COMPLETED --$100 Telecaster Challenge - Ketchup Caster

I'm in - although I must certainly be daft! I am but a rookie and wholeheartedly subscribe to the measure once, cut twice mantra; I may at least may provide some comic relief. I have a few hand power tools, so must rely on the help of friends with real tools, like table saw, band saw, router, etc.

I do, however, have a nice big hunk of Ash that I bought about 9 months ago, right after finishing my only other build. There's enough in the two 4 ft. by 10 1/2 inch boards to get about four bodies! You may recall that I built a maple-centered, cedar topped Tele with the help of a boat-builder friend. I had hoped he and I would build lots of bodies, and get pretty good at this game. Unfortunately, he has been very heavily occupied with other tasks ... so Tele building has suffered. This challenge provided me the impetus to have a go more on my own!

I'll keep it simple and inexpensive and build a rear-mount esquire with no pickguard. Here goes with the pic of the bottom part of the ash boards that I'll use for this one:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/AshBoards.jpg

Here's the obligatory entry shot - written on the envelope from the Valentine's Card from my wife - which is why my name is in reasonable adult looking writing, and the rest is a scrawl!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/EntryBodyBlankShot.jpg

On to the next post ...

I am going to get censored if I keep saying this, but nice ash...

I coaxed a friend with an old Shop Smith machine to help me lop off the ends of the Ash, and rip and semi-joint a couple hunks to make a nice two-piece body. The Shop Smith turns into table saw, lathe, band saw, the works, but for this exercise we kept it to table saw and 10" disc sander. I did not take shots of that sawing process since I think the rules call for showing how we shape the body. Table-sawing straight boards is pretty straightforward ... But I will try to get shots of the machine tomorrow - it's a cool old beast!

Here's the body blank snugged up and ready to be glued - I'm liking the grain! Umm, yes, there's a tiny problem at the top where the board slipped at the end of a disc sander pass. That bit will have to be routed away when I shape the body ...
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/EntryBodyBlankShot2.jpg

Gluing in progress:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Gluingitup.jpg

And clamped up with my brand new clamps I bought today!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ClampedandDrying.jpg

The reason for the Ketchup Caster moniker will be revealed in due time ... Given the DYI home-built quality of my work, I must at least attempt to entertain!

that is some fine ash.

Mark-00255 - nice job so far and bonus points for recycling the Valentines Day envelope.

I couldn’t sleep much last night – this is exciting stuff I think! But one thing that kept me awake was the realization that rear rout controls won’t have a nice, neat store bought control plate. I’ll have to build the hatch cover for the back … and build templates for cutting the rear-rout. So much for keeping it easy! At least it will be cheap!

The good news is I have a Telecaster Deluxe with rear-rout, so I’ve got a guide! Here’s the back of the Tele:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Back_Red_Tele.jpg

Here’s a layout of a new plywood template I’ll build using the Red’s cover as a guide:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Lay_Out_Rear_Rout_Template.jpg

With the big hole traced out, I did a wax rubbing of the kidney bean shaped inner hole – I cut a piece of paper to fit the big hole, laying over the inner lip, and then rubbed with the side of a pencil to capture the shape of the inner cutout:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Wax_Rubbing.jpg

Out to my workbench area in the garage :grin: to hog out the curvy bits with a nice 1 inch forstner bit I have:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Hogging_Out_Template_Holes.jpg

With my fancy saw, I cut ‘em out! Wow, I actually might be able to pull this off! I have some sanding to do to get the edges nice and neat, but they’re close - especially the crucial outer hole with its easy curves. Here’s the inner hole:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Kidney_Bean_Template.jpg

I unclamped the two piece body blank and scoped it out. Needs a nice level sanding, but I am very happy with the grain on this piece of ash!! There are of course, four ways I could lay this thing out. I’ve narrowed it down to two (I cut out a Telecaster-shaped window from a pop case box): Choice One with nice semi-symmetrical grainhttp://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Front_Choice_1.jpg

Choice Two with cool swervy look:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Front_Choice_2.jpg

Any votes?

I am still router-less and more importantly, router table-less. If I buy a plunge router, round-over and half-inch pattern bits, can I pull this off without a table?

Congrats on going with the minimal toolbox; boy, do I know the feeling. For my routing, I was hoping to get away with sticking a speedbore drill bit partway into the outlined cavity, then setting my handheld router into the drill hole and wandering around 'til I'm either satisfied or disgusted.

Ketchup, hmm - let me think - the red Tele is significant, but your glue wasn't in a plastic ketchup bottle, like I expected. Maybe it's the 'Heinz 57' thing. Good luck on the build, and may the best man lose his axe! (for a hundred bucks, that is)

Any votes?

I say swirly.

Top pic for me for sure, the guard cover the only incongruous grain pattern and any stain would be more balanced IMO/Estimation.

Top pic for me for sure, the guard cover the only incongruous grain pattern and any stain would be more balanced IMO/Estimation.

+1 - if it's not too late to vote.

-Kevin

I like the top one too, but there won't be any guard, and I keep coming back to the swirly one. You'll see by my updates below that I'll have to re-assess tomorrow!

Top one. The bottom one looks odd to me.

Good news/Bad news today. The good news is that I scored a nice little router from a local guy on Craigs … with a dandy set of a dozen finishing bits, including the ever-popular ¼ inch round-over. The ½ pattern bit in the set is only a half inch deep as well, and has the bearing on the end. It didn’t do very well on a test board … so I went to HD and bought a Porter-Cable ½ with one-inch blades, and bearing on the shank. Then got busy learning how to use it – I finished the outside pattern on the rear route template:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearRoutTemp.jpg

The Porter-Cable bit cut through the plywood like butter! But, then, the little keeper gizmo below the bearing came loose! Luckily I found the tiny allen head set screw, but this was the only allen head wrench I could find - just a little big:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BadBit.jpg

So I ran back to the store and spent another 79 cents on a 1.5 mm allen wrench, and re-set the bearing and keeper. Sure couldn’t get much torque on that tiny little keeper screw. But it seemed like that was the way this bit was designed, so I got busy sanding the body blank to get the glue seam smooth, then set up my routing station – using the swirly grain layout:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ReadyToRout.jpg

I do not have a saw that will handle 1 3/4 inch Ash, so did some tests with the router and it cuts through just fine. So, here we go! But wait ... Not 2 seconds into it, and the bearing failed again … this time for good. The keeper came loose and the bearing wiggled up the shank and lost its brief purchase on the template. Here’s what it did:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Ouch_DamnBit.jpg

Close-up without the template:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Ouch_DamnBit2.jpg

Ouch! It’s way too much of a bite to work around. But, I can flip it over and go with the straight grain layout. That way the bad area is way off the map … Phew!!

I took the bit back to HD and the dude said he’d never seen that happen before. I’m not trying another one – I’m off to a couple other stores tomorrow to try a different brand/design.

Cutting that much in one take is asking a lot of a router, especially with it completely buried in the wood! A much better bet is to use a jigsaw to cut the shape out and then take out the last 1/8" or so with your pattern bit.

Cutting that much in one take is asking a lot of a router, especially with it completely buried in the wood! A much better bet is to use a jigsaw to cut the shape out and then take out the last 1/8" or so with your pattern bit.

Ditto.

Ditto.

I know ... I know! you guys are absolutely right, and I bought the gnarliest looking 6 TPI blades I could fine today for my little sabre saw. It barely makes a dent in this ash! I think this board must have been shanghaied from the baseball bat factory! I pushed and shoved and only got about a half inch into a scrap piece. I'll have to hunt around for other options tomorrow - this piece of wood is too nice to screw up!

One thing you can do to help is stack a couple bearings on the shaft and chuck it up tighter to the collet.It's times like that when a 3/4" template helps too.Too bad.Hope you get back on track tomorrow with a new bit:wink:

Okay - so I've read your posts, and some other routing-oriented threads, AND I even read the Ryobi manual that came with the router! There's a thought. Sure enough the manual says take off 1/8 at a time.

Sheez - I guess I owe one to HD - they took it back with no question even though it appears I broke it by overloading it. Well, I did disclose right up front that I'm a rookie and that I would provide comic relief :mrgreen: So far, so good!

Here's an idea: The bit set I got with the router came with three straight bits. What if I took the beefiest one of those and shaved my way, one-eighth at a time towards the body outline? I'd have to be careful, and patient. But, I could work my way in slowly and not overburden the equipment. Would that work? Here's the bit set:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BitSet_Cropped.jpg

It would probably work. But it would also probably take you about a day and a half. The bit would also be come dull and more likely to tear out before you finished. You would be better off to get a more powerful jig saw.

It would probably work but controlling a hand held router without a guide is tricky.If you had it in a table you could use a pin to help you out.Just BE CAREFUL

If the jig saw won't handle it beg or borrow time on a bandsaw. Before I had one I bummed time on one from friends and even paid a guy $10-20 to do a half hour's work for me. Waaaay back when I even had a shop teacher at a community college cut out a body.
Seriously, that picture scared the crap out of me, the router is one of the handiest tools there is but it scares me more than just about anything else. When you have a bit 'captured' like that it can start knocking around and tear stuff apart/send things flying.

