TDPRI 2010 $210 Tele build challenge - Sheoakaster

Here is my entry, a 69 thinline body with Wilkinson PAF's. The body will be two piece Sheoak back and a bookmatched sheoak top with single white binding. The neck will be 1 piece Sheoak with a Jarrah(Red) or yate (cream) skunk stripe.
The piece of wood on the left is the body and on the right the neck. Currently they are very rough chainsaw cut chunks.

The timber cost me nothing as it came from my parents farm. I went out in search of some wood and while walking through the bush I found this stump.

The tree has been dead for at least 20 years, probably longer and it has been in my garage for nearly 12 months now. Should be plenty dry enough.

I got my Dad to take to it with the chainsaw and cut three pieces off it, one of which I turned into a bass for my wife. Some of you may have seen the bass before.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/186709-just-finished-builds-2-3-including-first-pinecaster.html

It gives you a good idea of what the sheoak looks like finished.
This is what the stump looks like now.

A short walk from the stump and I am presented with this view.
I will have to live there again one day. :smile:

Wow. That's beautiful wood. And the view's not bad either.

Well here goes. First cut's always make me nervous. I hope all is good on the inside.

Hmmm, that crack could be a problem.:neutral:

After a few more cuts the two halves of the body back look like this. A much more appropriate size for a guitar body.
The one on the right has me worried. I think the crack goes too far into the body. :sad: I will take it to work with me on Tuesday and run it through the thicknesser. I may well end up making the join not central to the back. Which is ok cos the top will be bookmatched.

A short walk from the stump and I am presented with this view.
I will have to live there again one day. :smile:

Manypeaks, yes? I miss that area, we moved to Meekatharra in December, and there is no wood up here. Guitar building has stopped.... for now. Can't wait to see your planks all done up.

Manypeaks, yes? I miss that area, we moved to Meekatharra in December, and there is no wood up here. Guitar building has stopped.... for now. Can't wait to see your planks all done up.

The hills in the distance are the Porongorups. In that shot Manypeaks is to the far right out of the picture. On a good day you can see the Stirling range as well from that spot.

Went to Bunnings and bought an electric plane.

Straightened up some edges to see what I might get out of this neck chunk.

Off to the bandsaw to see what it looks like in the middle.

Hmm, could get two necks out of this. :wink:

With a bit more planing and some more bandsaw work, here we have two neck blanks. The one on the right is quarter sawn the other flat sawn. I will use the one that looks best once routed to shape. I think the quarter sawn one will look the best. I have penciled a neck shape on one of them.

Here is the complete set. Planed the body blanks ready to go through the thicknesser tomorrow at work.

Way cool! Theres nothing like free wood, turning something that would have just rotted into a piece of art. Good on ya mate!

Ed

Coming along nicely

I got a surprise at work today, I found a new $6000 dollar jointer sitting there so I ran the pieces over that first then thicknessed them up.

Here they are all thicknessed up and ready to be trimmed, glued and shaped.

I love the grain patterns in this wood. I am happy with these shots the colors are pretty much true to life.

You're wood is really nice!

Wow, that looks great.

Never seen sheoak before, lovely looking wood.
Good luck with your build, gonna look good

You're wood is really nice!

Wow, that looks great.

Never seen sheoak before, lovely looking wood.
Good luck with your build, gonna look good

Thanks for your comments. The timber is unique in that it is only found here in the southwest of Western Australia. There are similar species of tree found elsewhere in Australia. Sheoak is a highly desirable woodworkers timber locally and given that it is quite expensive. Part of the reason for that is because of the nature of the medullary rays in the wood it cracks quite easily if left exposed to the elements. Walking through the bush here you can find whole trees that have split up and are effectively only useful for firewood. It can be quite difficult to get good lengths of solid timber, hence the price.

Got some more done today.

Body blank all glued up. Still need to do some final thicknessing.

Then I can cut it to shape.

Cut my necks to shape today.

Some outside and inside photos.

These close ups not only show the grain figuring but demonstrate how good having a bandsaw is. I can cut so close to the line leaving minimal work for my router, which is important with this figured timber.

Nice progress so far. The wood looks great.

Nice progress so far. The wood looks great.

Thanks jkingma.

Took my glued body in to work and ran it over the jointer.

Very happy with the join. Now it is 38mm thick (1.5inches) which means I will need a 7mm thick cap. Perfect. :grin:

Traced the template on to give me an idea of where I will cut it. I am a happy man this looks like it will come together well.:grin:

Got a little more done. Here are some photos of the cap.
The cap is bookmatched and thicknessed to 9mm. Now all I have to do is make some new thinline templates then make lots of noise and dust with the router.

Don't worry those big borer holes fall well outside the shape.

Can't wait for more updates on this one. Great Work!

Nice wood, looks like angry mahogany. ;)

Can't wait for more updates on this one. Great Work!

Thanks wisdom 86.

Nice wood, looks like angry mahogany. ;)

I have never heard anyone say that before about Sheoak.:smile:

I'd rather see the wild grain on top, and cap the back. That stuff is too nice to hide in back. It must be very heavy - right?

I'd rather see the wild grain on top, and cap the back. That stuff is too nice to hide in back. It must be very heavy - right?

Sheoak heavy? Yes. That uncapped untrimmed blank is 4.4kg (9.7lbs). The amount I trim off is about the same volume as the cap going on.

The grain pattern is a debate that rages here some people prefer the way I am planning it others prefer the other pattern. Unfortunately due to the position of some of the flaws in the timber I am limited and have to do it as I planned. The back of the guitar will still look really nice and when I want to look at it I just have to turn it around.

