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I can't even count the number of times I would have fired me, if I were one of my employees.

I can tell the cabin fever is getting to me. Yesterday, the blade in my razor knife was a little dull and I normally would just pop in a new blade. But, this time I called it a #@%&*$, #&*%!#, dull a##, *#@&*%, and THEN I put in a new blade.

Mine are marked "BUTT OUT" on the obvious end. Makes me chuckle and I always get a left and a right.

I think my biggest act of stupidity involved installing a beautiful Abalone rosette on a nice Sitka top, leveling it, cutting out the soundhole and thicknessing it to perfect deflection and tap tone.

While standing back admiring it and wallowing in my greatness I happened to notice that when I measured for the center of the soundhole from the top I did as I usually do, measuring from the "1" on the ruler but instead of marking at 6.9" for the desired length of 5'9" I of course marked at 5.9.

It still hangs in my shop as a monument to my ineptitude.

Close was another rosette on an Adi top in which I forgot to shellac the channels before running in thin CA.

Both events prompted large indelible warning reminders on the appropriate jigs.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I read this last night and chuckled, thinking back about all the things I do to avoid doing this. I had just installed dots in a board yesterday and I was sure that I had it right. I went to the shop this morning, and checked it out of curiosity. DUMBO!! the 12th fret markers were at the 13th fret. Luckily the fret board is ebony and I had saved the end cut off. Took about an hour to inlay new wood, and put the dots in the right place.

It seems that there's something about the frets that dazzles or distracts. I put the double dot 12th fret side markers in at the 10th fret once. I would like to blame that dufus move on it being the first time I started the fretboard fret marker inlays at the 1st fret instead of the 3rd fret as usual. Unfortunately, the fretboard binding was curly koa, not ebony, so I couldn't correct the mistake without it being visible. I ended up with triple dot side markers at the 12th fret.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I count the frets 4 or 5 times to the 12th fret and mark it with a 1 and a 2 with the 12th fret between the 1 and 2.


Then I count it 5 times more to be sure

After my fretboard screwups I started using a white pencil to mark the fret numbers. Easy insurance.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I tried to make a jig to make it fool proof. With just one or two scale lengths it was OK. Then I added a 3rd and then 17" for ukes and next thing you know it's more confusing than it's worth. I'm back to (re)counting.

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Missing bolt holes? I've done that too many times so I made one of these. It's easier to get them right this way.

So...yeah...


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So it's not just me

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I shouldn't have looked at this thread yesterday.
Marked out and cut a heel for a mortice and tenon joint (Gore style)
I normally mark out using a dual scale template, in this case I was using a 650 mm scale.
Marked out and cut with the 660m scale!!
I was so SURE I used the 650mm one, checked everything (so I thought) several times.
Nearly threw it against the wall when I found out today.
Fortunately, I realised have enough thickness left in the headstock to reduce the neck by 5mm.
I'll go back and do that after my shattered nerves settle.
Just lucky it was too long and I hadn't finalised the headstock thickness.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I'll loan you my axe if you want to fix that the easy way.

Thanks but I managed to drill the holes from the outside.

The walnut one was easier as I had completed the step of drilling the 1/4 holes through the block until just before breaking through, as I'm supposed to. So I just jammed the 1/8 chisel in there for a solid wiggle til it broke through the sides.

The rosewood one shown last, somewhere along the way I decided that the job was over when I drilled the bolt head recess with the forstner in the drill press, skipping three steps along the way.

This is the problem with trying to create new routines, I just tend to fall into OG routines...alas.

Actually, that’s not a mistake. Instead of making a “Manzer Wedge”, you made a “Sound Wedge” — both are official names given by the inventors, Linda Manzer and David Freeman, respectively.


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Unless I'm misunderstanding things, this thread has let me know that the way I've drilled my neck bolt holes the past decade or so (eg after the box is closed) is ... a mistake?

When else do you folks drill them? Once the back or top is on but the box isn't closed? Or is the block pre-drilled before assembly and then you redrill through the sides once the block is glued in? Or something else? I'm curious!

I drill them after the box is closed.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

If you build the box with a solid head block, iow there is nothing drilled into it, then sure do what you like. But if you do them like the pic below the way I do it then you need to find the holes. It's not really difficult or anything but it's certainly easier to drill them out from the inside first before closing the box.

And I presume if you drill them afterwards then you would want some sort of reverse bit to make the countersink holes.

I like drilling the holes after the neck has already been fitted to the body because then the fitted neck determines exactly where the bolt holes go.

I use a reverse spot facer (one of my favorite names for a tool) to countersink the holes on the inside of the block.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I drill the countersink on the block to the correct depth while it’s just a block, and then the 1/4” hole just a hair shy from going through so glue doesn’t get in when adding the blocks to the sides. Then when it’s a rim, I punch the rest of the way through. Well, that’s what I’m supposed to do anyway...

Works great as long as you follow through every step...

Elevate Luther is sells whatever you call the tool that lets you countersink the bolt holes from outside the box. I used mine for the first time the other day and wished I had had this tool all Along.

https://elevatelutherie.com/product/nec ... unterbore/

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Many approaches to the task. The only thing that matters is the result...

We all make mistakes, which sometimes provide us with opportunities to try something a little different. The misplaced soundhole might allow you to change your model and build something closer to what Stefan Sobell builds - guitar with a squashed down upper bout.
The second situation with CA staining might lend itself to a "blackface" treatment. I did that when I messed up a binding rout and did a poor job of patching it up (it became quite the learning experience )
It seems like I always have something laying around the shop in some odd corner gathering dust waiting for " a flash of inspiration".
Someone once described it as learning how to make chicken salad out of chicken s**t.

Makes sense.! Yes, I’ve always used a reverse counterbore/spotfacer from outside the box to get a neat countersunk appearance on the inside.


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If you don't have a spotface bit or don't want to spend the bucks, you can grind cutting edges on the back edge of a spade bit. You can still use the spade bit for it's intended use. I generally don't countersink and hide the furniture connector bolts I use. People know I use a bolt on neck and I think they look O.K.