I use a Bosch Scintilla Saber saw. It has an adjustable tension wheel that ride on the back of the blade. You can cut even hardwoods straight and true. You just go slower and use a blade up faster. If you look at this pic I googled you can see the roller tension wheel there. I do not think a regular jig saw keep the blade stable enough for this kind for work IMO.

http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/images/Bosch1587.jpg

closeup:
http://home.comcast.net/~7511/000/saberbosch.JPG

Perhaps you could find somebody who has a bandsaw and offer to pay them a few dollars to rough cut it for you.
Marty

You could make several jigsaw cuts perpendicular to your body outline stopping a little short of the outline before cutting the outline shape. This would allow pieces to drop off resulting in a better jigsaw cut.

If you have a pattern bit and lose the set screw on the keeper, you can cut 1/4 in. ID plastic tubing to fit between the collet and the keeper ... or the bearing to keep the bearing in place.

I would drill holes all around the outline till it looked like a stamp then saw or rout, and stick a piece of duct tape above the bearing to keep it in place, but thats just me


or if you have a plunge router just plunge away, the bit will remove wood faster going up and down than thru it sideways, then trim it up

I would drill holes all around the outline till it looked like a stamp then saw or rout,

Respectfully, having the router bit continually cut more, than less, than more.... Not me. I look for a continuous cut less than 1/2 the diameter of the cutter/bit myself.

I also use the router table which is a simple hole in a plywood extension wing on my table saw. If the bearing comes loose it does not fall off and the router platform is not blocking the view of the cut, definitely preferable IMO.

I like Jacks idea a little. :mrgreen:

Stewart McDonald's pattern bits used to and still may come with a piece of tubing for that purpose.

Oh no, I have a horrible feeling I know how this is going to become the ketchupcaster.

Please, beg, steal, borrow or buy either some time on a band saw or decent jigsaw. I can't think of any great guitarist with less than 10 digits!

Oh no, I have a horrible feeling I know how this is going to become the ketchupcaster.

Please, beg, steal, borrow or buy either some time on a band saw or decent jigsaw. I can't think of any great guitarist with less than 10 digits!

http://i35.tinypic.com/2mqn32r.gif

But he's the exception, not the rule.

Oh no, I have a horrible feeling I know how this is going to become the ketchupcaster.

Please, beg, steal, borrow or buy either some time on a band saw or decent jigsaw. I can't think of any great guitarist with less than 10 digits!

Here's another:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wghtml/images/wgreinhardt.jpg

-Kevin

Your not helping lads!

i dunno about over there - but here we can get small bandsaws for like 200 bux. I have one, and put a bigger blade on it than stock and it hauls ass through hardwood! Its a RYOBI if you guys get them over there...

Thanks guys, for all the ideas and comments! I think I had 3 choices:

Borrow a Band Saw - I been trying for four days!
Buy More Tools - I am WAY over guitar budget lately, having bought a PRS Tremonti SE in January; an Alesis SR 16 Drum Machine last weekend; a Celestion V30 speaker last weekend; a used router yesterday; etc. ....
Drill or route away wood until you get close enough - given my skills, probably not a good idea!

But finally option one played out today! Here's my hairy mug at work at a co-worker's dad's shop:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BandSawWork.jpg

And here's the result:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RoughCut_ReadytoRout.jpg

Awesome! Tomorrow night we route (I am but a working man)! I even got some initial ketchup caster supplies right after work!

way to go!

The first guitar I really lusted after was a Cherry-Burst Les Paul a guy in my HS Jazz Band got back in about ’74. I am still smitten with Sienna Bursts and Cherry Bursts. But, spray paint and I don’t get along too well … plus I just don’t have a place to spray in the winter. So a local Mom and Pop Hardware store carries the full line Varathane stuff, including these dandy ketchup trial size packets of stain:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Ketchup.jpg

So that’s my plan – a Sienna/Cherry Burst using ketchup packets of stain. Or maybe I’ll actually buy some pint-sized cans, cause the ketchup packets now cost 59 cents! I took a lopped part of Ash and sanded down half of it with 80, then 220. Turned out real smooth, but I think for the real thing I’ll go down to 320, and take some time getting it extra smooth. Here’s the Golden Pecan going on in the unsanded area – the packet gave me plenty to do the sanded part, plus more:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ApplyingGoldenPecan.jpg

Here’s the full Pecan section of the board:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PecanDone.jpg

Next comes the Cabernet stain for a rich red around the edges:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/CabernetReady.jpg

This will be real trial and error – I have no idea how think to make this or how to get a transition edge, rather than a hard line. Here’s the test board done – the Cabernet went way farther than the Pecan:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/TestBoardStained.jpg

I like the center-ish area the best. Here is a close-up of that area with the left side sanded and the right not:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/SiennaBurst.jpg

Tomorrow night I’ll try some wipe-on poly to see how that goes. I may end up with just the pecan – may not have the stones to splash that Cabernet all over this fine ash!

I played with the Ketchup cause I needed to do something and was just too tired to play with 25,000 rpm sharp knives (as Preeb put it in his awesome build thread!). Plus I really want to sand this thing good and flat with my buddy’s 16” belt sander. I’ll work on him some more tomorrow! Meanwhile, I’ve made a shocking discovery – I may have to call this the Les Paul-Caster – check this out:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/OMG.jpg

Yes, that’s right. This body weighs in right now in un-routed form at 7pounds, 4.6 ounces! What a beast! I think I feel a belly-cut coming …

Here’s the full Pecan section of the board:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PecanDone.jpg

Just one opinion... but I'd stick with the pecan only. That's hard to beat.

A $20 jamb gun from Harbor-Freight and you can spray a real nice burst.

http://members.cox.net/mdotson6/top_3:4.jpg

Here's another:
-Kevin

...and then there's that there Keaggy feller!

Good luck, amigo!

Very nice!

On the basis of your pecan shot I went to HD get a couple of packages to try it on my flamed maple. I also picked up some traditional pecan too. It's a little more gold, than the golden pecan and might make a nice transition between the cabernet and the golden pecan.

I still haven’t hooked up with the big belt sander, so moved on to making the rear cover tonight. Inspired by guitarbuilder’s tidycaster pickguard, I grabbed a kitty litter lid, and had at it – tracing:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/TracingRearCover.jpg

Thought Tin Snips would do the job:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/SnippingPlastic.jpg

A little time with some sandpaper, and it’s close, but bowing in a little and hanging over this side … not quite. Plus the curves and edges aren’t smooth enough yet.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearCoverFit1.jpg

Much closer - although I'll have another go at it when the rear route is done on the actual body. Plus I'll shoot it with some black Krylon Fusion I've got.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearCoverFit2.jpg

Very nice!

On the basis of your pecan shot I went to HD get a couple of packages to try it on my flamed maple. I also picked up some traditional pecan too. It's a little more gold, than the golden pecan and might make a nice transition between the cabernet and the golden pecan.

Thanks mk! Glad I've done something that's useful! You'll see in a minute that I tried some other colors today too ... but the golden pecan still looks real good to me.

Just for fun I thought I’d try a couple more colors, thinking I might find a combo that works for a transition, if I do go with the pecan/cabernet combo. So I grabbed some Colonial Maple and some Golden Mahogany:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MoreKetchup.jpg

Sharp eyes in the group will notice that the packets are sitting on top of a round-over! My first one – thought I’d better get in some practice with the router. Anyways, here’s the maple stain – a little orangey I think, which actually might work for a transition:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MapleStain.jpg

The Mahogany is way too dark by itself, so I tried blending and making a tobacco burst kinda thing:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Maple-MahoganyStains.jpg

Ehh …. Don’t think so. I’ll either go with the original pecan/cabernet, or just pecan, or pecan/maple/cabernet three-tone burst. I’ll still try some poly tomorrow and see how that works over the weekend.

Inspired by guitarbuilder’s tidycaster pickguard, I grabbed a kitty litter lid,


Does that mean I get double creativity points? LOL
Marty

Inspired by guitarbuilder’s tidycaster pickguard, I grabbed a kitty litter lid,


Does that mean I get double creativity points? LOL
Marty

Figure out the licensing and you might be able to market 'em!:lol:

One important thing accomplished today – got to use my friend’s Grizzly 16” belt sander. What a great machine! The problem with my body blank was that the Shop Smith table apparently was just a little off square. After gluing it up with a nice, tight joint, it had about a 2 degree V-shape. Just enough to notice and I think probably cause problems routing nice, square edges. So we fed it through this beast for about 15 or 20 minutes:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BeltSander.jpg

Now it’s flat!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/NowItsFlat.jpg

Here’s one more teaser shot, before routing tomorrow – FINALLY!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FlatRoughCut.jpg

While I certainly don’t think I’ll win – others are showing such remarkable ingenuity, enterprise and skill – I’m kinda thinking I don’t want to win. I like this piece of wood!

From my test board I'm thinking I need to follow the norm with this open-pored Ash and use some grain filler. I was going to keep it simple, stain and wipe-on poly this thing. I like some woody feel - like the way my SkyCaster Maple/Cedar body turned out:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Skycaster/CtrlPlateView.jpg

But, I want to do better on this one - do it right, if you will.

Problem is, I can't find any grain filler in stores round here. All I see is "Wood Filler" and "Sanding Sealer" ... not the right stuff, right? Store clerks look at me like I'm asking for some kind of foreign delicacy - one old salt actually said to me "Oh yeah, we used to keep that about 20 years ago when people still worked on wood." That's kinda sad, actually.

