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Epoxy (most types) goes soft with heat, and so does CA. PVA too, and TItebond. Hot hide glue sticks to glass, but I don't know how well it sticks to metal. It's pretty resistant to dry heat (add some moisture and the joint is reversible). I think I'd try some kind of automotive adhesive like...

Now the body's attached that pointy headstock doesn't look excessive.Can't see from the picture whether you might want to reduce it a little, but not much for sure. BTW, great guitar for a bar fight :)

The description of the fruits suggested bullace (wild plum) to me.

For some reason I thought this beam had bricks on top of it, so there would only be one show face. Looking back that might not be so. But if the top surface is visible, I suspect that cutting a beam to shape and laminating a slice on the front face (and back if necessary) would still look better...

Ermmm ... wouldn't it be easier to cut your curves in the solid (using the cheapest hardwood which would fit the bill, and whatever grain orientation was least wasteful) and then laminate a 4mm slice of your show wood on the front? On a radius that large I'd expect a 4mm slice to bend quite...

I think the proper kalimba (thumb piano) has to be made from scrounged scrap. And it's part of a full band sound - this is great, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jl4IOSLX-o

OK, I've levelled the frets. Exactly the same process as shown by Woodmonkey in his own thread (flying-v-bass-build-luthiers-look-away-now-t112357.html) so I won't run through all that again. For those who want the highlights: 1. Bevel the ends of the frets. 2. Mark the tops and then with a...

I reckon you've overtaken me. And my finishing will take a couple of weeks, so unless your electrics go wrong you'll be done first. Nice job on the fretting, not sure why you were apprehensive!

All the frets are now on: A pretty good test is to squint along the fretboard - if they look pretty-well lined up, you're good to move on to the next stage.

There are some builders who don't play a note, so it's possible! I think they begin by working from plans, and then adjust their builds based on customer feedback until they become good. They probably couldn't start off with a general idea like I do and then make it up as they go. Just as an...

The process is really simple: 1. Smear of glue on the tang. 2. Insert in slot and tap down one end. 3. Tap down the other end. 4. Tap ends to middle until the fret is flush to the board. 5. Wipe off glue (and clean up properly later with a warm, damp cloth). Once your fret is in, snip off...

Time to fret ... Before anything else it's important to have a level fretboard surface. Adjust the truss rod (if you have one) until the board is level and then true it up. There are complications if you have no truss rod but still want some relief in the board (relief is a very tiny dip in...

Thanks Paul, most kind! And a PS for Woodmonkey - dig out an offcut from your fretboard if you have one. It's really helpful to have a trial run on scrap if you can because each board is a little different - some might tend to chip, others are so hard it's like fretting iron, etc. At the least...

Fretting is easier than you'd expect - I'll try to explain the process in enough detail so you can follow it or adapt it to suit your own build.

Carving the neck shaft is the easiest part. For the profile I like I simply divide the neck into thirds, across its width and depth, and then remove the outer section using drawknife and rasp. Any tool you are comfortable with - spokeshave, chisel, pocket knife, works. Then knock off the...

The first step in carving is the heel. My primary tool is a half-round rasp, and I begin from the corner where the heel meets the guitar top and sweep round the curve. I do the same from the other side until the two meet at the centre line I've drawn at the front of the heel. Then I mark out...

Progress in dribs and drabs, so I've moved forward quite a way. All about the neck. First I had to decide what kind of neck joint to use. A tapered dovetail is traditional, but I've only done that once before and adjusting the neck angle is quite tricky. I also considered a Panormo style joint...

It does look a bit pointy! But I'd want to see it attached to the body to express a firm opinion. Maybe it needs that extra length to work. I've seen quite few guitars which to me looked unbalanced because the headstock was too stubby.

That's encouraging ... up to a point. If normal humidity does return its shape, it will move again when it's dry (I guess in Scotland this could be a few years off :) ). There's nothing you can do to stop this, short of dipping the whole thing in plastic, and even that might not work. Your...

I make ukuleles, so anything shorter than 3mm is unlikely to be useful :) But the burning of larger pieces is alarming (2 bits of vertical grain hardwood, 300 x 100 x 50 = a whole ukulele). What we need is a network of pubs with sheds. Then I could pop in, collect some wood, and leave a drink...