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1) Now for some fun. I got a sheet of .040" Ivoroid and I am cutting my head plate out of it. First I make a rectangle and trace the back of it from the wood part of the head. I am marking the left side (lower in the picture) for a practice run as only the right side has to match what's below

2) The material cuts on the bandsaw and scrapes beautifully, and between scraping and sanding I get that right side to match, then drill holes, then cut the left side.

3) Slowly sneak up on the fit to get it just right

1) Final step is to bevel the edge with a scraper and polish a bit

2) And there she is. I install the nut with 2 small spots of Tightbond , then polish it with a fingernail buffer

1) Love how the strings travel straight up the board, over the nut, and up to the machines. I'll let it sit a day or two to let the neck adjust a little, then do a set-up

2) The Redwood and Maple look great together. Hope it sound 1/2 as good as it looks

1) I let it sit for 2 days so the neck could settle a bit, so now for a set up. First the relief. With a capo on #1 and my finger on #13 or so, it has .004 on the e side and .005 on the E side - I will leave it

2) The nut is next. Just for a data point, I put a capo on #3 and measure the space at #1. It is about .008. I have gone for .003 in the past, but I am going to try a new approach

3) With a string lifter - great purchase by the way - I move the strings out of their slots for filing

1) Using the graduated nut files I deepen the slots

2) I put a lamp behind the nut and when I push on #3 I can see the space between the G string and the fret at #1. Very easy to see when it gets to bare minimum. My daughter has a good ear and taps the string over #1 and listens for a "ping" that tells her the space is right, but my ears aren't that good anymore

3) Still have to trim the top, but I will wait for the next string change to do it. Looks like my best nut yet - can't wait to try it out

1) Now for saddle. I measure the action above the 12th fret to the bottom of the string. I got 7/64 at both the e and the E

2) Some simple math and I know how much to remove from the saddle twice as far from the nut as the 12th fret. I use a piece of velcro tape to capture the strings so they don't go cattywampus

3) I make a mark down from the top at each end at my calculated number, then connect the dots with my internet printed 16" radius gauge made of plexiglass

1) I do a rough rounding of the top on the belt sander, then use one of those little grooves in the top of a razor knife blade as a scraper to make it perfect

2) Put it all together and I think it is the best set-up I have ever done. After playing for a day or two I will do some beauty shots. Love the look of this instrument.

So it's done. I measure the success of my woodworking projects by how much I laugh while I'm doing them. Guitars make me laugh more than anything except for perhaps boats. This guitar made me laugh a lot.

A lot of you have looked during this last year, but not many have had anything to say. Please let me know if you enjoyed this, and if there is something I am doing that is really dumb or pure genius

Lookin' good, Ed. Your detailing is to be envied.

Carl

here's the end for my #9 - I will post a sound clip when I get one. The guitar is now 2 days old and, as with most, the sound is still settling. So I took some beauty shots with my point-and-shoot:

1) Martin 00 twelve fret body with a Stauffer neck. Martin did 2 releases about 16 and 22 years ago of tributes to it's early guitars and they used this body

2) Rather than the conventional tuners that are morticed into the back or front of the head and have buttons on the side, I chose to copy those that used banjo-type tuners

3) A forum member gave me a tracing of a 1934 OO-28 complete with scalloped bracing schedule. I figured since the original had a Red Spruce top and this one is Redwood and they both have Red in the name, that I would use the same bracing schedule. The Redwood came from the living room wall of a friend's 1954 ranch house that she redecorated, so it was cut at least 66 years ago. Thanks John for the tracing, Lauren for the Redwood, and Fred for selecting a lovely piece for me.

1) Nicely figured Maple back

2) I did not feel comfortable trying the original ice-cream-cone heel so I compromised and got this

3) The neck is Mahogany with black dye under the finish