Looking good @nsj. 👍 🎸🙂🎶🙏

Today was good, got the fret markers done, then frets in and finally side dots. The new tools are helping a lot, hardly any levelling required after fretting due to getting everything so straight and ...

@jamesbisset I thought epoxy was developed for gluing wood veneer during WW2.

Before I continue with this enthralling build, I’ll just clarify that veneer softener is normally used to flatten veneer that is warping and curling. Once applied, the veneers are wrapped in paper tow...

I decided to try and simplify things by bending and gluing the sides, which only require bending the lamination in one plane - not two. We chose the side with the least curves too: Attachment : IM...

Next day, the other side was a doddle by comparison. Attachment : IMG_8906.JPG Attachment : IMG_8907.JPG

@tv101 yeh alumium tubing off ebay, 6mm with 4mm internal diameter. I also got smaller stuff for the side dots, had to sand a 2.5mm drill bit down to about 2.4mm seeing I could only find imperial but ...

@tv101 oh yeh, pesky neck, who put that there? Didn't think that in the small hours lying in the dark lol

Trying out something different for fret markers and side dots, although I'll need a 3/32 dril bit for the side dots as they're imperial. Just used a 2.5mm to try out. Attachment : 20230213_16225...

Today I got on with the neck carve and headsatock refining and of course the volute. Followed Marks method this time, soooo much easier. I've always used a facet method but one that involved a fair bi...

@swepri oh god yeh, I know exactly what you mean! Lol I find my big stanley no 7 really haleps with that, I find that difficult with smaller planes unless it's a big flat board. Like a guitar top, I...

@nsj I actually can sharpen the blades alright, but my planing technique is so bad I can't make the wood flat... 🤨 Practice makes perfect, I suppose.

@swepri I bought a fairly cheap set of diamond stones off amazon, now I can plane highly figured wood and all sorts with no tear out. I seem to be able to get them really sharp which makes a big diffe...

I have a drum sander to tackle the thickness (and flatness) of fretboards. It takes a few passes but there is no risk for tearout. Then I cut the fret slots. I make the radius using a router bit, usua...

@tv101 6mm carve? Or, 5mm carve and leave a little edge all the way round lol

@tv101 had an idea last night, you could do a shallow carve so there's like 1mm of top around the egde then add binding, that would hide the fact the top was thin!

It should not chip if the blade is sharp enough, but yes, it is always possible and a good solution to mitigate the possibility of tear out 👍 So ideal order: plane to thickness, radius with ...

@koendb I always make the radius before I cut the fret slots as I find using a plane can chip at the slots.

@koendb I must admit, with the new long beam I bought it's a lot quicker and I get really nice results, I think ideally I would plane first then use the beam. Best of both.

@nsj Yes I know you meant flattening, I just wanted to point out that you can also do the radius with a plane. I never get good results with sanding alone and it takes too much time 🙂