Official Luthiers Forum!

I thought it would be fun today for us to post the super DUHs that we have experienced. (Fun enhanced by numerous persons in OLF that constantly make me chuckle to falling on the floor and beg for mercy.
I'll start with one of many real DUHs I have foisted upon myself-
Before we were blessed with suppliers that have a great assortment of snakewood, especially 'The Snake' a/k/a Brad.
I purchased 3 beautiful fretboards. Gilmer conveyed caveat that wood needed another year of seasoning.--that's cool-
I moved, still haven't completed set-up of my shop, and many items are not put away.
Couple of weeks ago, I came across the cardboard packaging containing the fretboards (I have had wood over a year)wanted to take a look and plan to use one board--you suppliers are already ahead of me and laughing-I know! .The fretboards wrapped in the cardboard delivered a surprise:the boards were stacked on top of each other and snuggly nestled in SHRINK WRAP!!
The Bob Johnson method of drying-e-mail if you want more details about this earth-shaking new method!


Did the boards dry any or do I have to wait for their two year birthday party??

OK,
bob J38963.4059027778

Bob,

I think you might have to wait a bit longer to use them. Do they feel cool? If so, they're probably still wet. BTW, you should sticker them to make sure they dry evenly.

Hopefully, some of our wood guys can offer more definitive advice.

The biggest DUH moment I can think of was thinking that I had bent a side backwards, straightening it then rebending it .....backwards. Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed.

Al

Do you remember my "DANG, DANG AND REDANG!" post???

It was my biggest DUH moment then but when i repeated the same mistake on the jig that Mike Tobey had sent me, Man, i could have hung myself!

Hate to say, ben there...neck block-up-side down, heat, re-glue-up-side down.

This is getting really funny. Cumon guys 'fess up. we all say DUH now and then.

Al

I have one that is hanging in the shop right now that is fully lacquered and everything. I was looking at it the other day and noticed there was no tail wedge on it. Must have been asleep that week.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

It was a long time ago, but it's a painful (literally) memory and those tend to stick with us, don't they?

I was hammering a workbench together and since my thumb was close to the nail, I thought to myself, "watch out that you don't hit that thumb," then BOOM, square on the thumbnail, split it open, bleeding mess. Two weeks later, I go back where I'd left off, same nail, same thumb, but still not fully healed, same reminder, "watch out that you don't hit that......" You know the rest.

Most recently, very carefully transferred the bracing pattern onto my new top. Split the braces, like a good builder should, glued them on......for a lefty.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I didn't do this, but I was there. A young lady where I worked years ago was in the habit of talking regularly with one of the forklift drivers. As he was leaving, he ran over her foot with the solid rubber tire. Somehow nothing was broken, but she was on crutches for about 3-4 weeks. Just after she got off of the crutches, guess what .. same gal, same driver, same foot. Some people just never learn.

Al

To numerious to mention. I'd be typing all day.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

[QUOTE=Hesh1956] That's one way to be defeated....... [/QUOTE]

See Hesh, this is one of the many reasons we need you around. I just blew coffee out my nose!

-Mark
Mark Tripp38964.9333101852

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
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About 6 months ago I was using a chisel on the heel of the neck. Like a
total fool I WAS HOLDING THE NECK IN MY HAND WHILE
CHISELING.....stupid

I stuck the chisel right through my hand, down to the joint on my first
finger. A bloody mess. The hand is still swollen, but works fine!!!!!

I have alot of these!!!!
I have one guitar that has a nice hole in the upper transvere brace for the
truss rod access....but I did it on the BACK brace!!!!!!!!

The guitar I made for my brother in law had the fretmarkers for 15 and
17 at 14 and 16

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

This is not mine, but guitar building related so I will share it.

A friend of mine is about 2 years into a build at my place, he come over now and than and does some other process, than there is a long hiatis.....