I will make another one with a book matched "wild grain" sometime soon. I will have to go searching for that piece of timber in the bush. Maybe I shall visit what is left of that stump in the easter holidays.:wink: Just don't tell my wife she said I can't bring anymore wood back this time.

I have spent the last week celebrating birthdays, engagements and the like which has limited the build time but I did manage to make some new templates.

Then tonight I glued up the cap.

Drew the pattern from the templates on the body.

and finally started to hog out some waste timber. THe wood is so hard and dry my poor forstner bit struggled to make much progress so I resorted to using a 10mm drill bit. At which point the v belt on my drill press snapped, thus ending all woodworking for today. In the top left hand corner of the pic you can see a bit of the busted v belt.

I'd be happy to donate a bookmatched veneer (I have consecutive slices) if you wanted it to dress up the cap.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/nickjdo/IMG_1157.jpg

With finish.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz334/nickjdo/IMG_0994.jpg

Thanks Nick JD, but I am happy with how dressy this is going to look.

I got a lot done today, I think.

Firstly I made it look like swiss cheese. The close up shows what my forstner bit did to it. The black mark = burning smell. Too hard for my forstner bit.

Then it was off to the bandsaw for the cut out. Screwed the template on and routed it. I think the down hill idea works well. :wink: I had one tiny little tear out in a momentary lapse of concentration.

Now that looks more like a tele.:grin:

I also did the round over while I was at the table but decided not to round over near the neck plate. I eased those transitions with some filing and sandpaper.

I then removed the swiss influence, initially with hammer and chisel, then decided lots of dust with the router would be quicker.

I then attached the thinline template and smoothed out the hollow sections.

1.8kg now, much better than the 4.4kg earlier.:smile:

Took the cap out of the clamps and marked it for cutting then glueing.

Cut and positioned for glueing. Forgot the mandatory glue photo. Now it is all clamped up.

momentary lapse of concentration.


Holy Sheoak!

Holy Sheoak!

I understand your concern robt57. But I just relaxed the pressure on the body for an infinitesimal moment at the wrong moment. Not dangerous, just annoying.

beautiful looking build so far. It's been a treat to watch the progress.

This is gonna be a great looking guitar!

Jim

Thanks for the nice comments tdu and jimdkc.

I understand your concern robt57. But I just relaxed the pressure on the body for an infinitesimal moment at the wrong moment. Not dangerous, just annoying.



I did not mean that as any type of a critique, believe me.

That wood remind me of the bubinga top on one of my bodies to a large degree.. Grain wise, not color so much.

I wonder if these two wood are of the same genius perhaps...


http://www.tdpri.com/forum/attachments/tdpri-2010-%24210-tele-build-challenge/43085d1268135524t-tdpri-2010-%24210-tele-build-challenge-sheoakaster-img_2899-jpg

Only in my memory maybe,, side by side not so much... :oops:



The bubinga starts out so reddish, but turns brown...

That wood remind me of the bubinga top on one of my bodies to a large degree.. Grain wise, not color so much.

I wonder if these two wood are of the same genius perhaps...



Not being a Botanist I wouldn't know, but I'd like to know.
Thank you for your comments though, I am just glad someone is viewing and commenting on my build.

I've got a question for you, too: Seeing as sheoak is quite heavy, would it make sense to use sheoak for the body's centre block and top with lightweight wings from poplar or somesuch if you wanted a solid rather than a hollowed-out guitar?

Not being a Botanist I wouldn't know, but I'd like to know.
Thank you for your comments though, I am just glad someone is viewing and commenting on my build.

Sheoak is Allocasuarina. The "casuarina" part is the giveaway.

It's actually a "softwood" being a conifer - probably the hardest softwood out there!

Floridians know all about Casuarinas, I think they call them Australian Pines (they do in Stephen King books that I read :grin:).

The medulary rays are what make it a stand out. Very similar to the veneer I have (although completely unrelated) to the silky oak - which is a close relative of snakewood.

Looking spectacular BTW :cool:.

Thanks Nick JD. Now I know.

Looks great

I've got a question for you, too: Seeing as sheoak is quite heavy, would it make sense to use sheoak for the body's centre block and top with lightweight wings from poplar or somesuch if you wanted a solid rather than a hollowed-out guitar?

Hi Moggl I have pondered your question myself in the past. Sheoak is always used here in a way that maximises it's look because of the unique grain. So I had intended sandwiching some lightweight timber (probably pine) between 2 pieces of sheoak. I would then paint the edge black or simillar (hiding the pine) then do a double binding in white to highlight the front and back of the guitar.

Looks great

Thanks.

Very nice!!

Very nice!!

Thanks mechaman327.

I just took it out of the clamps. The body weighs a nice 2.4kg (5.3lbs). I don't think there will be much more happening until next weekend, unfortunately.:cry:

Stay tuned though.

Hopefully some goodies turn up in the mail from Stew Mac tomorrow.:smile:

Hi Moggl I have pondered your question myself in the past. Sheoak is always used here in a way that maximises it's look because of the unique grain. So I had intended sandwiching some lightweight timber (probably pine) between 2 pieces of sheoak. I would then paint the edge black or simillar (hiding the pine) then do a double binding in white to highlight the front and back of the guitar.

Thanks, I see. I'll keep an eye out for this build. Thumbs up! :-)

Cheers,

Moggl

Seriously looking good!

Seriously looking good!

Thanks Barkley.

I wonder what this might be?

Ah some useful goodies. I should be able to finish this one now by the end date.:wink:

I took the body out of the clamps and it looks good. I will trim it up later in the week. Here are a couple of pics.

