Teak is a hard wood with an open pore structure, similar to mahogany. It is seldom used for guitars because it is somewhat difficult to work, and very hard on tools.
This beautiful instrument was built from a teak cutting board that I got for free from Home Depot for review. 32" Eden neck, active electronics. Teak is hard enough for a simple oiled finish. This one was built with a minimum of tools, mostly by hand, to show that it can be done and how.
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In addition to my alternative marker dots, I'm also looking for 'non-luthier' alternatives to side markers, and here is one. These are bits of 3/32" brass rod, set in a piece of scrap maple as a test. Foot-long lengths of 3/32" and 1/16" rod are available from hobby shops for around a buck; they are used by model builders. I pre-drilled the holes, tapped the rod in like a nail, and cut it off slightly proud. Working the brass is just like dressing fret ends, in fact, you could do it at the same time. I also found some aluminum rods on eBay. At the size of a dot, aluminum should come out looking just like pearl. This is like Danelectro used to do back in the '60s. Steel would be much harder to work, and also prone to corrosion, so I wouldn't use ordinary nails, but small brass ones would work. Always pre-drill hardwoods. I pushed in a dimple with a pointed scribe, then deepened it with a spring punch before drilling. Chuck the drill bit so just a 1/4" protrudes. That will keep it from flexing, which can be a problem at these sizes.
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