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Permalink Reply by Bama Hound on February 24, 2016 at 7:52am

      I have used nothing but bone on my builds. What would be nice to hear right now is that I have all kinds of pix with a step by step process. Not so though.This is what I got out of my head.

      I get big dog bones. I cut the joints off on the band saw. I then boil the bone to get the grease and loosen the marrow and tissue residue.. After an overnight dry, I scrape remaining tissue that has loosened.  I then put a fine blade on the band saw and cut it long ways, to get 3 flat a pieces (roughly). It starts off kind of a rough triangle. Look at it from the side and it will make it easier to get the best yield out of the bone.I then put a hand belt sander in a workmate (or whatever you have) with it turned on its side with a 150 grit belt. I then shape the pieces holding them with Chanel Lock pliers (down south they are sometime called water pump pliers) I use a dial caliper to mic them to the size I need. That is what I do, it may be bass ackerds,but has served my purposes.

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Permalink Reply by Angry Rooster Guitars on February 24, 2016 at 8:18am

Sounds simple enough. I never thought about buying dog bones. Good idea! I was considering seeing the local butcher. I didn't know if there were any special tricks....treating the bone or something like that. Thanks for the help!

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Permalink Reply by Bama Hound on February 25, 2016 at 5:44am

      By all means, if you have a local butcher he will probably give you a long leg bone or nominal price. Keep in mind that bone has a grain to it just like wood. It probably doesn't matter as it is hard.That is just the way I see it. You can also ask if he would cut the joint knuckles off for you. That way you can keep the nasty stuff out of your band saw.(;-D))You can use the bone out of a shoulder roast if it is at least 2" thick. That is good for several bridges and nuts. The problem now a days a 2" thick shoulder roast near about requires a bank loan or lay away plan. (:-().

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Permalink Reply by Rough Cut Guitars on February 25, 2016 at 3:44pm

Funny story about that. I built a cb dulcimer for a friend in France and took it there last fall. Had to put the tailpiece on there and ran into some unexpected trouble (when DON'T we?). Long story short, the saddle I'd cut here was too low. "Uh-oh." Then I remembered her father-in-law is a butcher! Ran down to the shop (it's a very small village) hacked off a piec of cow shank. That fresh it's pretty nasty, grey and GREASY. Rough cut a blank, boiled off the fat, then bleached it for about 45 minutes. "Voila!" (That's French for dumb lucky sob) I recut it and fit it all the same day. Always wanted to tell that story; thanks for the excuse :-)
Tom@ Rough Cut Guitars

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Permalink Reply by Angry Rooster Guitars on February 27, 2016 at 3:14pm

I think having the ability to be resourceful is key to building these. How did you bleach the bone?

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Permalink Reply by Rough Cut Guitars on February 28, 2016 at 3:28am

Dropped it in a cup of bleach :-)
And spot-on: Resourcefulness is the building block in the DNA of a luthier - at any scale. Whether you have one hand saw or a shop full of CNC equipment you're gonna push to the next level and that's where it kicks in. Good luck with it; a bone nut will bring your guitars to life like you won't believe. For fullest, resonant tone it beats synthetics hands-down - I've tested both on the same build. Practice cutting on some wood dummies or even get some scrap corian from local countertop makers. Here's one of the best sources for advice I've found: http://www.lutherie.net/nuts.html

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on March 1, 2016 at 9:29am

Not only a bone nut will bring your guitars to life like you won't believe, the same is true for a bone bridge. To get the shape for correct tuning I glue it to a piece of wood for better handling. If I use other strings as I'm used to I do a prototype with a piece of hard wood.

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Permalink Reply by Angry Rooster Guitars on February 25, 2016 at 5:49am

I'll definitely have to try it. Thanks again!

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Permalink Reply by Alan Hergert on February 25, 2016 at 8:57am

I decided to try bone.  I ordered some on Amazon.  I brought 5 pieces.  From each piece, I can get 4 nuts.

It was $6 plus shipping if you want to avoid the hassle of all the cutting.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TGGEWVC?psc=1&redirect=true...

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Permalink Reply by Bama Hound on February 25, 2016 at 2:16pm

Yeah but, I love the smell of bone going through a band saw in the morning,nothing like it!  (;-D)

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Permalink Reply by Angry Rooster Guitars on February 27, 2016 at 3:15pm

I'll have to look into that. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by T-Gripped on March 2, 2016 at 2:45am

This weekend some buds & I met at a roadside river access to paddle some white water. Nearby I spied a deer carcass, reduced to a clean looking pile of bones. I thought for a bit about tossing one in the back of my Subie, but thought my buds might think it strange. After reading this, I may go back. Although I do not have the proper power tools. Yet. 

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