Anyway, he has just finished leveling in a very nice center strip on his back and is ready to start the center graft and back braces, but he wants to cut it out to shape. Well, he draws the outline on the outside face of the guitar, cutaway and all and than goes over to the bandsaw and cuts out the shape.......... there were many bleeps.......... than some tears (not really but it makes the story better ) and than I knew what he had done without having to see it. It's a good thing that the joining of the plate was done very well and the EIR book matched perfectly, it will look great when it's done, but no one else will know that there is a nice center strip underneath the center graft ......... er well almost no one.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

ALL RIGHT

keep cookin' people!!!
MORE, MORE, MORE

I've had so many I don't know where to begin. Well, I guess the beginning would be a good place to start.

When it came time for assembly, my first guitar was almost a continous succession of "duh" (or should I say "DOH!") moments. That guitar is a classical, with the one-piece Spanish heel. I so thoroughly botched cutting the side slots that I just cut the neck off the heel and used bolts and cross dowels to reattach it. Just a butt-joint, too. That worked well enough, or so I thought until it was time to measure the guitar for the saddle height. Of course, I wasn't paying close enough attention to nailing the neck angle when I reattached the neck -- using copious amounts of Titebond along with the bolts -- and the result was a guitar with a firmly attached neck with way too much negative angle, and about a 3/4" tall saddle.

Amazingly, the guitar -- while butt-ugly to look at -- came out sounding better than it had any right to. Good thing it did, though, or I might have given up in frustration. But it sounded good enough to keep me going, and get me hooked -- so I could continue to discover many new and different "DOH!" moments.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Come om others. I guess someone was right, few mistakes are made by the forum members!?????

On the foot thing ....

A local , but famous Cdn musician, Greg Godovitz of the band Goddo, kissing the wife goodbye in the drive as she backed out .. over his foot .. he is screaming in pain, she puts it in drive and runs over it again for good measure !!!! They are divorced.

I have glued blocks in upside down .. no worries, just changes postion of the bolts !!!

Built one guitar as few years back, thought the sides were a very close but mismatched pair - hey, for 35 bucks cocobolo - I took it anyway. After the body was together, a friend shows me where the match really is !! One end is at the tail wedge, one is at the neck block ...nice.

Two years ago had to make my first Martin tapered paddle headstock - no probs ... make a template, drill all the tuner holes, make the neck, in fact make two, then drill all the holes in and route the headstock shape. After a couple days of looking at it, notice the E holes seem kind of close - I used my normal 1/2 inch in for the holes, the A and B string would have to bend around the E posts - time to make a new template, and a couple new necks.

A couple of my students have added special fret slots to their guitars, one was a 13 1/2, the other a 14 1/2 fret. For those too lazy to bend the notes up !!!

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

     Years ago, when i first started as a machinist, I was running a lathe, and was getting a long stringy chip off some mild steel. Well I got the stupid idea of wrapping... the... chip... around ... my....hand!

     This stuff is as sharp as a razor blade, then to increase the BPF to excruciation, I decided to break it by pulling on the chip! I'm lucky I still have that hand! Nasty, Naaaaasty cut!

Yessiree! Fredo stupid!

Billy Dean CorleoneBilly T38966.1558449074

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Disappearing inlays. If the inlay isn`t seated ALL THE WAY to the bottom of the channel, it tends to go away for some reason...

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

I feel for the chisel in the hand, Andy, I did similar at college. I was carving a bow tie for a clowns face display and the tutor told me if the chisel slipped, I'd cut myself........

2 minutes later......

a 8mm 1/2 round gouge into the fleshy bit (y'know, opposite the thumb) of my left hand. But hey!! Don't worry, it came out the other side!!!!

2 pieces of Bandaid later......

Good outcome? Well now that I teach Design & Technology I can show the kids the scars (cool little Nike swooshes) to get the message through!!!

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I'm gonna faint, i'm such a wimp!

When checking into the ER after running a nail into my finger with a framing gun, the nurse told me about the guy they'd had in there who nailed his foot to a roof. His buddies cut out the piece he was nailed to and brought him to the ER. He walked in.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Well y'know how you're supposed to leave a knife IN the would til you get to hospital?

there was a case near here where a kid caught a Javelin through his thigh. he wouldn't fit in the ambulance so they cut the ends off the javelin..........

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