I just did some sums on the build cost and I think it looks like the following list:
Knobs - $7.04
Ferrules - $6.79
Pots - $9.38
Switch - $6.99
Jack - $1.49
Jack plate - $3.19
Orange drop Cap - $2
Realtone Tuners - $29
Fretwire - $7
Pickguard - $21.35 (The blank cost 42.70 and I can get 2 out of it)
Neck plate - $4.50
Truss rod - $17
Wilkinson PAF HB Pickups - 2 x $30 (I will need to check this. They are second hand so that could be a reasonable value)
Dunlop Strings - $15
Finish - $10 (might be more we will see)
Wood - $0 (Thanks to a walk in the bush)

Grand total = $200.73 US
That leaves me $9.27 to counteract hidden expenses.

I just did some sums on the build cost and I think it looks like the following list:
Knobs - $7.04
Ferrules - $6.79
Pots - $9.38
Switch - $6.99
Jack - $1.49
Jack plate - $3.19
Orange drop Cap - $2
Realtone Tuners - $29
Fretwire - $7
Pickguard - $21.35 (The blank cost 42.70 and I can get 2 out of it)
Neck plate - $4.50
Truss rod - $17
Wilkinson PAF HB Pickups - 2 x $30 (I will need to check this. They are second hand so that could be a reasonable value)
Dunlop Strings - $15
Finish - $10 (might be more we will see)
Wood - $0 (Thanks to a walk in the bush)

Grand total = $200.73 US
That leaves me $9.27 to counteract hidden expenses.

I just paid $50NZ (US$35) for a pair of s/h Wilkinsons if that is any use to your valuation...

I just paid $50NZ (US$35) for a pair of s/h Wilkinsons if that is any use to your valuation...

After checking again I found I didn't pay that much new. So I will revise my valuation down a bit. $40 US for the pair. I paid $50 Aussie dollars new.

I actually manage to get some done today. First I made an F-hole in the template.

Then I trimmed the cap on the bandsaw before flush routing.

Drew the f-hole on the body and roughed out the hole. Then attached the template and routed using a 1/4'' bit using the shaft to follow the pattern.

You may have noticed a headless screw protruding from the body. Accidently stripped the template screw and couldn't get it out of the body. Very annoying.:mad:

I pressed on. The f-hole looks quite good. Close up reveals some deliberate hand filing is required.

Ran the belt sander over it in preparation for some binding. Looking good.:grin:

Ran the belt sander over it in preparation for some binding. Looking good.:grin:
Yeah, looking real good! :cool:

/ Tony

Yeah, looking real good! :cool:

/ Tony

Thanks Tony.

That figuring is beautiful!

That figuring is beautiful!

I dunno, maybe its the colour, but there is something about this build that just oozes "Australia". Beautiful, Michael, and as you know, that takes some saying from this side of the ditch!

The gorgeous rays in the oak immediately made me think "mission style furniture"! If it were me I'd fume the body in ammonia vapor, then varnish it. :)

That figuring is beautiful!

I dunno, maybe its the colour, but there is something about this build that just oozes "Australia". Beautiful, Michael, and as you know, that takes some saying from this side of the ditch!

The gorgeous rays in the oak immediately made me think "mission style furniture"! If it were me I'd fume the body in ammonia vapor, then varnish it. :)

Thanks all for the positive comments. I intend to clear gloss finish it with an acid catalysed lacquer which I think will highlight the stunning grain pattern.

acid catalysed lacquer


:confused:acid catalysed lacquer:confused:

Like to hear more about that?

:confused:acid catalysed lacquer:confused:

Like to hear more about that?

Hmmm....that is what it was called by the person I got it off. It is effectively a two part lacquer. Although it works much more like fiberglass resin. For it to set it needs a catalyst. I am assuming that the catalyst is an acid based substance, but without it in front of me I cannot confirm that. My friend still has it at his place hopefully he will drop it off sometime next week. I have finished 2 other guitars with it previously.

I don't feel like i got much done yesterday or today. I feel like I spent ages out in the shed and only got the neck thicknessed, shaped and a trussrod slot routed. I also started the neck pocket and humbucker rout. Anyway here is what it looks like now.

Sorry no action shots. Just forgot to take the camera out with me.

Just taking a break from sanding and scraping my body here and thought I'd see what the competition is up to :wink:. All I can say is that wood of yours keeps looking better and better!!! I think I'll have to get some of that sometime soon!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, your woodworking looks like its up to snuff as well!

Just taking a break from sanding and scraping my body here and thought I'd see what the competition is up to :wink:. All I can say is that wood of yours keeps looking better and better!!! I think I'll have to get some of that sometime soon!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, your woodworking looks like its up to snuff as well!

Thanks, CJFearn.

Decided I would do the binding today. Gave it a sand. Test run the binding rout on scrap then ran it round the router.

Here are two mock ups. I will glue it up after dinner. The neck is just one I had lying around, and threw it in to see how it looked.

The f-hole looks quite good.

I would agree with that. Very nice looking F-hole.

Dinner is done now for some binding fun. By the way this is my first binding job ever. Lets see what happens.

Prepare yourself properly first. Here is my stack of equipment for the job.

Gloves on. This is the glue I am gonna use.

All done, hmm..... I seem to have jumped ahead a bit here. It is a bit hard to take photos at the same time as play with CA. If I got any on the camera I would be in serious trouble with my wife.

Do you see the little bit of light blue in the second photo? Let me just say I am glad that is glove not skin.:wink:

I would agree with that. Very nice looking F-hole.

Thanks for the comment, Jack. I have since slightly modified the F-hole. I wanted a little more point in the centre of the two ends. You can just make out the changes in the last post.

Thanks for the comment, Jack. I have since slightly modified the F-hole. I wanted a little more point in the centre of the two ends. You can just make out the changes in the last post.

