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I use both a dual-action trussrod and a modest amount of carbon (1/8" by 3/8" bars) on all instruments larger than a mandolin, and I feel it's good insurance on those or on something like a quilted...

Looks great! Adrian was also a huge help for me when I started modeling plates. One thing that I find helpful is to leave a flat ledge around the perimeter, for registering the router guide for...

I make fretboards for a number of other builders, and it would take a very long time to pay for my CNC doing only that. A table saw is faster for slotting only, but the CNC is great for cutting the...

Yes, if you're using Cardinal lacquer, definitely do not use shellac as the sealer. It might work, until it doesn't :). I use a thin coat of Seagrave vinyl sealer, which works great under Seagrave or...

By the way, I've used the Axiom thumbwheels on hundreds of bridges and I've never heard of one failing. The issue with the saddle tipping is usually because the holes in the saddle are too large,...

I have hundreds of these bushings, if you haven't already found one.

I haven't had great results brushing Epifanes except on small parts-- it starts to stiffen up pretty fast and it's difficult to get brush marks out. It sprays beautifully, though. Brushing is...

For a wider range of styles you can also look at The Mandolin Project by Graham McDonald. Making an Archtop Guitar by Bob Benedetto is also a really good resource because there's so much overlap...

For anyone interested in calculating the relationship between all of the geometric variables and forces discussed here, my (now very old) neck geometry calculator is still online.

I was deeply saddened to hear that Ginny Hollon passed away yesterday. As many of you know, she was the publisher of Mandolin Magazine, and she was active in the music community here in Oregon. She...

My suggestion regarding GAL is to get all of the Big Red Books and read them cover to cover :).

I use vacuum hold-downs for lots of parts on my CNC, and it works great for that. I've never used it for glue-ups, though I can certainly see how it would be useful in a production environment for...

Right, there are a lot of neck fixes that can be done without resetting the neck, and fixing/replacing the trussrod, adding some carbon fiber, etc. are much easier to do. I make my fretboards a...

It can be done but it's rarely done, because they almost never need resetting and the joint isn't really designed for removal (typically the dovetail has less taper than a Martin joint, so it's...

If you have access to spray equipment, spraying a few sealer coats of shellac is the way to go.

For those who didn’t know GD, this beautiful little video sums up his character and outlook nicely: https://youtu.be/DGheG_8YrWY

I was saddened to hear this morning of the passing of GD Armstrong. He was a fixture in the Oregon luthiery community and you'd never find a more pleasant human. The first time I met him I had the...

I don't use quilted maple for necks, but for backs it can be great-- just be sure to carve it substantially thicker than you would other maples.

Yep, much easier than curly maple!

I've had a Performax 16-32 for about 15 years, and it's great for mandolins. It works fine for guitars too because it's open-ended, though ideally you might want something a bit larger for guitars. I...

My main workbench is 48" high. That would be too high for much heavy work, but most of what I do is detail stuff and my back and my poor eyes both thank me for having my work as close as possible.

I didn't realize Dremel made that blower collet. Another think you can do is wrap a small piece of tape around either the collet or the shank of the end mill so that there's a short flap of tape left...

I'm not sure about using two 1/8" bar-- in theory it seems like it would be okay, though it would depend on the strength of the bond between them. It might be worth spending a few $$ on a 1/4" bar...

But, the tool that is really the bee's knees is this chamfer tool:

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-tuner-installation/no-chip-tuner-hole-countersink/
...

As long as they're sharp I think the straight flutes are fine. I use the straight S-M reamers for all my tuners, endpin holes, bridge pin holes, etc., and they cut well. I suppose for something...