I know there's a dozen places online to get some, but I don't want to buy a $15 dollar can of goop and pay an extra $6 for shipping, know what I mean? There's gotta be something around Tacoma or Seattle I just haven't found yet. Any ideas out there? Please?

Find a Woodcraft store in your area. If we have one, you probably have a half dozen. They carry all that good stuff and more.

http://www.woodcraft.com

These $100 challenge threads are so darn addictive. Your (and the others like Scatter) ingenuity/resourcefulness/Bob the builder "Yes we can!" approach is also so motivating.

Thanks for sharing your work.

Find a Woodcraft store in your area. If we have one, you probably have a half dozen. They carry all that good stuff and more.

http://www.woodcraft.com

Thanks Ironwolf! Indeed there is a Woodcraft in Seattle. About an hour's drive, so I can spend ten bucks on gas instead of six bucks on shipping :neutral:

But seriously - I have family in Seattle so have plenty of reasons to make the trip and might have to do that in a day or two.

These $100 challenge threads are so darn addictive. Your (and the others like Scatter) ingenuity/resourcefulness/Bob the builder "Yes we can!" approach is also so motivating.

Thanks for sharing your work.

Wow, that's high praise that I am not really be worthy of - but I sure appreciate it!

Meanwhile, I'm waiting for my tortillas to cool so's I can eat some lunch and get back to routering. The main body route is mostly done - one more pass. I've made three so far with my little 1 1/2 horse Ryobi. The bit got a little hot a few times, so I have to be careful to take small bites. Most of it is very smooth and is looking good. I have two small areas where some sanding will be in order, but nothing critical to the project or overall tele-ness of the shape! Pictures after the final pass, after lunch!

Today We Routed

Finally had everything together today to rout the main body. Here's some tool porn to start – nice, new Whiteside ½ inch diameter, 1 inch deep pattern bit:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ToolPorn.jpg

I setup my main white template with my buddy's green one as a shim, so's I can get a reasonably small cut to start:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FirstCutDepth.jpg

Next cut, I took off the green template and lowered the bit depth some more, and kept going through three cuts with the white template:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/CuttingDeeper.jpg

Then I took off the template and cut from the top one more time, then was puzzled for a few minutes. My pattern bit and router had reached there maximum throw ... Then I remembered that the bit set that the guy threw in with my router had the ½ inch diameter, ½ inch deep pattern bit with the bearing at the bottom! That way I could flip the body over and use that bit to ride against the previously routed part! Cool:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FinalPass.jpg

And it's done – but I'll tell you, this rookie was literally shaking in his boots with the first few passes. Mostly it's very smooth, with a few "seams" (you can see one by where the flat spot will go) from the different depth cuts, and a couple issue areas that I can sand out.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/LookingGood.jpg

I thought it would be best to cut out the rear rout before doing any roundovers, and while I had some feel for the router today. Now that it's done, I'm wondering about the roundover part, but here's how this puzzle transpired.

First I had to shim my rear rout plywood template so that I could get the really short depth for the cover rout. I figured I'd better cut the cover shallow rout first, then do the inner rout. I shimmed it with a few pieces of plywood – one big one underneath and clamped; two little ones supporting the "overhang" where the router was going to bear down. Then I started with a pilot hole with my one inch forstner bit – 1 ½ inches deep! Leaving, obviously, ¼ through to the top. Yikes!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearRoutSetupAndPilot.jpg

Then I set up my big pattern bit and set the depth and made a short trial cut:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearRoutDepthCheck.jpg

After you route a few bodies you get to know which way,how deep/etc you can go
The first one is always nerve wracking :wink:

Hard to see under the crappy plywood in this picture, but it will sand up nicely, I think.http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/CoverRoutDone.jpg
Fits – pretty close, but still some room to refine it all with some sanding:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/CoverFitCheck.jpg

Next I replaced the small shims with the inner rout template – having previously marked and drilled its relation to the larger template. Then I actually had to freehand rout down about ¼ inch at a time, carefully taking arcing bites starting at the pilot hole. Finally I had enough depth to use the bearing, then I took off the big template and attached the inner rout template by itself, using screw holes that will be used for the actual cover, then took the template off and was able to breeze through the rout – here's a composite of what was about five passes deeper and deeper:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearInnerRoutProgress.jpg

Rear Rout is all done – but look at the sanding I need to do on the body down there below the rout!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearRoutDone.jpg

All in all, I'm feeling like it was a productive day – especially in light of making a run to Seattle this afternoon to get some grain filler at Woodcraft (thanks again, Ironwood, for the tip on Woodcraft!). Another fellow TDPRI'er, who happens to live in Seattle, made me an offer on a piece of gear I was selling and met me at Woodcraft – nice guy and made the trip extra worth it! Thanks Terry!

Tomorrow I sand, and sand, and sand ... and do some roundovers, and maybe drill some holes.

See that wasn't so bad. Oh harder woods, I'll use the forstner bit to drill out as much of the wood as possible and just use the router to clean it up and make it look nice. Those Whiteside bits are some of the best you can buy.

See that wasn't so bad. Oh harder woods, I'll use the forstner bit to drill out as much of the wood as possible and just use the router to clean it up and make it look nice. Those Whiteside bits are some of the best you can buy.

I thought about that - but it's was pretty hard getting down that deep with the one inch forstner. I've got a new half inch that I'll use in the pickup and neck routes, though.

But, first, I went over to a friends shop and borrowed his drill press and did some ferrule holes:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FerruleHoles.jpg

Then I used his Edge Sander and got the seams and wows out of the sides. That went pretty well – it’s so nice having the right tools! Sanding the sides with my handheld rig would have taken a long time – here’s my rig:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/SandingRig.jpg

I’ll still have to do lots of sanding, but it’ll be of the smoothing, finish prep variety. I’m ready:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/HiTechSandingGear.jpg

I got tired of my sanding paper tearing out of my little sander, so got the bright idea of reinforcing with green duct tape – works great:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/SandPaperDuctTape.jpg

I don’t know how your other colors would do, though! Sanded the top, back, and sides down to 220, then thought I’d better do the roundovers:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RoundoverSetup.jpg

Crap – burned a few sections – more sanding needed – my router skills are still somewhat basic, that’s for sure!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RoundOverBurns.jpg

But, I kept at it, while my wife ordered Mexican take-out – fantastic! Sanded the whole thing down to 320 … I’ll look at it hard tomorrow in the daylight and will probably find a few touch up spots. But, I think it’s pretty close to ready for grain filler. BTW - the grain on the right side bottom is nowhere near that pronounced in real light, and you sure can’t feel it! There's some cool color variation now that this thing is smooth and I think that's what looks like deep ridges and valleys. This thing is smooooooth:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ReadyToGrainFill.jpg

I found a neck today too - New York Pro maple for $40 shipped, with tuners. Looks like a decent neck as well! Cross your fingers!

I found a neck today too - New York Pro maple for $40 shipped, with tuners. Looks like a decent neck as well! Cross your fingers!

That is a good deal !
Hope it works out .

Man thats some wild lookin grain I love that look!

Long day for me ... I didn't touch the guitar project until about 8:15. I decided I had some touch ups to do before grain filling, and I also want to get the final routs done first. Since I've got a regular Tele-spec neck coming, and have decided to use a regular Tele style bridge pickup, I'll do the final routs tomorrow - and cut the jack socket hole.

So tonight I took it easy and work on refining the edges of the rear rout cover. The curves and straight bits were too lumpy, I thought. So I sat and watched a little TV, and worked at the hole and the cover. It's much better - I'll paint it black and tape the inside with foil tape for shielding. Plus last night I filled the two template holes on the back - left over from when it was going to be the front! I made a slurry of its very own sawdust, and Titebond, and crammed the little holes full using a cut off toothpick. So tonight I trimmed off the excess with a fresh single edge razor blade, and then sanded flush.

Here's one pic for the night - much better looking rout cover (still a little gap at the top), and holes filled and smoother over.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RearTouchUps.jpg

Mine has turned into a pretty conventional build compared to a lot of others in the challenge ... but I'm having a great time, and am gaining tons of experience. This has been and continues to be a GAS!

Hey
Lookin good.Just think how much fun the next one will be.Believe me,there will be a next one :wink:

Good work. I agree with you... that is one great looking piece of wood!

Thanks marty and john! Maybe the next one won't take me a week and a half to do what some of you do in a weekend!

Tonight's progress: Got the bridge pickup rout and neck pocket routs done. I know it’s routine for some of you’se guys, but this was a big deal for me! I started with some pilot holes with a new ½ forstner bit:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PickupRoutPilotHoles.jpg

Did the same with my one-inch forstner, then routed. I wanted super clean edges because I’m thinking half bridge and exposed pickup – G.E. Smith Tele-style. I’m happy – Yes I still managed to burn some spots on the inner walls, that will clean up and I’ll be painting the inside of the rout black:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgePupRout.jpg

Next I printed a copy of the relevant part of the T. Downs blueprint, and carefully checked my centerline marks, and laid out the blueprint to guide my template placement:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/NeckRoutSetup.jpg

Set up a Rube Goldberg clamp and support system to keep everything firm, and inflexible – and yes that’s an old coffee table that I’m using as my workbench!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/NeckRoutJigSet.jpg

I did a few forstner holes and carefully checked and re-checked my bit height. Did a tiny check cut, and then took a large deep breath – whew:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/NeckPocketDone.jpg

Dudes – this was cool! No tearouts, no humpy or ragged rout edges, it all looks clean. Not quite as tidy as Kirn or martyb1, or any of a dozen of you, but this was my first all on my own! I am completely excited … and gratified. A couple more little holes to drill and then I start finishing.