F-hole binding! :grin:

F-hole binding! :grin:

A very tempting idea Nick. When I cut off the excess I thought to myself, "What do I do with this?" Answer = Bind the F-hole. But I didn't. I am undecided whether I will or not. Leaning towards, not.

More done today. Unwrapped and scraped the binding. Looks like this now.

Then inserted the trussrod. Hmm...I am glad I am keeping this guitar because I am not happy with that mess.

Anyway, I glued in the skunk stripe.

Opted for another piece of sheoak as there was plenty lying around. This piece should be quite a bit darker.

Actually I trimmed the headstock before the trussrod drama which must have set me off because I set the depth wrong on my bandsaw and cut too much off. Note the additional slice on the end. I re measured then re-cut. Fortunately I checked it against a genuine neck and it is still thicker than that so it should turn out ok.

I then raided this guitar to collect these parts.

To enable a mock up with a MIM neck. The pickguard in the shot is the template. I shall make the real thing soon.

I again forgot to take some action shots. But here is the neck fitting nicely in the neck pocket and the back of the neck with the skunk stripe in and planed. I also managed to cut the fret slots.

I do feel like it is looking and feeling like a guitar.

Tomorrow I hope to thickness and final sand the headstock, radius the fret board, install the frets, rout the pickup and potentiometer pockets, drill the string through holes and cut the pickguard. Somehow I don't think so.........it is Easter Sunday.

When I was younger I couldn't wait for the holidays. Now that I'm older they just get in the way. :mrgreen:

Trimmed the headstock and rough sanded the transition. THen it was time for radiusing the finger board.

Look there a nice 12" radius. Only took me 1.5 hours of sanding.

Drilled the tuner holes and then drilled for some MOP dots.

Here is the glue and dots, and here they are glued happily together.

Very nice! Can't wait to see it done!

Very nice! Can't wait to see it done!

Thanks CJFearn. Yours is looking pretty sweet as well. It must be nice having the CNC to do all those fancy bits.

Here is a mock up including the progress so far.

Cut the pickguard, routed the pickup pockets, sanded the neck and put on 5 frets.

Looks alright I guess. I'll show some closeups of the fretting tomorrow.

Thanks CJFearn. Yours is looking pretty sweet as well. It must be nice having the CNC to do all those fancy bits.

WOW! That is looking spectacular! And that pickguard was just made for that wood!

You know, the CNC machine is really nice, but it's just a tool and it'll never replace a good idea (which you have!). It's also as much a curse as a blessing at times. I'm a computer guy in real life and, as I like to tell my customers, "Since I got this computer I can make more mistakes in one second than all of humanity in the last hundred years!" :mrgreen:

That would look sweet with a Bigsby! Then again, it would probably put you over budget.

Nice job on the neck.

Here is a mock up including the progress so far.
Looks fantastic!

WOW! That is looking spectacular! And that pickguard was just made for that wood!


That would look sweet with a Bigsby! Then again, it would probably put you over budget.

Nice job on the neck.

Looks fantastic!

Thanks all.

Ok as I promised here are some daylight photos.

I managed to trim the pup hole in the pickguard today, that was all I got done.

I also made a special guitar body protection device for drilling wiring holes. It has probably been patented by DIWIDI technologies already. I will see if any of you astute people can spot it in future pics.

Today I drilled the wiring holes, trimmed the HB route holes and routed the hole for the switch and pots.

Then I banged on the rest of the frets.

After dinner I trimmed and filed the fret ends.

THen I thought I may as well rough out the neck shape. So I used Preebs technique of marking 1/2 way and filing the ridge off then mark 1/2 way again and file the ridge off. You can see my markings in the pics.

Then I used a less vicious file to smooth some of the rasp marks and then I thought, "hey, I will buzz it quickly with the orbital sander."

Now it looks like this.

Now for the current mock up pic.

WOW, that looks great!

WOW, that looks great!

Thanks, repeatofender.

Love that wood,could you make me one ,but without F-hole and just the bridge hummer with just a vol. control. You sir are definatly a contender and a man with serious talent. You got my vote.

Love that wood,could you make me one ,but without F-hole and just the bridge hummer with just a vol. control. You sir are definatly a contender and a man with serious talent. You got my vote.

Thanks, bigdigger. That is high praise, I am not in the league of Gil Yarron or many others on the forum, but maybe one day I will be.

If you're serious about a build many things are possible nowadays.

Drilled the string through holes, drilled the ferrule holes, drilled the jack plug hole, refined the pickguard, put the pots and switch on the pickguard, drilled the strap holder screw holes and drilled the bridge holes. Forgot to take photos. So will take some retrospectively and post them tomorrow.

All that is left to do is sand, spray lacquer, sand, spray lacquer, sand, spray lacquer, wet sand, polish and put it all together. So exciting.:grin:

This looks amazing! Would love to hear how it sounds when it is all wired.

Nice!

I realy like your work! The way you start from tree-trunk, wow, I wish I could do that...

Great work.

This looks amazing! Would love to hear how it sounds when it is all wired.

Nice!

I realy like your work! The way you start from tree-trunk, wow, I wish I could do that...

Great work.

Thanks all. I will make a sound clip when it is all finished for those who are interested.
By the way sorry no photos I was too bust renovating the laundry. Tomorrow looks more promising. We will see how I get on.

That wood is simply amazing, I've never seen it's like before. As hard as it appears to be to work with, you make it look easy,

Dave

That wood is simply amazing, I've never seen it's like before. As hard as it appears to be to work with, you make it look easy,

Dave

Thanks Dave. Working carefully is the key. I have finally learnt that.:wink:

As I have promised for the last few days here are some pics.

Jack hole, bridge and string through holes and some ferrule holes.

