The Hub

good evening to all. This one showed up on the marketplace. I'm wondering if its too much to chew for me at this time. Is it a very difficult repair? Is it worthwhile pursuing? It's another $25 crash test dummy. Please, don't hold back. I can take it.

@member hipped me to the fact that Steve Gilchirst has some really nice work detailed in his restoration archives. I think you should check it out. BTW he is super busy, so don't wear him out with emails.

Hey all, I have been working with the work station for a few months now. I love it. I found a few little things that have helped me. 1. A mic stand to support the main beam. I bought the Total Vise version and it didn't work as well. 2. Rockler Bench Cookies as rear cross member supports. They have the correct 5/16-18 inserts in them and screw on easily. Now the thread rod has a sort of hi/low setting by just flipping it for acoustic or…

Greetings Wise Elders and fellow seekers of the Looth Group! I hope you're all keeping well. I humbly beseech thee for thine sage wisdom and experience. I purchased a 1971 Hagstrom Swede. This guitar was basically put in a case and then forgotten about for a few decades. I felt sorry for the old man and have taken it in as a stray / project. I would like to get it playing again. There are many scars on this guitar, I have looked for as…

Some of you might enjoy this - a full recent guitar bouzouki build. It's about 35 mins long. Plenty of woodworking tips in there for the eagle eyed. Give it a watch, the tunes are great. Nigel

We just ordered the StewMac buffer. Looking for ideas/photos for a hood(s) to remove all the particles flying off. We have a 4 inch 1250 cfm dust collection system. Thanks for any input. Tom K

I am a retired dentist. One saying we had was, “You can’t fix what you can’t see.” And another was, “The day you start working with magnification will be the best and worst day of your practice.” The worst because you will see what you have been missing, and the best because you will never miss it again. So even though I have my Dan E. Model visor loupes, and my retired dental loupes on throughout the day, sometimes, it’s not enough. I pi…

Hey folks! I picked up a neck relief gauge from Doug in one of the earlier batches, maybe the introductory run? Some of the small feet caps that thread onto the moving legs of the tool have cracked, broken, or become worn down. I contacted StewMac about purchasing replacement parts, but they don't sell subparts for the relief gauge and otherwise won't help me. They appear 3D printed, so I was wondering if anyone with the means to print s…

It’s Factory Friday! I’ll be in the shop today from 2–4 PM Eastern for the weekly open office hours. Drop in, hang out, ask questions, talk tools, guitar building, SMF, or whatever you’re working on in your shop. No agenda. No presentation. Just shop time. Join at www.stringsmicrofactory.com/factoryfriday See you this afternoon! ✌️

Where is everyone getting their shim stock from? Looking to buy blanks in bulk - mainly for electric neck pockets. Thanks!

Here it is. I thought it turned out ok. Hopefully it's a help to someone. ☺️

Dovetail was 9/16” deep, and 1 9/16” wide at the back. 15th fret was 1 mm tail side of the end of the dovetail socket but a slight angulation towards the headstock landed in the right place. Hide glue, released easily. Nice everyday player, finish and binding beautiful, good spruce top, warped poplar neck.

The archived video and recent Council of Elders were very helpful in upping my binding reattachment game. Now I need to correct how much I've been charging! Someone mentioned that Martin pays $90/individual separation, I believe regardless of the length of the separation. Does this include finish repair, if needed? Any other guidelines on pricing for binding reattachment will be appreciated. Thanks! Neil

Hi friends, I was at a colleague's shop this morning. He’s a pretty well-known builder. A customer has asked for names (several… grandchildren, you know) being inlayed in abalone in a fingerboard and he’s feeling out of his depth for this task. I have volunteered to help find a colleague who'd be willing to do it. Anyone interested in doing this? Any recommendations for a talented colleague? Thanks friends.

Trying to see if anyone has tried this device by chance and if so what was your experience with it.

Discussion cards now have a new feature for following posts that you neither posted or are replying to, but still would like to know when there is action on them. You can select to either be notified on through the bell icon in the header, or you can be emailed, or both. Hit the manage account button in the profile header and you can manage the posts you follow. You can even select the frequency of the emails to something less spammy.