm

Harbor Freight has a multi-tool for about $40 and if you keep your eyes open in Readers Digest and other mags you can find a 20% off coupon. Make sure to use it alot in the first 90 days because the reviews I read some of them will fail rather quickly and as long as you are in that 90 day period and have your receipt you can take it back and get another. I figured that getting a cutter and sander (plus a bunch of other things) in one tool was the way to go on a budget. I also wanted a palm sander but that didn't sound as fun as a multi-tool. The tools for it aren't super cheap but that is to be expected and it comes with some tools.

The base unit comes with 2 different cutting blades a scrapper blade and a sanding tool with 3 sandpapers. The reviews also said that some people really beat the heck out of it and did lots of work with theirs without failures so that's another up side. So far I've done some cutting and sanding with mine, maybe had it on for a half hour total and it's running fine. I did read that you don't want to run it too long at a clip because they heat up and thats what can burn out the motor. Considering that it cost double or more for a name brand unit, I think it''s a good way to go for the kind of work we are doing on CBGs. Maybe if I was going to be cutting tiles with one all day I would shell out for the heavy duty name brand but for the purpose I'm mostly going to be using it for it's fine and be nice to know that I have something to cut the random nail or copper pipe with in a tight space should that sort of need arise.

Scotty C. said:

Scott L said:

I know what you mean about being limited by tools. I'm in the same boat, live in a condo with no much space to work so I'm working in a corner of the living room and getting sawdust all over the place. I've been using a handheld electric jigsaw and handsaw with miter box and an all purpose file for the finer work. I've used this as an excuse to buy one of those oscillating multi-tools which cut through the cigar box like butter and also does sanding work.

Good call, Scott. I'll be picking up a Jigsaw myself around the next paycheck, or thereabouts. Which oscillating multi-tool did you end up getting? Any opinions to share with someone who is looking at them as well?

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Permalink Reply by William McCauley on July 29, 2010 at 4:21am

Be careful with the jigsaw. I have had trouble getting a square cut on mat'l more than 1/4" thick.

Scotty C. said:

Scott L said:

I know what you mean about being limited by tools. I'm in the same boat, live in a condo with no much space to work so I'm working in a corner of the living room and getting sawdust all over the place. I've been using a handheld electric jigsaw and handsaw with miter box and an all purpose file for the finer work. I've used this as an excuse to buy one of those oscillating multi-tools which cut through the cigar box like butter and also does sanding work.

Good call, Scott. I'll be picking up a Jigsaw myself around the next paycheck, or thereabouts. Which oscillating multi-tool did you end up getting? Any opinions to share with someone who is looking at them as well?

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Permalink Reply by Mister Scott on July 29, 2010 at 4:23am

william McCauley said:

Be careful with the jigsaw. I have had trouble getting a square cut on mat'l more than 1/4" thick.

Will do... the one I'm looking at says its max depth of material cut is 2 inches.

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on July 29, 2010 at 4:54am

Just cause it says it can cut up to 2" doesnt mean it will cut it square though. The blades are flexable and can skew the cut if to much forward pressure is applied while cutting. Remember to allow the blade to do the work, dont force it.

Scotty C. said:

william McCauley said:

Be careful with the jigsaw. I have had trouble getting a square cut on mat'l more than 1/4" thick.

Will do... the one I'm looking at says its max depth of material cut is 2 inches.

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Permalink Reply by keith peterson on July 29, 2010 at 7:07am

I think laminating is just as strong . If you use a good wood glue, I use elmers wood glue, have for years, you can make the neck to the thickness you want and use different woods, I am using maple and oak on my next build, I just like to be different. I have a bench top table saw and a laminate router that I use for most of the work. I also have all the other tools a wood shop would have. Have fun with it, you are the one playing it. A dremmel is nice also if you have limited space.

Scotty C. said:

keith peterson said:

I agree with Wes glueing up a lam nect is the bomb because you can mix hard woods and make it your own. I use maple and oak base trim. The oak I get from a local mill all the wood is cut offs, I get it cheap. Laminating is a good way to keep the lumber cost to a min.

Is cost the obvious benefit for laminating, or are there other ones? Is a laminated neck stronger than a neck made from a large piece of lumber?

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