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One last woodworking job - my geometry was off a bit so I need to make a wedge to fit under the fretboard extension. My daughter uses double stick tape on a piece of plexiglass and then attacks it with her belt sander, but I found a method on one of the forums that appears to give better control for an amateur.

1) You can see the gap

2) measure the gap at .115

3) made a jig that has a spacer 2X as tall as the gap and 2X as far from the far edge as the length of the wedge. In this case, the wedge is 5" long and the spacer is 10" away from the far edge. Stuck the wedge blank and the space down with carpet tape. I also subtracted .020 from the gap to allow for a little fall-off on the extension. so the spacer was .115 less .020 equals .095, then times 2 equals .190

Now to make the wedge

1) I use a plane long enough to span between the space and the edge - this is my 1947 Stanley #7 at 22" long. It is the only year that the wood was black and it is usually all beat up and minus the paint. This Black Beauty is so much fun to use

2) Planing is a go/no-go affair, can't make a mistake. A minute later, the wedge is almost done

1) Fits pretty good right off the jig. There is the .020 gap I was going for - actually .019. Needs a little width trim.

2) When it is glued down it will look fine

1) I did 4 wipe on coats of Tru-Oil, then a 400 grit wet sanding, another 4 and another 400 grit sanding, then 2 more and wet sanding with 1200, 4000, 6000, and 8000 sanding screens, then a couple of different polishes

2) Not a mirror finish, but just what I am after

3) A couple of applications of Mineral Oil on the fretboard

1) Here is my label - "Ash from Big Bend Mountain, Talcott, WV", with a picture of the tunnel that John Henry worked in

2) Titebond and fish glues work well for gluing down a label. Knox Gelatin does a great job. But it is the perfect use for outdated Old Brown Glue

3) Just need to complete the headstock and install the fretboard wedge and I am done - can't wait to string it up

Pretty sweet Ed

I picked out a National Resonator headstock shape. Here are a couple of the ways they treated it:

1) just s simple white binding to match the fretboard

2) a beautiful ivoroid version with an inked impression - I have looked into this and the tooling for the impression is very expensive for one instrument. I love this one

3) Here is tortoise that would match my binding.

I picked one I will show you in a minute

I have decided to have a decal made of very very thin vinyl.

1) Flip the head face-down and make a very accurate tracing of the shape

2) Now my sign guy enters the tracing into the computer, and makes a strip around the outside that is 1/16" wide and 1/16" in from the edge - that's it on the left. On the right is the actual logo with my changes

3) With the outside stripe installed - very crisp

Here is how they are installed;

1) Now for the logo - tape it in the right location, including a piece of tape right across the middle dividing into top and bottom

2) Lift the bottom half to the tape and cut off the backing exposing the adhesive side, then stick that half down

3) Now lift the top half, remove the backing, and stick the top half down

1) I use a squeegee to press the material down for a good bond. Then I peel off the face that has a very light adhesive on it that holds all the parts in position. Last is a couple coats of finish to help hold it in place

2) I left the center out of 2 of the letters to mimic the original. How did I do?