Posted on February 1, 2026April 1, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked For Me: Bandsaw Guides It Worked For Me: Bandsaw Guides by Rick Rubin Originally published in American Lutherie #127, 2016 I purchased an old 14" Rockwell bandsaw from the late 1940s at a garage sale, and it didn’t take me long to want to replace the guide blocks. Steel-against-steel didn’t seem like a great idea. They tend to induce unwanted vibration. They also heat the blade which can, in the worst case, draw some of the temper from it. I looked at some of the roller bearing guides, but I didn’t like any of ones I saw that fit my saw, and I didn’t want to lay out that much money. I remembered looking at an early-20th-century Crescent bandsaw and remembered that it had the remains of some dense wood for the lower guides. On investigation, I realized it was lignum vitae, also known as guaiacum. Lignum is incredibly dense at 84 lbs./cu. ft. and is waxy/oily. I recalled that lignum had been used as self-lubricating pillow-block shaft bearings in ships. In fact, it’s still used as an industrial bearing material, from ships to hydro generators, and is being touted as an enviro-friendly alternative to eliminate greases and oils that can leak into water supplies. I had some lignum vitae; so I used the original guide blocks as a pattern and cut the wood blocks to match. I’ve used them ever since. I can pinch them against the blade without concern and resurface them on the belt sander as they wear. I’ve run my original set for over eight years and still have a lot of service left in them. ◆ Both photos by Rick Rubin.
Posted on February 1, 2026April 1, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked For Me: Nut Spacing It Worked For Me: Nut Spacing by Graham McDonald Originally published in American Lutherie #127, 2016 Getting the correct string spacing at the nut on mandolin family instruments can be tricky. The nut width is often quite small and you need to fit four or sometimes five double courses of strings. It is not only the distance between the courses which is important, but also the distance between the strings of each course (the intracourse distance) which can make a real difference in the feel and playability of the instrument. A friend who has an early Steve Gilchrist A-5 mandolin brought it to me a few years ago for a nut replacement. He was insistent that I duplicate the string spacing, as it was about as good as it was going to get. This mandolin had a 30MM (1 3/16") nut. I needed to document the spacings in order to be able to replicate the nut. The best thing I could think of doing was to slide a short steel ruler under the strings in front of the nut and take a photo. This was a few cameras back so the maximum resolution was only 1600×1200 pixels, but still, it clearly shows where the strings sit in relation to the edges of the fretboard and to each other. A printout at maximum resolution is a handy thing to have stuck on the wall above the bench. Photo by Graham McDonald. Of course, it is not just mandolins that this can be used for. I am sure we have all found guitars or other instruments where the strings just sit comfortably on the fretboard under the left hand. Building up a small collection of such digital images could come in quite handy. ◆
Posted on February 1, 2026March 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips Two Ancient Guitars Two Ancient Guitars by Don Alfieri Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #82, 1978 A German guitar from the early 1800's. All photos by Schaub Photo. Reverse. An American guitar signed and dated: Schmidt & Maul, 1844, New York. Reverse.
Posted on February 1, 2026April 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Adapting Dreadnaught It Worked for Me: Adapting Dreadnaught by Charles Freeborn Originally published in American Lutherie #119, 2014 I decided to add a parlor guitar model to my existing line by adapting the dreadnaught-sized Freestyle model to the smaller dimensions. I started with the Freestyle’s CAD drawing, then offset the body shape inward 1/2" (Photo 1). Since I construct my instruments in an external mold, I asked myself “why not do the same thing to the existing mold, by adding a removable sleeve?” That way my current mold could be used for both the original model and its smaller sibling (Photo 2). Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on February 1, 2026March 23, 2026 by Dale Phillips My Use of Glues in Repairing Musical Instruments My Use of Glues in Repairing Musical Instruments by Kjell Croce Originally published in American Lutherie #117, 2014 I had a conversation with a friend who does guitar repair about which glue to use for a repair he was working on. He said that he uses Franklin’s Titebond for almost every glue job, except for an occasional use of superglue and very rarely, epoxy. After our conversation, I began to reflect on all of the glues I use in repair, and why or when I choose each one. In repairing and building instruments for twenty years, I have worked on a wide range of fine instruments such as guitars, banjos, and mandolins, and I have learned about using glues for repair work from some very fine repairmen and builders. Of course, I have also learned more about glue selection through firsthand experience. I believe that certain glues work best for certain repair jobs, and that luthiers need to know how to select and use them well. Allow me to share what works for me. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