I hope to sand and get the first coat on tomorrow. We shall see.

Then I used a less vicious file to smooth some of the rasp marks and then I thought, "hey, I will buzz it quickly with the orbital sander."


That saw dust look a LOT like the canary wood I am making some necks out of, species related I wonder ?

That saw dust look a LOT like the canary wood I am making some necks out of, species related I wonder ?

After some quick research on Canary wood I can tell you they are not related species.

That body is looking so good.

Some unexpected rain has put a halt to any attempts at working on this guitar. My workshop is occupied by laundry benchtops which means I can't work in there and it is raining outside. :mad:

The benchtops are looking good so I thought I'd post a couple of pics. The timber is called tassie oak (marketing name) or mountain ash (common name) or Eucalyptus regnans (botanical name).

Some unexpected rain has put a halt to any attempts at working on this guitar. My workshop is occupied by laundry benchtops which means I can't work in there and it is raining outside. :mad:

The benchtops are looking good so I thought I'd post a couple of pics. The timber is called tassie oak (marketing name) or mountain ash (common name) or Eucalyptus regnans (botanical name).

That wood looks a bit like mahogany (but then again, there are so many kinds of mahogany that half the wood in the world looks like it :wink:). It looks really nice! Please do post some more pictures as you go!

After some quick research on Canary wood I can tell you they are not related species.


It looked redder when I was working with it, but a pic none the less... Oranger really... especially the saw dust...

That body is looking so good.


Thanks tgfmike.

That wood looks a bit like mahogany (but then again, there are so many kinds of mahogany that half the wood in the world looks like it :wink:). It looks really nice! Please do post some more pictures as you go!

The two pack finish should be hard enough tomorrow to enable me to install the benches and then I can finish this guitar. The only downside is that the forecast for the rest of the week is promising more rain. At least I can get it finish sanded then spray it on the weekend.

That wood looks a bit like mahogany (but then again, there are so many kinds of mahogany that half the wood in the world looks like it :wink:). It looks really nice! Please do post some more pictures as you go!

Nice benchtops!

I wouldn't be at all surprised if many of the world's "mahogany" guitars are actually Tassie Oak.

Exceptional woods, excellent craftsmanship, and an elegant design.

This build is one of my favorites.

Nice benchtops!


Thanks, Nick.

Exceptional woods, excellent craftsmanship, and an elegant design.

This build is one of my favorites.

Thanks, 68thinline.

For those who are interested I finished(mostly) the laundry but most importantly the workshop is free for dust to be spread around.

Here is what the finished installed benchtops look like. I now have a very happy wife = lots of guitar building time.:wink:

Exceptional woods, excellent craftsmanship, and an elegant design.

This build is one of my favorites.


Ditto

For those who are interested I finished(mostly) the laundry but most importantly the workshop is free for dust to be spread around.

Here is what the finished installed benchtops look like. I now have a very happy wife = lots of guitar building time.:wink:

Very nice looking! Your wife has every reason to be happy with you!!! :wink:

Very nice looking!

Thanks CJFearn.

One of my frets had lifted a bit so I glued it down.

THen I got an old belt from the belt sander and started sanding....

The 100 grit made it look like this..

I then got some 180 in a strip to continue the process then buzzed it all with the orbital.

Now it looks like this...

The body I spent a bit of time this morning scraping and sanding in readiness for some lacquer. The two together front and back match up quite nicely.

Tomorrow if the weather permits, I spray.:grin:

Wow! That's looking great!

Jim

Awesome. Those rays are really going to pop when the finish goes on.

Wow! That's looking great!

Jim

Awesome. Those rays are really going to pop when the finish goes on.

Thanks. I am all for some popping rays. :smile:

Well this morning I finish sanded the body and neck ready for lacquer.

I then looked outside and saw this, oh no is rain going to spoil my plans again.

Fortunately that didn't last long. I went inside for a cuppa and when I returned the sun was out. So I sprayed and now the neck it looks like this.

And the body looks like this after one coat. I will give it a sand this afternoon and re-coat.

WOW! And "WOW!" again!

Stunning. That beauty is saying "Australia" more and more.

I'm just inside after putting the 4th coat on. It is too dark for good pics now so here are some I prepared earlier..............after coat #3. :wink:

Hmm, they don't look that different from the ones before. I guess the next ones will be just prior to polishing tomorrow. Then the grand unveiling. Ooo I am excited. Hope I can sleep tonight.

Stunning. That beauty is saying "Australia" more and more.

Thanks, kwerk.

Great work, beautiful wood!

Great work, beautiful wood!

Thanks, Walter Broes.

You should get an 8x10 of the stump, and an 8x10 of the finished guitar, and frame it above wherever the guitar will reside.

This is not only craftsmanship, but exquisite art.

I admit that I wasn't sold on the wood you selected initially, but it is turning into an absolutely gorgeous instrument. It's been a pleasure to watch your project come together.

WOW! And "WOW!" again!



And again, and again!!

And again, and again!!

+1:mrgreen:http://www.gitaarnet.nl/forum/images/smilies/cheer_icoon.gifhttp://www.gitaarnet.nl/forum/images/smilies/cheer_icoon.gif

I smell a winner. :)

that grain still astounding.

It's Sheoaktastic!

You should get an 8x10 of the stump, and an 8x10 of the finished guitar, and frame it above wherever the guitar will reside.

This is not only craftsmanship, but exquisite art.

Thanks, ColeRyan.

I admit that I wasn't sold on the wood you selected initially, but it is turning into an absolutely gorgeous instrument. It's been a pleasure to watch your project come together.

I wasn't 100% happy with the wood when I began because of its defects but I new the timber would look good finished. Thanks for your comments.