Wow Mark, impressive! Good job!, I'm on the edge of my seat with all these $100 challenge threads, and I envy you all for having the tools handy to do all this!

hopefully my first time would be just like this...:)

Looking fantastic, and as the guitar has taken shape I can now see that grain in the wood and how it flows with the body. Gonna be a rocker!!!!

j

Detail work and hole drilling tonight. The neck pocket was a little raw:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/RawNeckPocket.jpg

I had this dandy X-Acto saw in my stuff for some reason:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/TrimmingNeckPocket.jpg

A little sanding as well, and it’s looking pretty decent:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/NeckPocketTrimmed-Done.jpg

Next I worked on the jack cup hole. I spent a little time trying to get a good, centered location – then drilled an 1 inch shallow hole for an edge area so an electrosocket will fit flush – then drilled the 7/8 inch hole through to the rear rout:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/JackCupComposite.jpg

I was felling a little proud of myself for how well that turned out, and proceeded with the bridge pickup lead hole into the control cavity:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/DrillingLeadHole.jpg

And that’s when I did it! That angle was too steep and my hole ended up punching into the rear rout cover area, pushing a very small piece of the back wood up! Ouch! I was stunned and dismayed. What a dumb-ass thing to do! Luckily, the back wood piece was 95% intact, and pushed back down nicely into place. I made up another slurry of titebond and sawdust, and made a cast/form in the rout cover area with the cover itself and some good ole cheerios box (if you haven’t noticed I use those for shims everywhere!). Let it dry for an hour and here it is:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FixingBadDrillHole.jpg

I plugged a little more of the small holes and now will let it dry, then trim and clean it tomorrow night.

Wow Mark, impressive! Good job!, I'm on the edge of my seat with all these $100 challenge threads, and I envy you all for having the tools handy to do all this!
I am remiss! Thanks araT, and fisherbim and jays0n!

araT - If I remember correctly you posted some shots of your new USA natural ash-finish standard Tele a while back? I love those, and that finish. I keep thinking of those as I work on this body!

Don't feel bad.I think we have all been a little steep at one time :roll::wink:

No time tonight - my daughter's high school play opened tonight and was a great show!

But yesterday was payday, and I bought some stuff today:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/Parts_Paint.jpg

Yeah - that's $16.95 for the electrosocket! There's a little guitar store downtown that I try to support, along with the big local store and another small one. They had one in stock and the other two didn't - so that's me doing my part to help the local economy :shock:

I also spent $2.61 on this:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeMaterial.jpg

A co-worker lawyer is tired of lawyering and a couple years ago started a part-time welding business with a friend. He's working part-time at both now and Saturday morning I'll go to his shop and craft a hard-tail half bridge out of this aluminum, or maybe some steel! I've got a set of saddles laying around, so just need the bridge. Should be fun!

Back at it more tomorrow!

Another built from scratch bridge! Can't wait to see the final product!

... our intrepid rookie turned into a goat by drilling a nasty hole in the wrong place …. Let’s try this again:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/OneMoreTry.jpg

That’s much better – and the previous hole is mostly repaired with just a little more touch-up to do:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ThatsBetter.jpg

I sanded and sanded, and fussed over edges, and think I have it all pretty well ready now. Made a painting stick, and gave it a light bath with some mineral spirits. She’s hanging and ready:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/HangingReady.jpg

Tomorrow the lawyer/welder and I make a bridge, then I’ll get my hands messy with some grain fill, and maybe even stain tomorrow night! Meanwhile, I’m hoping the neck and bridge pickup show up tomorrow too!

Here’s my tally so far:


ferrules $7.50
bridge $2.61
used pots $6.00
electrosocket $16.95
pickup $10.00
total parts: $43.06


I still need to get a jack, strap buttons, and do something about knobs. I figure the cost of the body wood at $23 – the whole board cost me $92, and I’ll get four bodies out of it. That and the neck are:


body $23.00
neck $40.00
wood/neck: $63.00


So this whole thing, not counting tools :shock:, has been super reasonable. I spent about $400 on my first build – buying everything new. This challenge has been a great exercise in re-thinking our standard assumptions about how we build things. Fantastic all the way around!

Hey, that little Butter Scotch morsel in the stand there looks like my 1st Piney's lost sibling.. ;)


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/HangingReady.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~7511/builds/TL-01/Piney%232Esquire-7-23-08.JPG

Hey, that little Butter Scotch morsel in the stand there looks like my 1st Piney's lost sibling....

Yeah, robt57, that's my SkyCaster that I built last year - cedar top, maple heart. Keystone pickups, 4-way switch, really nice S '51 neck - I love it!

I went over to my friend’s welding shop first thing this morning – what a great playground that is! Feels like a mini-version of O.C.C. or something! We laid out the string-through and saddle holes using pieces of a T. Downs blueprint. The cool thing about a six-saddle modern style bridge is those two sets of holes are identical in spacing and location across the width of the bridge:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeHoleLayout.jpg

I punched the centers and took off the blueprint:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeHolesPunched.jpg

Then we drilled ‘em on a drill press, but they didn’t turn out so great – the middle pair were just a little high. Seems the clamps we were using were pulling the stock around on us:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FirstBridgeNotGood.jpg

But luckily my buddy was totally into this project and had gone to Oly Supply yesterday and bought a foot of the aluminum stock just in case, so we started over. This time I hand drilled, since we were only going through the 1/8 stock, and I started with a pilot hole. That worked. Then we went on to sawing the basic shape. He’s got this brutal metal band saw that had light duty cutting through my little piece of aluminum:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MetalBandSaw.jpg

Layout one more cut:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FinalBridgeLayout.jpg

We did some initial “polishing” and I chamfered the string through-holes:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeChamferingStringHoles.jpg

Finally, I wanted to have some shape and style to this bridge, so I laid out a shape that contours the bridge-end of the pickup route, and we did the final shaping of that by hand – taking turns with the various hand-grinders, polishers:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeFinalShaping.jpg
(That’s someone else’s greasy shirt – my name’s Curt.)

Some more polishing, rounding of edges (I had a great time with a big-ass metal disc sander!), drill and countersink mounting holes, and here we are:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeDone2.jpg
And the back:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeDone1.jpg

The window light is catching a few surface scratches, but overall I’m very happy with the way this turned out! My only concern with aluminum is that the saddle height adjusters might burrow into the plate. We’ll see.

Next I finally got to try my hand at grain filling. Goopy – hope I did it right! Here’s the first coat hanging – I’m betting I’ll have to do another:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FirstCoatGrainFiller.jpg

3 hours dry time will be up at 5:30 PST, but I’ll probably give it a little more and after dinner sand it flat. Should be interesting.

LOVE the shape of the bridge!

yeah, real nice bridge

I almost feel guilty using a real bridge plate :shock:

Yup, nice bridge!

Thanks guys! Martyb1 - you got nothing to feel guilty about with your ammo-casing knobs and leather PG, and mystery binding!

Meanwhile, I'm struggling with sanding grain filler off my guitar body! Jeez I used way too much ... I spent two hours and got the back and top almost ready. I'd get a fresh piece of sandpaper on my little orbital, sand for 3 - 5 seconds, shut down, clean the loaded up material off the paper, sand 5 seconds, repeat ... with a new piece of paper about every ten tries or so. Used 150 to get most of the white off, then 220 to get it smooth. I need more 150 grit to do the sides - gotta get some in the morning and resume. Here's a composite of the sanding progress:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/GrainFillSandingComposite.jpg

Don't think there will be a second coat at this point. I'll get this flat and smooth, then start the staining and wipe-on poly process!

bridge, yeah!

Finally, I wanted to have some shape and style to this bridge, so I laid out a shape that contours the bridge-end of the pickup route, and we did the final shaping of that by hand – taking turns with the various hand-grinders, polishers:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeFinalShaping.jpg
(That’s someone else’s greasy shirt – my name’s Curt.)

Some more polishing, rounding of edges (I had a great time with a big-ass metal disc sander!), drill and countersink mounting holes, and here we are:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeDone2.jpg
And the back:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeDone1.jpg

The window light is catching a few surface scratches, but overall I’m very happy with the way this turned out! My only concern with aluminum is that the saddle height adjusters might burrow into the plate. We’ll see.
that bridge looks great. i'm assuming you're mounting the pup to the body like a ge smith/andy summers?

+1 on that sweet bridge.

Fender Custom Shop should steal that one...

That is a slick idea!

that bridge looks great. i'm assuming you're mounting the pup to the body like a ge smith/andy summers?

Thanks everybody, for the nice comments on the bridge. Yes, the pickup will be mounted into the body. And I'll be painting the inside of the p'up rout black, like GE Smith's are done (I think!).

Man this was a chore … although today with some fresh sandpaper and I guess a little more drying time, it went easier today than last night. Here’s a shot of the surface after final sanding:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FinalGFSanding.jpg

Just a little sanding artifact up there (actually down there below where the bridge will be), but mostly pretty darn flat.

