Stewmac vs local hardware store.

[difalkner]

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

EDIT: I just saw the video posted by Difalkner, and I might set up a rig like that instead of buying the stew mac aluminum beams. Thanks!

Hey HV - As I said, it was a fun little project that cost virtually nothing but part of a Saturday in the shop. I made two blocks, a 14" and an 18", and used those to get a conical (or compound) radius on my first build, soon to be completed.

You'll note that I had to keep tension on the adjustment for moving the router. If you build one of these you might want to add a spring to hold pressure on the adjustment. I plan to modify mine when I need to use it again so that won't be a problem (not that it's a big deal, no more than I'll use this).

David

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

Stew Mac used to be a great company to buy from. Their prices on hardware and pickups were great, and their specialty tools were priced reasonably. At some point they became a publicly traded company, and it became clear that their agenda was to take as much money from the pockets of their customers as they possibly can.

Stewmac isn't publicly traded. Where did you get that information?

[Hot Vibrato]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

Stewmac isn't publicly traded. Where did you get that information?

I could have sworn I saw them listed in the stock exchange, but that isn't my world, and the internet yielded no evidence to corroborate my assertion that they are publicly traded. Bloomberg has them listed as a private company.

I guess that's how rumors get started. I edited my post so that I am no longer spreading misinformation. Carry on...

[Truckjohn]

Originally Posted by Rmz76

Watched a video on fret filing and crowning at Stewmac and they provide a list of products they sell to assist with the process

Does you really need to buy a radius block or will a normal sanding block do the job good enough?
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools..._Set_of_5.html

Super handy for dressing a fretboard prior to fretting. I put these on the "must have" list if you want to avoid hours of leveling and recrowning frets.

Do you really need the $80 Stew mac files?
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools...ing_Files.html

or will a simple set of generic $7 files do the trick?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Fil...3HDN/203243960

A regular fine cut triangle file works great. These have safe edges so they don't eat up the fretboard quite so bad if you miss. I use regular triangle files, though.

The fingerboard guard's seem well worth the price, but oddly enough they are the one product here that seems reasonably priced
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools...rd_Guards.html

nope.. Nowhere close to mandatory. Masking tape works very well here. Regular old blue painters tape with a layer of thick clear box tape on top.

Thanks

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

I could have sworn I saw them listed in the stock exchange, but that isn't my world, and the internet yielded no evidence to corroborate my assertion that they are publicly traded. Bloomberg has them listed as a private company.

I guess that's how rumors get started. I edited my post so that I am no longer spreading misinformation. Carry on...

They're such a tiny business it would be extremely surprising they'd get themselves listed to raise a bunch of money via an IPO.

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Truckjohn

nope.. Nowhere close to mandatory. Masking tape works very well here. Regular old blue painters tape with a layer of thick clear box tape on top.

It's great if you do a lot of repair work. When I first started doing repair work, I got a '63 Strat that needed the frets recrowned. Put blue tape between a few frets, proceeded down the neck, and as I pulled tape off, along went some of the finish off the edge of the neck! I had to touch this up, and finish recrowning the frets, and the guy's coming in about 3 hours! Well, I was able to touch up the missing chips, and get the recrowning finished, making something similar with thin brass stock. For new work, and nothing with vintage lacquer crazing all over, no problem...

[Brucebubs]

Stewmac

Hardware

[JonWint]

Bolt = guitar nut?

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by JonWint

Bolt = guitar nut?

Eye hook + wing nut = locking tuners?!

[Steve Christens]

I thought this comment from John Hall at Blues Creek Guitars about cheap nut files was interesting:

"A good tool is an investment, a cheap tool is just an added cost."


https://youtu.be/haHODPWnlng