Mojotron's 2012 Challenge Build Thread -- COMPLETED

Due the shortage of misguided financial endeavors, baseless opinion, unrestrained lethargy and self deprecation in the world - plus my inability to pass a router without picking it up - I'm IN!

I know I did not finish on time last year... And, I said I was going to keep it simple this year and finish on time... Well, forget that, I got even crazier ideas this year :lol:

WOOT! :lol: Good luck man!

WOOT! :lol: Good luck man!

Thanks!! Ya this is going to be great.

I like the practical assessment of your current situation...and the reckless abandon to ignore the practical assessment. Good luck

Glad to see you in! Good luck!

I like the practical assessment of your current situation...and the reckless abandon to ignore the practical assessment. Good luck

What he said :lol:


Good to see ya back :grin:

Dave

Good luck, Mojo! Nice to see the old crew back for more!

I like the practical assessment of your current situation...and the reckless abandon to ignore the practical assessment. Good luck

What he said :lol:


Good to see ya back :grin:

Dave

Life is more interesting that way :lol: Thanks! May as well leave it all on the field - can't take it with you and you only get to make so many guitars - we are going to make some awesome stuff this year!

Glad to see you in! Good luck!

Thanks!!

Good luck, Mojo! Nice to see the old crew back for more!

Ya - I see a lot of friends with threads - I think we must have finally gotten over that burn out from last year. This is great!! Ya don't have any gator skin do ya? :smile:

Here's to seeing your finished guitar! I'm sure you'll finish.

Here's to seeing your finished guitar! I'm sure you'll finish.
Thanks!! I always finish.. on time - on so much.... I'm planing on it this time. Last year's guitar, though late, has been my main axe all year - this year I'm going to build on top of the design changes I did last year.

Ya - I see a lot of friends with threads - I think we must have finally gotten over that burn out from last year. This is great!! Ya don't have any gator skin do ya? :smile:

Nope. I'm stitching mine together out of several small lizards. :wink:

Do it Mojotron! I think the challenge you'll be facing is to
not load yourself with *too* many challenges. :lol:

Do it Mojotron! I think the challenge you'll be facing is to
not load yourself with *too* many challenges. :lol:
Thanks! And, oh don't I know it Glenn! I've not built a guitar since wrapping up the 2011 Challenge build - but that one ended up being my favorite so far.

Deep Thought #1:
Thoughts on this years Challenge build:
1) I'm going to leverage the design I came up with for last year's challenge build. Here are the motivations from last year:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/3118911-post1.html
And, the neck analysis I did back then:
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2011_TDPRI_Challenge/Mojotron_2011_TDPRI_Challange_analysis.pdf

2) I'm thinking of making the bridge plate out of 1/8" thick brass, and I've been playing with a new bridge design - but I may just go with Leo's 3 saddle design if I can't work out the mechanicals on the saddles for the design I'm working on.

3) I have to get the balance better than last year's challenge build. Part of the problem with last year's build was that the Cherry wood I used for the neck was insanely heavy/dense - like it was Ironwood or something really dense. I'm thinking this year I may use something that is a big more straight forward and go with some Khaya Ivorensis or perhaps push the envelope a little and use a super light Maple like Silver Maple for the neck. On the other hand Bigleaf Maple is only about 13-15% heavier and significantly stiffer/harder - could be a great compromise of weight/mechanical properties.

4) Fret board: I'm going to use a dark Rosewood or Rosewood-like wood. Perhaps it's time to see if I'm one of the lucky ones that have a Pau Ferro/Morado alergy?

5) Body wood: I have some great ribbon-grained Khaya Ivorensis, but I also have a really nice Alder board. I also have some nice Bigleaf for a top... Still thinking on this.

Glad to see you in it Mojo!

It's gonna be a great yaer...I can feel it!

Mark

Glad to see you in it Mojo!

It's gonna be a great yaer...I can feel it!

Mark

Yep - me too Mark - this is great already!

It just wouldn't be right without some "Mojo" , glad you are in.

It just wouldn't be right without some "Mojo" , glad you are in.

Thanks Herb!! I'm in the same place as you... "I will by the weekend..." as far as sorting out what to do - been thinking about a lot of ideas the last 8 months or so. A lot of my blades/bits are coming back from getting sharpened Friday - so I think Friday night I get the planer out and start gluing, Saturday morning I fire up the router and things get busy :smile:

Deep Thought #2:
Pickups/tone: I'm looking to replace the more standard Tele that I use for "Humbucker" tones with the wider/longer neck design from last years challenge. I'll likely wind my own and make them close to a Gibson Classic pickup set - maybe the neck pickup under-wound a bit and the bridge pickup over-wound a bit. I have a few sets from Mojotone, but they are a little wider than the PAF bobbins. Magnets... I have a ton of A5 magnets that are a little weak - I guess one could think of them as "Alnico-4" magnets, I'll likely use them. I love the Alnico-2's that I've had - much softer tone - if I can find some I may go with those.

Looking forward to the thread. Glad you are in.