After that was done I dove right into getting the first coat of stain on. I went with Traditional Pecan rather than the Golden, cause I wanted it a little darker than my test board. The first coat is drying nicely, but it’s a little splotchy. I’ll do another touch up coat, just rubbing into areas that need more color. Then tonight I may yet dive into the ketchup! Here’s a mockup with the bridge, with saddles, and the first coat:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BridgeAndFirstCoat.jpg

You might have some talks with GE Smith, cause that looks WAY better than the lopped off fender bridge. This guitar is looking hotter by the minute.

That's a SWEET bridge !!!!!!:mrgreen:

That bridge straight up rules.

Thanks again for more comments on the bridge, guys! I had those black saddles laying around - took them off my Tele Deluxe a couple years back when I put Graph-techs on it. And my wife just doesn't understand why I don't throw stuff away!

Going is slow tonight on the finish. The splotchy places are actually ghosts of the grain filler that I didn't get all the way off. I spent a little time sanding at those spots and it seems to respond well, but the still somewhat fresh stain loads up the paper pretty fast. So, I'll wait until tomorrow night after work and sand her down a bit before progressing. I'll add some more pics of that work as well tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I found some more hardware! Rear rout cover and bridge stainless screws at 5 X 12 cents and 5 X 18 cents respectively, for $1.50. Nice aluminum strap buttons for 92 cents each! And, check out these cool RS knurled knobs for $2.99! They seem to carry on the flat aluminum and black look ...
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/HardwareSmall.jpg

That's another $6.33. I'm up to $49.39, not counting wood and neck. All that's left is a jack, and I forgot about a neck plate and screws, but have an idea there.

Can't wait to see the rest....

That bridge is brilliant.

You might have some talks with GE Smith, cause that looks WAY better than the lopped off fender bridge. This guitar is looking hotter by the minute.
Absolutely! I tell you Fender authorities are probably already propping ideas on that bridge.

That's sweet!

I really like the bridge and the traditional pecan... Nice work.

Cheers,

Murray.

Thanks guys for the bridge comments! I'm totally happy with the way it turned out!

I worked on the splotchy stain quite a bit tonight. Took parts of it almost all the way down to wood to try to get a consistent look. It is much better, but I still have a little ways to go.

My neck came as well - it's seems okay, although the roundovers at the base of the heel are small. I'll have to sand it a little to fit my standard Tele neck rout.

Here's a mockup, with some splotchiness in evidence - but hopefully in areas where it will blend with the red burst:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MockupVert.jpg
Horizontal - harsh flash and indoor light really accentuates/exacerbates the way the grain took the stain:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MockupHor.jpg

It'll be interesting to see it in natural light again in the morning. The color is getting close to this Tele that's been posted a few times - kinda always in mind when I've been on this project - although I morph it into a burst!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/DreamTele.jpg

You can tell a build thread is in trouble when either the replies stop coming in, and/or the builder starts rationalizing the problems.

Well no rationalizing here - I took a chance on the 59 cent ketchup packets of stain, in keeping with the spirit of this challenge, and so far the results are mediocre. At this point, I can either:


Paint it black
Keep after my original vision and try to salvage it

I'm inclined to do the latter. This piece of wood is too nice to paint over, so I'll keep at it tonight with some more sanding and stain fill to try to get the finish consistent.

Meanwhile, I rounded up my final parts today - ordered a neck plate online for $4 ($6 shipped), got some D'Addorio 11s for $5.49; a jack for $2.95, and some copper tape for $5.99 (won't use all of that, so that might not count!).
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/StringsAndJack.jpg
Definitely going with 11s for this picnic table looking beast! That's another $16.43 bringing my total parts bill to $65.82.

Hummmm ... with the neck, I'm over at $105.32, although the guy charged me $40 shipped for the neck and he paid $7.53 shipping. Back that out and I'm at $97.79. Can't get much closer than that!

well shipping dont count anyway, spend some more

so far I htink it looks great

Yeah, robt57, that's my SkyCaster that I built last year - cedar top, maple heart. Keystone pickups, 4-way switch, really nice S '51 neck - I love it!

Nice, I also made a Tele Deluxe with the same pine with some MIM WRHB RI PUPs, and I used a S'51 neck on it too. We are on the same wave length perhaps. It is a great neck it turns out.

Note the DIY Beer Keg Bridge and control plate I made outta Some 'Bud' Stainless Steel from a keg my son left behind. ;) While we are talking DIY bridges I mean. ;) The nickels cost .15 extra of course. ;)

I'm totally digging this one too! I LOVE that bridge. Fantastic stuff!!

Thanks guys! I decided to get back to work and quit worrying over the body - leave that alone tonight and attack some other stuff! It can’t hurt to let the stain cure another day! My wife thinks I should go ahead with the red stain – she thinks that will look cool – a deep red translucent. Would be great if it worked!

Meanwhile, I’ve got details to work on, like the weird squared off neck heel! Here’s a test fit in my neck jig:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FunnyNeckHeel.jpg

You can see the funny squared off “roundover” and that gap between the end of the neck would have fit a fat credit card. So I marked off the area that needed trimming – not that much actually, just a smoother roundover:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/NeckHeelTrimMarks.jpg

Attacked with some 150 grit first – that was easy! Nice fit now:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FunnyNeckHeelFixed.jpg

Course, it should have worked, I was using the World’s Best Sandpaper, see:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/WorldsBest.jpg

The head stock logo wasn’t so easy – this is not too bad looking, but it ain’t gonna be an NY Pro guitar, so it’s gotta go:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/StockHeadStock.jpg

This thing had some wacky clear coat that sanded to an ultra fine white powder – took a while, actually, but looks nice and clean now:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/CleanHeadStock.jpg

I don't know yet what I'll do for a logo ... I really don't mind the headstock shape, though. Kind of a Strat with a guthook ...

Lookin good.Was that an Eden neck?
Mine had them same square corners:smile:

Since I got the copper tape today, I thought I’d work on my rear rout cover. Taped the underside and sprayed it with some Fusion paint that adheres to plastic:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/CopperTapedRoutCover.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BlackRoutCover.jpg

And tomorrow brings another fine day on the left coast! It's warming up here - no more threat of black ice in the mornings, so I get to ride this to work - 80 mpg, and tons of fun!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Zuma_In_Sun_Cropped.jpg

Lookin good.Was that an Eden neck?
Mine had them same square corners:smile:

The brand is actually "New York Pro" - their strat copies are on Amazon, but I don't know much about them. This was off a Tele copy that was a few years old - a guy on the Squier 51 forum had it.

The brand is actually "New York Pro" - their strat copies are on Amazon, but I don't know much about them. This was off a Tele copy that was a few years old - a guy on the Squier 51 forum had it.

I see that now.Guess I should have waited a minute before I posted:shock:
:grin:

They have those necks on ebay too.... I just picked up a maple and a rosewood. $30 each plus shipping. (And reasonable shipping to the great white north for a change.) I'm interested to see what they look like in person.

And tomorrow brings another fine day on the left coast! It's warming up here - no more threat of black ice in the mornings, so I get to ride this to work - 80 mpg, and tons of fun!

You got the new big Zuma! I'm trying to talk the wife into one for scooting out to the stables (since she still won't give in on my motorcycle plans).

I love my blue Yamaha, but it's not that warm here, and 4-wheel drive + pushing snow doesn't get me anywhere near 80 mpg :roll:

http://homepage.mac.com/troyray/.Public/ATV/BB_6995.jpg

They have those necks on ebay too.... I just picked up a maple and a rosewood. $30 each plus shipping. (And reasonable shipping to the great white north for a change.) I'm interested to see what they look like in person.

Was it the NY Pro necks for $30, or Eden? I never saw any of the NY Pros ... I really like the look of the bound rosewood board Eden for $50-odd. I'd be interested to hear of anyone's experience with that one!

You got the new big Zuma! I'm trying to talk the wife into one for scooting out to the stables (since she still won't give in on my motorcycle plans).

I love my blue Yamaha, but it's not that warm here, and 4-wheel drive + pushing snow doesn't get me anywhere near 80 mpg :roll:


Indeed that is my 125 Zuma! 4-stroke, 4-valve, fuel injected, great suspension that is far above any other scooter I test drove ... tops out at about 60 MPH ... I love it!

Your rig looks like it would make snowplowing a blast, BTW!

Waiting a day was a good plan ... the finish is much better looking tonight with the splotches not noticeable at all in normal light. I've found that paint instructions are very optimistic about drying times, and I need to summon patience! Not an easy thing for me.

So tonight I'll have a go at my ketchup packet pseudo-burst!

I worked over the body a little bit with 0000 steel wool and then set up for the burst. I decided to mix two packets of the deep red cabernet with some of the pecan. Then starting with the edges, and worked it into the roundovers and the sides. Hard to take pics while doing this, but my wife happened by and snapped one for me:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/DoingTheBurst.jpg

I think it's getting close - flash shots blow all variations in the finish way out of proportion:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PseudoBurst.jpg

I may give it one more coat tomorrow ... sunlight will help.

Was it the NY Pro necks for $30, or Eden? I never saw any of the NY Pros ... I really like the look of the bound rosewood board Eden for $50-odd. I'd be interested to hear of anyone's experience with that one!

NY Pros... They started at $30 and had a BIN for $50 look for item 360136491298

By the way, that pecan is looking good!

