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I'd speculate that your Roman wood shop owner would have all the rough planing done by slaves (and maybe the fine planing done by skilled slaves). I believe slave labour was pretty cheap (in terms of the Roman economy), so the economic incentive for greater efficiency might not be there. You had...

I'm not sure this is correct. I have a toothed blade for my Veritas apron block plane, and that works pretty well for small areas of squirrelly grain. However, if set too deep it can catch and tear the wood. The near-vertical blades don't run that risk. BTW, my bench doesn't flex! But a 2mm...

I think there is a particular problem with musical instrument making. If you've taken your wood to 2mm thick and are now doing the final thicknessing down to 1.8mm, then even a little tearout can spoil all the work so far! Plus the plate will inevitably flex a little as you plane (though I know...

I suggest you go to banjohangout and read what the banjo players believe about pot construction. 10% reality and 90% myth, but it's the myth that they buy. I believe they want 3 ply maple and pretty thick, not sure you'd easily sell anything else. But do check it out, don't rely on my memory.

I'd use a Japanese style pull saw. I could cut the length of a table in about the time it would take to plug in and adjust my handheld circular saw, and these pullsaws leave a very clean edge.

Oh, and this eBay seller sells black phenolic sheet in 1mm and 2mm thicknesses, size up to at least 300m x 300m. I think phenolic is paper fibres impregnated with resin, so might be a little more wood-ilke than the glass impregnated. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2mm-PHENOLIC ... 1004948064 No...

If you're still having trouble, I came across a post on a lutherie forum where the author says he uses 1/16 Garolite sheets if he is making wood veneer pick guards. Garrotte seems to be unobtainable in the UK, but there are eBay suppliers who will sell you a 12 x 6 inch sheet of black epoxy...

Balancing the stresses will be essential, so ( ) will be more stable. The amount of wood movement in thin pieces can be quite startling. On a ukulele top which is only 6 inches across and 1.8mm thick, and as near vertical grain as possible, I might see it moving up to 10mm as humidity changes...

Have you kept the PVA attempt? If so you could try ironing it flat, getting it good and hot (too hot to touch but not enough to scorch, tricky I know) and then putting it back in the press until it cools. Wood is a thermoplastic, and so if hot enough it should change shape with the heat. And...

Thanks all - experimenting is clearly in order. But I'm in no rush as the pair of guitars I've just started on will have Mother of Toilet Seat fretboards (white pearloid celluloid). Tasteful ... not so much :)

I was planning to experiment, and fretboards have several difficulties. The most obvious one is that once the frets are installed I have to bevel and round the ends, otherwise they cut the player's hands, and that process tends to take away some wood too. But am I guessing right that one can...

Oh, yes! I did say hazy memory, so not re-stitching. The bladder was fully inside the ball, so you had to open up the covering to blow the thing up if it went flat. And you couldn't have the lacing on the outside unless you also had the special kit for stitching up scalp lacerations if someone...

I think no 3 might be too small for rag rugs. But it fits a very hazy memory I have from 45+ years ago of a tool used to re-stitch footballs and rugby balls. Back when they were leather, and thus twice the weight in wet weather.

That looks very useful. I was considering using oak for a couple of guitar fretboards, and this shows me it's worth experimenting. How long did you soak the wire wool in the vinegar? And do you know how deep the stain goes into the wood?

I have a thought which might be useful (or not ...) In recent years, luthiers have been stiffening guitar necks with carbon fibre, usually rectangular section, epoxied into a channel routed into the neck. The unsupported span of a bass guitar neck is around 24 inches, and a pair of 9mm x 3mm...

Thanks both - I'd guessed so, but it was worth asking before I start bending teeth.

Just picked up one of these, and the wheel which sets the amount of set has (illegible) numbers around its edge. Are these recommendations for different tpi, or simply I apply the amount of set I want and then remember the number for next time?

Another possibility is to use piezo discs attached to the underside of the soundboard. eBay will show you lots of these, usually three discs attached to a tailpin jack socket. I installed one of these into a cigar box ukulele I made for a friend, and he's very happy with it. I think there is...

My rake is 0 degrees plus or minus a bit (did it freehand). For resawing plates you need to cut a kerf with some other saw first, so there is no problem getting the rip saw started.

Note the last point, it's important. I make acoustics, not electrics, so I don't know the Floyd Rose bridge. But I'm guessing that like most electric guitar bridges it's adjustable fore and aft. If so, you might want the thickest string's saddle to be up to 2mm further away from the nut than...