And again, and again!!

+1:mrgreen:http://www.gitaarnet.nl/forum/images/smilies/cheer_icoon.gifhttp://www.gitaarnet.nl/forum/images/smilies/cheer_icoon.gif

I smell a winner. :)

that grain still astounding.

It's Sheoaktastic!

Thanks, robt57, oigun, Customisbetter and Maricopa.

Aussie Aussie Aussie!!! Beautiful. Australia for the WIN!

I sanded and sprayed a few times today and I think I am slowly working out how to spray lacquer properly. I then sanded flat the headstock and kept enough lacquer for one more headstock spray to cover this.....

Who needs decals when your wife is a stamper. I got my own custom headstock stamp.

What colour? This one.....

My wife being more able in this area than I stamped it for me.

How does it look? The tension builds. Has it worked? Yes, of course.

The model number is added in a similar manner.

Then it was off to the garage for the final spray. Now it looks like this..

This is a close to finished mock up. I need to leave the lacquer to harden a bit more for a day or 2 then I will polish, assemble and play.:smile:

beautiful..

I've considered getting a custom stamp made for this very purpose! Glad to see how well it works!

Jim

Is that a regular rubber stamp? regular ink? I've been thinking about making my own for a little while, but I've been worried the ink might smudge too easily...

Excellent!

This is indeed a beautiful build!

beautiful..

Excellent!

This is indeed a beautiful build!

Thanks.

I've considered getting a custom stamp made for this very purpose! Glad to see how well it works!

Jim

Is that a regular rubber stamp? regular ink? I've been thinking about making my own for a little while, but I've been worried the ink might smudge too easily...

As far as I know the stamp is either silicone or rubber. Obviously a water based ink won't work so you need to use some form of permanent ink. My wife's bass she stamped with black "StazOn" ink. We tested a couple of colours on the headstock and decided that the silver stood out the best. I let it dry then locked it in place with the lacquer. Smudging could be a problem during application. My wife has steadier hands than me which is why she did it. We made 2 mistakes and I just wiped it off with the lacquer thinners and stamped again. It is definitely important to have a nice flat stamping surface to get sharp lines on the stamp edges. Stamping has it's pluses over decals but also some draw backs.

Cleaned the frets and temporarily installed the tuners.

I probably won't get to polish it up untill next Saturday. I have to go back to work this week.:sad:

I never realized you could do logos looking that excellent with stamping...
This is awesome!

I never realized you could do logos looking that excellent with stamping...
This is awesome!

Thanks, Tuuur.

stunning result, classy looking tele!

stunning result, classy looking tele!

Thanks, helectrix.

That's my favorite Tele in that challenge! Excellent work! I am interested in the stamping technique. Can you please elaborate a bit or show a nice link where I can read about it? Maybe your wife has a link available. I googled, but all I found was nail stuff.

Beautiful!!! A+ for the design work from wood selection to handwork to stamp, very very nice! :cool:

Beautiful craftsmanship!

Nice work! She's a beaut! I'm definitely going to investigate stamping now too.

That's my favorite Tele in that challenge! Excellent work! I am interested in the stamping technique. Can you please elaborate a bit or show a nice link where I can read about it? Maybe your wife has a link available. I googled, but all I found was nail stuff.

Hi IHateTeles, Thanks for the comments. If you look at the pics in post #177 it shows quite well the process my wife used to actually stamp the headstock. The stamp itself I designed on the computer at home and printed it on blank paper at the exact size I wanted. I took it to a local company that makes custom stamps from a supplied image, 2 day turn around for the finished product.
Stamping the headstock requires choosing an appropriate ink that will clearly and evenly stamp onto the lacquer. Trial and error showed what was appropriate.
The first pic shows my wife using a see through template with the stamped image on it, lining up where to put the stamp on the headstock.
Then she placed the black stampin majig aligned to the see through template to use as the guide for the actual stamp. She then inked up the stamp by placing it on the ink pad multiple times and visually checking whether there was an even spread of ink on the stamp. Then carefully she pushed the stamp onto the headstock. If you have more questions send me a PM.

Beautiful!!! A+ for the design work from wood selection to handwork to stamp, very very nice! :cool:

Beautiful craftsmanship!

Nice work! She's a beaut! I'm definitely going to investigate stamping now too.

Thanks all.

That truly is one oustanding build,thats one beautiful guitar.

That truly is one oustanding build,thats one beautiful guitar.

Thanks, bullitt.

+1, fantastic job!

Thats a lovely job you have done there sport. I was a little sad to see those outstanding medullary rays getting buried under the cap. I built some speakers and veneered with QS oak and then fumed or more accurately painted on the ammonia solution. The rays just shimmer in the light.
Would you care to elaborate on your method using the AC laquer. What do you use for cleaning up your gun ? What gun etc..

Anyway a well documented and inspiring build , good luck to you in the challenge.

Mac

+1, fantastic job!

Thanks, Scooter91.

Thats a lovely job you have done there sport. I was a little sad to see those outstanding medullary rays getting buried under the cap. I built some speakers and veneered with QS oak and then fumed or more accurately painted on the ammonia solution. The rays just shimmer in the light.
Would you care to elaborate on your method using the AC laquer. What do you use for cleaning up your gun ? What gun etc..

Anyway a well documented and inspiring build , good luck to you in the challenge.

Mac

Thanks, Mac. I buried the medullary rays for two reasons.
1 - I wanted a book matched top.
2 - The medullary rays are on 2 pieces of timber that had flaws in places that I could only get rid of effectively if I cut the timber exactly as I did.
Having said that I get to see the beautiful rays every time I pick up and admire the guitar just by looking at the back. Next 10 times I build a sheoak guitar I will choose and cut my timber very carefully to get the rays right on both the front and back.