I think the body has reached the saturation point with stain ... the last coat last night didn't do much, actually, but I think it's gonna work. I have decided it needs a pickguard, though. So, first I started tracing the neck cutout with my neck jig:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/StartingPickguardDrawing.jpg

Traced the body a little bit to give me some referencing while sketching - I just read Martyb1's thread and turns out he did the same thing!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PickguardDrawing.jpg

Then I sketched and snipped a couple sheets of paper, and ended up with this:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PickguardMockup.jpg

I may refine the area under the cutout a bit more, but this is where I'm headed I think. Problem is, nobody around here has any plastic stock. I spent about 30 minutes roaming around the local supermarket/one-stop kinda joint looking at everything from plastic bin lids, to clipboards. I'll find something tomorrow!

Oh yeah - gave it the first coat of wipe-on poly - pics of that process to come tomorrow.

Traced the body a little bit to give me some referencing while sketching - I just read Martyb1's thread and turns out he did the same thing!

Good thing we payed attention in art class :wink::smile:

Problem is, nobody around here has any plastic stock.

I ordered a 12" x 12" sheet of garolite from McMaster Carr on Tuesday, it showed up yesterday afternoon. I think it was around $7.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MockupVert.jpg
Horizontal - harsh flash and indoor light really accentuates/exacerbates the way the grain took the stain:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MockupHor.jpg


I don't know about the pickguard, Mark. I'm sure you'd do a great job with it, but that mockup is the cleanest looking tele I've ever seen. Very unique and very cool. A modernist interpretation of an esquire. Whatever you decide, good job!

Excuse my opinionated comment, can't keep my keyboard shut. ;)

That is too pretty for a PG IMO, especially with no neck PUP!. Maybe a little paisley PG like the 48-9 Proto and first year Broadcaster. Or a Clear Plexi small one like that you can put some printed paisley or other under according to your mood. ;)

Example, clear plexi guard with floral under:

http://home.comcast.net/~7511/0/Fin-clear-guard-over-floral.JPG

I think a clear guard (or no guard) would look cool.

Add me to the no-guard club. That is just way too pretty!! I love the clean lines. It would be a pity to cover that grain.

Okay - I hear you! Thanks guys, for the vote of confidence on my original idea and design. I'll stick to it and not put on a guard. HD does have some plexiglass sheets that I could use, but clear PGs are not my fave! So, no guard it is - the pseudo-burst staincaster!

I got up early and put on the second coat of poly, and took pics. Here’s my method – start with 0000 steel wool lightly rubbed with the grain over the whole surface:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/SteelWool.jpg

Then use a handy magnet to gather the shed steel particles – I’ll use a Bald Eagle in homage to Scatter Lee and his cool wildlife out his front door!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/BaldEagleMagnet.jpg

Oohh – fuzzy:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/SteelWoolFuzz.jpg

I have an old T-shirt sleeve I’m using – I started fresh with it on coat one, but like to use the same one over for the rest of the coats so that I’m avoiding lint issues with new applicators all the time. I store it in between coats in a sandwich bag and it stays moist:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/WipeOnPoly.jpg

I’ve only done this once before, but while putting 9 coats on I discovered the best way was complete, non-stop vertical strokes with the grain. If I stop mid-body somewhere, I get schmutzy build-up. Here’s the back in progress:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ApplyingPoly.jpg

Here’s the front – nice and flat and reflective already after the second coat – this actually may turn out all right!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/ReflectionFront.jpg

And here it hangs this afternoon after 3 coats – I came home for lunch and put on another:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/3rdCoatWindowShot.jpg

So overall, this project to use ketchup packets of stain is a qualified sort of success. The front is pretty cool – not professional, necessarily, but cool. But the back … it’s like a 50-year old actress. Looks good in medium to long shots, but please, no close-ups. Especially in HD!

What I really need to do is take it all back down to wood and re-apply with what I’ve learned. But, there’s no time, and since I used stain, that might not work. The stain penetrates the wood of course, so the body would probably be a mini-Tele by the time I got it all off. I’ll finish it out with another half dozen or so coats of poly this weekend, and then let it dry through the week. Then assemble next Friday/Saturday, in time for the big finish!

I got the fourth coat of poly on and it really lays flat when wet:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/4thCoatReflection.jpg

The texture in the light is actually the fluorescent fixture - I've never had clear come out this smooth! As the poly dries though it sinks in a bit and I get some relief in the larger dark grain. I'll have to look at Woodman's rainbow poplar build and see how many coats of poly he put on that.

The texture in the light is actually the fluorescent fixture - I've never had clear come out this smooth! As the poly dries though it sinks in a bit and I get some relief in the larger dark grain. I'll have to look at Woodman's rainbow poplar build and see how many coats of poly he put on that.[/QUOTE]


I have some of that stuff around here some place what I remember is
that it does shrink quite a bit and I thought the can said 3 coats Max?:confused:
How fast can you scuff after your 1st coat?

...

I have some of that stuff around here some place what I remember is
that it does shrink quite a bit and I thought the can said 3 coats Max?:confused:
How fast can you scuff after your 1st coat?

I don't see anything like that on my can, and I put 9 coats on my other Tele! I think this shrinks less than Deft does, actually. But I think I'm done at 5 coats on this body.

I’ve got a problem – I don’t know how I didn’t know this NY Pro neck was 22 frets … it’s a half longer than the usual Tele neck! Scale is right, but it’s just long. Here it is side by side with my SkyCaster – the nuts are lined up right next to each other:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/UhOhLongNeck.jpg

So, off came the paint stick, temporarily, and on went the neck to test this out. If by taking saddles to almost the limit of their space on the bridge, I can get to 25 ½ for the high E, I might be okay. I sure don’t want to try to adjust the neck pocket – it’s not as easy as making it a half inch deeper – the slope of the sides has to be right as well! Here’s the test:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/TestScaleLength.jpg

Looks like it will make it. But I know I’ve got to dowel the neck, cause who knows where the holes will line up, and the screws that came with the neck plate are 3/16 OD, and slip right into the existing mount holes in the neck heel with no screwing! That won’t work. So out came the little X-Acto saw and in go some dowels:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/CuttingDowels.jpg

I didn’t actually cut them in place! Just marked the depth for the cut. I put a little TiteBond in there and slipped ‘em in. Tomorrow I’ll sand ‘em flat.

Meanwhile, I’ve got 5 coats of poly on and it looks pretty good. Still some of the dark grain relief, but I can live with that. Just my rookie-ness with grain filler, I’m afraid:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/FifthCoatReflection.jpg

I think it will buff up well as is, and I don’t want to entomb this thing in too much plastic!

Today I worked on the neck a bit, wet-sanding and Deft-ing the front of the headstock so’s to put on some decals. I printed decals a couple days ago actually, and then shot them with Deft yesterday. You have to clear-coat decals, otherwise the inkjet ink comes off … Here’s the front:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/HeadstockFront.jpg

And the back:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/HeadstockBack.jpg
– no Deft on the back so you can see the difference in the way the decal lays down. Actually I didn’t even think about sanding and shooting the back. I’ll shoot a coat of Deft on both sides tomorrow night.

Then I masked and painted the pickup rout – I noticed on some photos of GE Smith models that it looks like the inside of the rout is painted black, which looks cool and I think gives it a more finished look, with the exposed rout. Here’s the mask:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/MaskingPupRout.jpg

And the result, in some nice late afternoon alpenglow sun:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PupRoutBlack.jpg

BTW: I still have my doubts about this 22 fret neck – I’ll probably look for some longer saddles screws in a couple days, but that extra half inch of neck hanging out there is going be strange. Plus the pickup is going to be that much closer to the saddles – could mean some serious twang, I guess! Any opinions on this neck thing???

Any opinions on this neck thing???


I am assuming by you comment the fretboard does not overhang. So I'd sure set up a jig an take that 1/2" off the part of the heel that mates into the neck pocket leaving the fret side overhang. Maybe a little scroll on the end of the overhang. :cool:

I have both 21 and 22 fret necked guitars; I don't think the 22 frets will be a big deal. I put a 22 fret neck on a tele copy and didn't notice any difference.

awesome build, mark!

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PupRoutBlack.jpg


That makes a whole lot, would it be cool with really burnt edges 'round the rout, no? :mrgreen:

I am assuming by you comment the fretboard does not overhang. So I'd sure set up a jig an take that 1/2" off the part of the heel that mates into the neck pocket leaving the fret side overhang. Maybe a little scroll on the end of the overhang. :cool:

Correct, Robert – it does not overhang. I don’t know about cutting it though. I don’t know where the end of the truss rod is, for one thing!

I have both 21 and 22 fret necked guitars; I don't think the 22 frets will be a big deal. I put a 22 fret neck on a tele copy and didn't notice any difference.

Good to hear! Thanks, mkh!

awesome build, mark!

Thanks man! It always feels good to get some positive feedback!

That makes a whole lot, would it be cool with really burnt edges 'round the rout, no? :mrgreen:

Cool idea - but, no! I think that poly would be an accelerant and it might be tough to control the burn!!

You could probably find the end of the truss rod with a stud finder.

You could probably find the end of the truss rod with a stud finder.


Do a few 1/8" drillings and see where it starts maybe:confused:

The simplest solution is just to deepen the neck pocket. Mod your template and it's a 2 minute job. Due to my own futz up, I had to re-cut the neck pocket on my first build about a quarter inch farther into the body in order to get the nut to bridge length right. It turned out great. I even had a cleaner, nicer fit with the heel of the neck than on the original cut.

If it's worth getting right, it's worth doing right.

Do a few 1/8" drillings and see where it starts maybe:confused:

Yeah... what he said!

I don't know if it's an extra half inch to come off, but the square cut should be as close to a half inch from the center of the 21st fret as you can get.

Hope this is some help. Standard truss rods are 18" long. Your truss rod adjusts from the head stock the truss rod should end in the middle of the screw pattern for neck to body attachment.
Also you only need to remove a 1/4-3/8" and reshape. You could use a razer saw to do this.
Good luck
Jack

What I really need to do is take it all back down to wood and re-apply with what I’ve learned. But, there’s no time, and since I used stain, that might not work. The stain penetrates the wood of course, so the body would probably be a mini-Tele by the time I got it all off.



Not that there's really anything wrong with a mini-tele, right Mark?

Interesting ideas, you guys! I'm leaning more towards cutting the neck, rather than the body. If this neck turns out to be a dud, then a standard neck rout on the body would be a good thing!

Cutting a half inch off is not that much, really, and I could leave the fingerboard (remember this one is a two-piece with maple board glued on top) plus a little for the overhang. The fingerboard is about 3/16 thick and the overhang would have to be about 5/16. Here's the half inch line at the end of the neck - this is almost exactly under the 22nd fret:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/PossibleNeckCutMark.jpg

Not that there's really anything wrong with a mini-tele, right Mark?

At this point, I've embraced the stain and the whole project as another step in my progress in this building game. I love the overall look - that's why I went with the "Stained Esquire" label on the headstock (hope I don't get in trouble using 'Esquire'!!).

Hey Mark,

Did you determine that the bridge won't intonate with 22?

I think the stain looks great...

Cheers,

Murray

Interesting neck. Separate maple fretboard yet it has a skunk stripe. It appears the truss rod was installed from the fretboard side since there's no sign of an anchor on the back side. The skunk stripe must just be for looks. On Fender one piece necks the anchor is usually about a half inch from the end of the neck and visible from the back of the heel.

You can probably cut off 1/2 inch and miss the anchor. If you're concerned make it 3/8 in. Depending on your saw set-up, if you miss it at 3/8, you could take off a little more.

Drilling a 1/8 in. hole at 5/8 in. from the heel end could also help. This could be filled with a dowel.

Hey Mark,

Did you determine that the bridge won't intonate with 22?

I think the stain looks great...

Cheers,

Murray

Thanks Murray! I think my test above showing that I can get 25 1/2 inches on the bridge at the high E means it will intonate. It will be a long throw from the string through holes to the saddles though!

Interesting neck. Separate maple fretboard yet it has a skunk stripe. It appears the truss rod was installed from the fretboard side since there's no sign of an anchor on the back side. The skunk stripe must just be for looks. On Fender one piece necks the anchor is usually about a half inch from the end of the neck and visible from the back of the heel.

You can probably cut off 1/2 inch and miss the anchor. If you're concerned make it 3/8 in. Depending on your saw set-up, if you miss it at 3/8, you could take off a little more.

Drilling a 1/8 in. hole at 5/8 in. from the heel end could also help. This could be filled with a dowel.

Yeah, I thought it was strange, too, Jack. I’ve seen silly ads for necks on the bay that spout a skunk stripe as some kind of cool feature! Maybe the manufacturer uses the two-piece approach because they get more necks out of their maple boards – they can save the nice even grain stuff for fingerboards. Don’t know if that makes sense, but maybe.

I think I can take off ¼ … that would give me some more room on the bridge, and might make the long neck not as obvious when playing. And I have to think that would steer clear of the truss rod. Here’s a ¼ mark on the bottom (oh, and I finally sanded down the dowels:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup%20Caster/QuarterInchMarkOnNeckHeel.jpg

I don't have a saw that would be up to this challenge, but think I could rout it!! That way I could get consistent depth too.

I had the neck problem, too. Jwells had the answer (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-tech/132451-neck-fitting.html#post1506823). Had I owned a table saw, I would have followed his advice, too. I ended up using a mitre saw, and I almost got it right. The neck now fits, but the heel isn't going to win any beauty pageants.

Didn't have much chance to work tonight, but I marked out a little more thoroughly how I think I'll cut the neck heel:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/HeelMarkedforCutting.jpg

I figure I have to decide to go for it tomorrow, or just accept the long neck and intonate with long saddle screws. Meanwhile, I was touching up some dust spots on my rear rout cover and sprayed another coat of black fusion, and this happened:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/BadPaintRearCover.jpg

Yuck - paint bacteria! Obviously I've sanded it down, but I may have to use some mineral spirits and start over on the black on this thing. No great loss if I have to cut a whole new piece - except for the copper tape already on the other side!

My finishing plan goes like this, starting tomorrow night after work with wet-sanding, then resuming Friday night and Saturday:


Wet Sand Body and Headstock
Polish Bridge
Drill Neck Mount Holes in Body
Re-Drill String-Through Holes
Buff Body
Fit and Mount Ferrules
Drill Volume and Tone Pot Holes
Attach Neck
Align and Drill Bridge
Install Pickup and Pots and Wire it up
String 'er up and shoot video of first twang!


Something like that anyways! It has been a fun journey, that's for sure!

yep, looks like a job for a router w/ a pattern bit to me. and hope like heck you don't hit the truss rod :shock::mrgreen:

Hey Mark,

Got my NYC necks today and the back of the maple one has 5 holes in it - the centre one at the heel is well past the last fret so you won't hit the truss rod if you cut yours back.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/3349696568_1eac41c0ce.jpg

Cheers,

Murray

Decided to go for it on the neck heel. My objective – use my router to cut off about 5/16 and leave an equal 5/16 overhang over the body. Here’s the make-shift jig setup:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelCutJig.jpg
Router Path:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelRouterPath.jpg

First Cut is straight, with a slight tear-out on the right, but … it ain’t level:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFirstCut.jpg

Needed to shim the left side of the neck, under the t-shirt, using a piece of cedar shingle … second cut:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelSecondCut.jpg

Better. Now re-set the jig to go lower to the final depth, 5/16 from the top at the side of the neck:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFinalCutJig.jpg

And here’s the final cut. Flat, but a little tear-out on the right, and a little seam:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelCutDone.jpg

– I’m not worried, though. Remember I have the World’s Best Sandpaper! :wink: Rough out the corners and fix the seam:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelRoughSand.jpg

Smooth it all out – no flash this time:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelDone.jpg

Test it in the neck template – dang, that might just work:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit.jpg

And test it in the real thing – just can’t resist:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit2.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit3.jpg

Remember in that last shot, it’s not screwed down. It’ll be nice and snug. Here’s a scale length test – last try at this I had the saddle screw almost all the way out to get it long enough – this time it’s screwed in quite a ways:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/BridgeSaddleLength.jpg

That … will … work! As the kids say, I am stoked! I’ll probably take tomorrow afternoon off and get busy wet sanding the top and back.

I am stoked[/B]! I’ll probably take tomorrow afternoon off and get busy wet sanding the top and back.

+1

nice save!

Nice recovery. SWEET!

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit.jpg[/IMG]


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit.jpg

What is that green stuff and where can I get some???
I see others using stuff that looks like it but theres is white-ish.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit.jpg

What is that green stuff and where can I get some???
I see others using stuff that looks like it but theres is white-ish.

Looks like the same material they make cutting boards out of. Wal-Mart has 'em and so does Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I know the grain did not get filled completely, but the sinking of the finish into the grain I love personally. I could care less if a finish is like that or perfectly filled and the finish flat, actually on nice wood like that and ash etc I prefer the sinking. It is wood for Pete's sake I say. ;)

this is just WOW...
absolutely beautiful...



[QUOTE=Mark-00255;1727964]And test it in the real thing – just can’t resist:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit2.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckHeelFit3.jpg

That … will … work! As the kids say, I am stoked!.

Dude I'm totally Stoked for you. :wink: Great job on saving that neck. It fits beautifully now.

Love the grain pattern on your guitfiddle, and the bridge and knobs look fantastic.

Looks like the same material they make cutting boards out of. Wal-Mart has 'em and so does Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Yes - it's cutting board from a local grocery cash-and-carry type of joint. My white is the same stuff.

this is just WOW...
absolutely beautiful...


Thank you, Nick - you're too kind. My build seems to have alternated between some stuff that worked really well and some stuff where I made some real bonehead mistakes!

Thanks also to Stoked and Colt - it means a lot to get some good feedback!

Meanwhile, I was sure I'd screwed the pooch last night wet-sanding. I also got a little aggressive, but I sure tried to be careful. I very lightly started with 600 on the back, then went to 1000 then 1500. And when it was all the way dry, found I'd taken some high spots right down:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/BackBareSpots.jpg

Crap! There are about six of these on the back - in the center upper area - the light spots in this shot:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/BackBareSpots2.jpg

So when I flipped it over I just used 1500 on the front, and was very gentle. My plan was to take off the shine and get it level, between the big grains which like robt57 I kinda like, then polish. Well, I guess the poly doesn't do that like lacquer will. It was just dull .... I carefully polished an area with some Maguiars stuff - didn't dare try my buffing wheel I have for my hand drill! But it still looked a little cloudy.