Now about this lacquer. I have uploaded some pics for you. The first one is of the lacquer, the second the hardener, third is the correct thinners and fourth my gun.

The lacquer itself stays useable for 3 days in the pot and sets within 10 minutes when sprayed and is easily sanded and recoated within an hour. You can read most of the instructions on the side of the can and you will notice that it is imported to Australia from Sweden. When I finish a pot of lacquer I pour some lacquer into my gun, give it a good swirl and shake, then run it out through the nozzle and recollect to use again. Being a gravity fed gun it is so easy to clean. It is so much better than any suction gun I have used. Have I answered all of your questions?

Cheers

You couldn't have answered that better thank you. I have been using AC on my Crazy Build but am applying it manually with a pad. As you know this stuff kicks of fast so swiping it on you gotta be quick. Then wet and dry as you say after about an hour.
Its kind of like shellac but not as forgiving.
In your estimation would one of the cheapo pump up guns do the job or to rearrange the question , what kind of pressure and nozzle size are you running.

I do like the hard wearing aspects of this type of lacquer , I use it mainly for flooring and worktops in my day job but I do not relly have the need to gear up to a full spray kit.


Thanks again Mac

PS a couple pics of my domestic speakers

47217

47219

It looks glorious under lacquer. Nice job with the logo.

Not trying to hi jack this thread at all ---- the second pic was flash and is all washed out. It was taken about a week after lacquering and the dark wood was still hot from sanding. after after about 3 months the dark colour became richer and deeper in tone --real depth. The rays stay much as they are at the finishing stage so the contrast heightens. The blue grille is more or less navy.
I would love to see the guitar that Guityak has built after a couple of years in fact he should take a pic or two now ( I'm sure he has ) and some in the future if the Icelandic ash ever goes away. The contrast will be remarkable. The colour of that wood ( the deep rust red ) reminds me of Madrone from California and it can only get better and deeper with age. I reckon it will end up the colour of aged tawny sherry from Jerez. Lovely.

Speakers are all JBL pro componets in a custom cab ( http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=17238&highlight=backyard+box+building)
built to resemble the classic L300. It runs active ie I have an electronic x/over and 3 way power amping tailored to the system . Sounds well proper. Horns normally have a small orange JBL logo but these came from an oem. system and they have nothing on them at all. I got the decal from a car audio place. Use the link above if you want to see how they got built.

It looks glorious under lacquer. Nice job with the logo.

Thanks, 68thinline.

You couldn't have answered that better thank you. I have been using AC on my Crazy Build but am applying it manually with a pad. As you know this stuff kicks of fast so swiping it on you gotta be quick. Then wet and dry as you say after about an hour.
Its kind of like shellac but not as forgiving.
In your estimation would one of the cheapo pump up guns do the job or to rearrange the question , what kind of pressure and nozzle size are you running.

I do like the hard wearing aspects of this type of lacquer , I use it mainly for flooring and worktops in my day job but I do not relly have the need to gear up to a full spray kit.


Thanks again Mac



I do not know the nozzle size but to spray the lacquer I have decided maximum flow very low pressure. The last coat I did was 30psi next time I will try it even lower. Hope that helps.

I have got some sheoak I made into a coffee table as a kid here. I will endeavour to take some shots of it and you can see from that how the wood colour ages.

By the way the speaker cabinets look nice.

The last coat I did was 30psi next time I will try it even lower. Hope that helps.


On a test piece, you may get sputters down there.... :smile:

I bet you will loose a lot less to the air, I need to try that, I do 55 ish usually.

The best change I made was putting the air/water filter on the gun, so the hose temps and condensation issues get abated less than 6" from the spray tip...

Hi guityak!

I had been following the Preeb's Les Paul 1959 thread and unfortunately couldn't find time for anything else. Now I have stumbled on this thread and all I can say is 'Holy ******". You are definitely much more than a guitar builder, let me call you an artist. :shock::shock::shock::shock:

The guitar is turning out beautifully and I am eager to see it finished and also see some videos of this outstanding axe in action. I am one of those players that love the accoustic qualities of semi hollow guitars but hate the feedback. So, IMHO I would have done it without the f-hole, even though I must agree that the f-hole came out nicely and beautiful.:mrgreen:

Congrats pal and keep on the good work!

On a test piece, you may get sputters down there.... :smile:



Thanks for the reminder.......Test it first.

Hi guityak!

I had been following the Preeb's Les Paul 1959 thread and unfortunately couldn't find time for anything else. Now I have stumbled on this thread and all I can say is 'Holy ******". You are definitely much more than a guitar builder, let me call you an artist. :shock::shock::shock::shock:

The guitar is turning out beautifully and I am eager to see it finished and also see some videos of this outstanding axe in action. I am one of those players that love the accoustic qualities of semi hollow guitars but hate the feedback. So, IMHO I would have done it without the f-hole, even though I must agree that the f-hole came out nicely and beautiful.:mrgreen:

Congrats pal and keep on the good work!

Thanks for the very encouraging comments, Strongpersuader. The timbers I have at my disposal mean I must hollow them out other wise they are just too heavy. I like the look of the thinlines a lot so thought why not try it all out at once in the $210 challenge. Others I build won't necessarily have the f-hole but will be hollow. I hope to have some sound clips and maybe even video up on Saturday. We will see what happens.

Well I started the 3rd final process tonight. Wet sanding.

Here are a couple of pics after 600 grit. I then did some 800. Tomorrow morning 1200 and 2000. Then I crank up the polisher on the drill.:grin:

Water worries me, I use mineral spirit myself. Although then yo gotta deal with the smell a lot longer....