So, I decided at 9:00 PM to put on another coat of poly. I lightly wiped the whole thing down with mineral spirits, and got a new fresh t-shirt applicator, and laid down another coat. The front still looked cloudy through the new coat - aargh! Went to bed thinking I was done, and out of the challenge. The best this poly will do is get reasonably hard in 24 hours.

But this morning, I found the front actually looks great. It could use one more coat, as could the back, but there's no time. And it's actually flatter and smoother then before the sanding adventure - here's the wet sand result last night before the re-coat and the front just a few minutes ago (12 1/2 hours dry time):
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/WetSandFrontResult.jpg

I guess all I can do now is let it dry, and bolt it together late tonight or tomorrow morning early.

I guess all I can do now is let it dry, and bolt it together late tonight or tomorrow morning early.

I am getting to the same point.

The finish looks great... and the neck mod gets and A+, too! I can't wait to see it all finished up.

Poly doesn't buff like lacquer; it never gets hard enough. Ideally, you do your last coat such that it lays perfectly flat and does not pick up any dust, and you leave it with out polishing.

Thanks Tom B! I'm having a hard time waiting, too!

Yeah, Ironwolf, if only I'd know that poly doesn't buff yesterday afternoon! But the end result is the front and back are both smoother and flatter! So I guess it's working out in the end.

Meanwhile, there is stuff to do while paint dries. Here's my bag of pots and stuff from a Strat single HB setup I tried a while back - that's a genuine Squier '51 Bridge HB in the bag - I need to do something with that one - they're too good to not use!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/Electronics.jpg

So I needed to assemble the pots and jack into a volume/tone/no-switch setup. Got going and realized I was plumb out of 20-gauge wire ... plus I still needed some screws for mounting the pickup. So, one more trip to the hardware store and one more little bag of parts. 3 black 6 X 1 wood screws at 23 cents each; one foot of surgical tubing at 39 cents (they use that around here for steelhead fishing jigs - I'll use it for springs), and one foot of doorbell wire at 29 cents:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/LastBagofParts.jpg

And get busy with the nice new soldering iron my wife got me for christmas this year! Sorry, no action shots of soldering - I always need three hands to solder stuff anyway:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/WiringDone.jpg

The green wire out the left side off the volume pot is the bridge ground.

Then I thought I'd put the tuners and string trees back on the neck. Pretty straightforward since they came off this neck. Here's the stuff:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/AssembleNeck.jpg

Front all done:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckDoneFront.jpg

Back:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/NeckDoneBack.jpg

- yeah these tuners are seriously not straight. They went right back in the same holes, and I fussed around for a while, but looks like they were originally installed this way! Oh well! IF I end up keeping this guitar (meaning I lose :sad:) then I think I'll get a set of klusons.

Nice stuff - can't wait to see the finished picture(s).

Thanks gtrwrks! Closing in on 24 hours dry time for the final poly coat!

Meanwhile, I decided to replace the black plastic cover since the paint went bad on me and I screwed up on of the mounting holes! Tried to countersink that thin plastic and went clear through ... Doh! But, what to use ... how about a cedar shake? I have plenty in the kindling bin from our re-roof a couple years ago. Here's one that might work:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/CedarShake.jpg

Roughed out the shape with my trustee X-Acto knife, and broke the blade right at the end! But, I'm not worried, 'cause I've got ... wait for it ... the World's Best Sandpaper:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/CedarRoughCut.jpg

I hand sanded for about three minutes, then put some good stuff on my little orbital and went to town! Long story short, here's a test fit in the body:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/CedarTestFit.jpg

I still haven't managed to match up that shape at the top! I may just cut another one of these in a few days. I gave this little hatch cover a coat of poly and set about thinking about the copper foil ...

While hunting through the junk stuff I found this nifty sheet of foil backed paper from an old tape recorder:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/FoilPaper.jpg

There's just enough to cut two of the inner rout shapes - one for the bottom of the rout, and one for the back of the new hatch cover:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/FoilPaperBack.jpg

The alert amongst you - or those of you smarter than me anyways - will note that if these two pieces are going to mirror each other, I gotta cut one the other way. I did realize that before cutting ... thankfully, Here's a test fit in the rout:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/FoilPaperTestFit.jpg

This challenge has given me a whole new outlook on building - why just run off to the store to buy something when found materials might be just as good, or better, and you get the satisfaction of puzzling through a problem and finding a solution!

An hour and a half until assembly!

Look at Brian May's guitar.. he and his Dad made it out of odds n' sods and tractor parts when he was 16... It's all he ever plays.

Excellent point about Brian May's guitar, Keith!

Well, it's 1:00 AM Pacific Time. I got 9 hours until deadline. Guitar's mostly done - it twangs! Still some details like the shielding and strap buttons. And the bridge is off to the high E side just a little - despite measuring twice! Guess that's what happens when you set a bridge at 11:30 PM or whatever it was. Here's one shot - lousy flash! I have many pics of the build up itself that I'll post tomorrow. I'll get up early and tweak the bridge, do the other details and shoot a video!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/FirstShotAssembled.jpg

Looks great.

Thanks John! I think so too, but I'm biased!

Couldn't sleep more than a few hours, so here's my chronicle of last night's adventure. I managed to catch a few assembly details before I got too tired to keep track and take pics! I started with laying out where the knobs ought to go, aided by my rout template. I put the knobs where I wanted first, and then laid the templates over to make sure they would be okay in the rout hole:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/LayoutKnobs.jpg

I drilled some small pilot holes first, then got out the 3/8 wood bore bit – yikes!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/DrillPotHoles.jpg

Worked well, though:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/PotHolesDone.jpg

I had to hog out a little from the floor of the rout with a 1-inch Forstner so’s the pots would stick through enough, and then in they go:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/PotsInPlace.jpg

Next, I mounted the pickup. Started by eyeballing how I wanted the pickup lined up in the exposed rout hole – then I drilled in place (there may be a safer way to do this):
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/DrillPickupMount.jpg

Then I grabbed some little sections of weather stripping self-stick foam for cushion under the pickup:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/PickupFoam.jpg

And assembled my screws and surgical/steelhead tubing:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/PickupScrewsAndRubber.jpg

Then in goes the pickup – Nice and neat:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/PickupDone.jpg

Next comes the neck and bridge layout. The typical string program:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/LayoutBridgeAndNeck.jpg

Did it twice to be sure:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/LayoutBridgeNeck2.jpg

Clamped the neck, and then went for it:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/ClampAndDrillNeck.jpg

At this point it was pretty late, and the shots got few and far between – sorry! I screwed on the neck (had to re-drill two neck holes that weren’t deep enough!), double-checked the bridge and drilled those mount holes. Then before mounting the bridge, figured I’d better tin the bridge ground – wired stripped and ready:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/TinningBridgeGround.jpg
Done – you can also see in this pic that I hogged out the tops of the string through holes a little to line up well with the bridge holes:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/BridgeGroundDone.jpg

Finally, I soldered up the pickups wires – everything else was pre-soldered.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/FinalSoldering.jpg

Somewhere in there I drilled and mounted the electrosocket - had to re-set and rotate it once in the hole when the lugs wouldn't quite clear out of the plugs way. Then I checked the circuit with a multi-meter – everything was working! So on went the 11s! I fiddled with string height on the saddles quite a bit, then plugged in my Zoom processor and amp, and tuned it up! It worked first try!

So now I’m up and I’ll do the final stuff and report in a couple hours.

This thing has really turned out nice. Nice save on that neck heal. Looking forward to the video.

Very nice result there on #2. I'm sure the bug has bitten you for number 3 right?
Marty

Final photos - It's all done - Front:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/KetchupCasterTwo.jpg

Back with funny cedar hatch cover!:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/KetchupCasterThree.jpg

In repose - waiting to be played:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/KetchupCasterOne.jpg

And two more detail shots - Electrosocket View:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/KetchupCasterFour.jpg

And the neck overhang:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/KetchupCaster.jpg

This was the best fun I've had in years! Thanks TDPRI and all of those who suffered through my mishaps, and encouraged me when things went well! Accounting to follow shortly ...

Final Accounting - I took out the copper tape 'cause I didn't use it. And I didn't include the free stuff, like the cedar shingle and ...:
ferrules $7.50
bridge $2.61
used pots $6.00
electrosocket $16.95
pickup $10.00
neck $32.47
Bridge & Cover screws $1.50
Strap Buttons $1.84
Knobs $2.99
Jack $2.95
Neck Plate $4.00
Strings $5.49
Pickup Screws $0.69
Wire $0.29
Surgical Tubing $0.39
Total $95.67

Now I gotta try to do a vid in the next 15 minutes and get it uploaded. Doubtful!

Love the simplicity of the design, without the pickguard or control plate. Shows off the finish and wood grain well. Nice job on the bridge, too... looks so much better than one just cut off straight across!

Jim

Thanks Jim!

I got a video done, and it's uploaded to Youtube, but it now seems to be "processing" - I haven't done much YouTube, but I guess that's normal.

Here's the video:

pYUFduIMhMI&hl

One last pic - final weight, which I don't think has any bearing on the contest, but is interesting nonetheless:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd318/olymark/Ketchup Caster/FinalWeight.jpg

8 lbs 5.7 ounces!