Water worries me, I use mineral spirit myself. Although then yo gotta deal with the smell a lot longer....

Water is cheap and I am not bothered by how much I use. I also try to be as careful as possible to keep the water away from any bare timber like screw holes and the like.

But lets see the process first.

Wet sanded to 2000. Here is the between fret process and the finished back.

This shot shows my buffing arbor, aka drill and attachment. Also photos of the finished body and neck.

Drilling the neck screw holes in the neck and then the neck plate attached.

Bridge plate on.........skip a few processes...........attaching the string tree.

Here she is all strung up. Got some tweaking to do. But it tunes up and I can play it. Tomorrow I will post sound clips and outside pics.

You've got yourself a beauty there.........http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/Jack393/Animations/cid_0ThumbsUp.gif

That looks fantastic, congratulations.

How do you do and post the sound samples?

This is gonna be a great looking guitar!

Jim

I was right!

Jim

Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Let it be. A Great Guitar build, and Be-autiful T'Caster. Love that wood, and you did an excellent job.

Another great piece of work, lots of talent around here!

You've got yourself a beauty there.........http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab34/Jack393/Animations/cid_0ThumbsUp.gif

Thanks, Jack.

That looks fantastic, congratulations.

How do you do and post the sound samples?

Thanks, Leigh. I will explain my sound clip process when I do it.

I was right!

Jim

Yes you were.:wink:

Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Let it be. A Great Guitar build, and Be-autiful T'Caster. Love that wood, and you did an excellent job.

Thanks, mgdesigns.

Another great piece of work, lots of talent around here!

Thanks, alias23k.

Tweaked the things that needed tweaking then asked my wonderful wife to take the pics for me.

Here is my favourite pic.

Here are some more pics in some different lighting.

The now mandatory child approval photos. (Their words not mine):wink:

So what do you think kids? Ahh just what I thought.

Beautiful pics, and those kids have great taste!

Hmm....... having problems with uploading a sound file. :sad: I think I may have to become a youtube friend first. :neutral: Watch this space for some clips. :wink:

Beautiful pics, and those kids have great taste!

Thanks, Scooter91.

The cost list is as follows:
Knobs - $7.04
Ferrules - $6.79
Strap buttons - $3 pair
String tree - $2.50 pair
Pots - $9.38
Switch - $6.99
Binding - $5.25
Jack - $1.49
Jack plate - $3.19
Orange drop Cap - $2
Realtone Tuners - $29
Fretwire - $7
Pickguard - $21.35 (The blank cost 42.70 and I can get 2 out of it)
Neck plate and screws - $4.50
pickguard screws - $2.50
Truss rod - $17
Bridge - $15
nut - $5
Wilkinson PAF HB Pickups - $40 for the pair
Dunlop Strings - $15
Finish - $8
Wood - $0 (Thanks to a walk in the bush)

Grand total = $209.89 US
That leaves me $0.11 to save up for next year.

Oh my that is close.:shock: I do feel I have been generous on most of my costs. I have listed the new price I paid on most of the things that I got off the old guitar.

Most impressive. Glad the kids approve!

Outstanding job guityak!

You've got a keeper in your hands. Before listening to the sound files I must say that if it sounds as beautiful as it looks you've got a killer axe in your hands pal.:mrgreen:

Congrats for the guitar and for the beautiful kids you have! Have lots of fun with this exquisite instrument and enjoy it.

Mad Skills. ;)

Most impressive. Glad the kids approve!

Outstanding job guityak!

You've got a keeper in your hands. Before listening to the sound files I must say that if it sounds as beautiful as it looks you've got a killer axe in your hands pal.:mrgreen:

Congrats for the guitar and for the beautiful kids you have! Have lots of fun with this exquisite instrument and enjoy it.

Mad Skills. ;)

Thanks, all.

I like your daughter's expression ............. as if she's saying " My dad can built a better guitar than your dad. "

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/attachments/tdpri-2010-%24210-tele-build-challenge/47665d1272198852-tdpri-2010-%24210-tele-build-challenge-sheoakaster-img_3491_2-jpg

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Not very happy with either my playing in this or the overall sound. I will try again soon. But I now know how to do it.

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My apologies if my playing is plain and you were expecting more.
I should mention though that the first piece on the first clip is not me. I had a friend over who I recorded while he was fiddling about with the guitar.

A beautiful guitar, two lovely children and a very talented wife!!! Winning the lottery couldn't beat that!!! :grin:

A beautiful guitar, two lovely children and a very talented wife!!! Winning the lottery couldn't beat that!!! :grin:

They are very kind words. Thankyou, CJFearn.

For those who were wondering how I recorded the sound clips the process is as follows:

1- Plug new guitar into Fender blues junior amp.
2- Mic amp using Shure SM58
3- Plug mic into MBox 2
4- Start Pro tools on my MAC.(Over many years of using a PC I developed a distinct dislike for it, especially after buying a MAC for my wife. So I went and got me one aswell. :wink:)
5- Record various sound clips in Pro Tools and choose those that make me cringe the least. I basically chose some clean tones then cranked the volume on my BJ up to 11 and turned the master back down to overdrive the valves without blowing out my eardrums.
6- Bounce clip to the desktop as a WAV file.
7- Start iMovie.
8- Drag sound file into iMovie.
9- Drag various pics into iMovie to give listeners something to look at while listening.
10- Export straight to youtube.
11- Embed video into post on TDPRI.

As simple as that.

I just realised I forgot to tell people what the final weight is.

3.8kg which is equivalent to 8.4lbs.

I think that is quite reasonable.

Awesome, mate!

Awesome, mate!

Thanks, Nick.

From a stump, of granite hard wood, to a thing of beauty. What a creation!