Yeah, Mojo , I followed your build last year Great build ! I remember you had a problem at the very end that would have made it impossible to finish on time.Here's to better luck this time around

Good to see you in, looking forward to some forward thinkin'.

My Template with the reworked design from last year:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2011_TDPRI_Challenge/Plan/Long_neck_tele_on_Strat_V12.pdf

Still debating on the wood - Alder can be quite beautiful with a clear finish, I'm not sure of the grain on the wood I have as it's pretty rough cut.

Looking forward to the thread. Glad you are in.
Thank you! Glad to be in!
Yeah, Mojo , I followed your build last year Great build ! I remember you had a problem at the very end that would have made it impossible to finish on time.Here's to better luck this time around
Ya, I have never really been that great with finishes and I kind of boldly went where no one had gone before - Shellac over Acrylic.... Live and learn :oops: This year I got this stuff:
http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/33402-01-200.jpg and some honey amber transtint dye - can't get much simpler than that!
Good to see you in, looking forward to some forward thinkin'.
Thanks! Ya I'm gona be a carvin' fool in a couple of weeks :wink:

I loved your guitar last year.
Excited to see how you've refined it this year.

Antique Oil is about the only product I'll buy from Minwax. Good stuff.

I loved your guitar last year.
Excited to see how you've refined it this year.

Thanks! Yep, same design theme as last year, but I hope to take it much further and in some interesting directions, use some different woods. I may continue the NW US wood theme (D-Fir, Alder, Bigleaf, Madrone... all fit in there) too, but I would need to find a really good fretboard wood.

Antique Oil is about the only product I'll buy from Minwax. Good stuff.
Ya - I have not used it yet, but I've seen some fantastic results by others.

I got all my blades/bits back - all super sharp - I'm ready to go.

Ya know, I got to digging out all of my wood from being in storage while I remodeled my office/shop - I got out my D-fir, Mahogany, Alder, Cherry, lots of Maple - all of them are pretty good options. But, then I found an Oregon Ash board from last year and remembered all of the things I wanted to do on my challenge build last year:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/3373703-post457.html

I could not put that board down, I kept flipping it over and trying to visualize how the grain would look carved out...

That Ash is some pretty rigid stuff - cool grain too - I could carve pretty thin and not worry about the strength of the wood. Now I'm thinking - I did not like how last year ended up - Dang it - I wanta take that hill!!! So I'm thinking this year's theme for my build is becoming "take last year's build to a new level" - in the process make a very different guitar - why not use that body wood... Ok I got that sorted, now thinking about the neck wood:

Option 1: Bigleaf Maple - I got a sweat board tons of figure
Option 2: African Mahogany - that could look really interesting with Ash..

Hmmmm.... Well time to go paint and get some molding done tonight - tomorrow I start taking that hill!

CHARGE!! :mrgreen:

Deep thoughts #3:
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2011/01/porsche_918_rsr.jpg
http://christiandfahey.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/master-and-the-musician.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/LeoFender1978.jpg/220px-LeoFender1978.jpg
http://www.salondeguitaredemontreal.com/images/exposants/2011/fiches/Ken_Parker.jpghttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQX1uk5DiedDuyBOU7H5UQiVHlrfECFx Ywa0sly9cbWufk3NFohig

That's quite the montage...

Phil Keaggy is just incredible in every way.

(That sloth... I think I know him...)

I think I may have your post figured out...

You're building a Fender-inspired instrument, so that covers Leo...

Wait, I don't have it figured out at all :confused: :lol:

That's quite the montage...

Phil Keaggy is just incredible in every way.

(That sloth... I think I know him...)

Oh ya PK's great - awesome musician, great song writer, extremely funny guy and a very impressive human. I bought a copy of that PK album back in like 1979 and many of the electric parts of that album were some of the first guitar parts I tried to teach myself (the electric parts were simple - the acoustic parts on that LP were the tough parts) .

I've always loved that picture of PK's Les Paul - I think the original LP cover had a little more Les Paul in there; it one of the first pictures that I saw where I started to notice the artistic elements of Gibson's LP design. I don't think I want to go that thick, but there are some elements from that picture that I will integrate.

The integration of the sloth ideas will be interesting - stay tuned...

I think I may have your post figured out...

You're building a Fender-inspired instrument, so that covers Leo...

Wait, I don't have it figured out at all :confused: :lol:

:lol: I think it's going to be an interesting ride, cuz I don't have it figured out either :smile: this is truly going to be a challenge for me. It all relates to comments in my thread for last years challenge as well as comments I made on other's 2011 challenge threads.

Speaking of PK album covers, I remember seeing one (I think it was 'Emerging' where he had his LP standing on it's headstock and he was leaning on it! I remember thinking it was crazy at the time, but now it makes me shiver!

Okay, I think I got it (the montage).
Porsche - built for speed and agility (upper fret access, neck joint, etc...)
PK - Inspiration
Leo - Roots and ingenuity
Ken Parker - Functional innovation (his recent work is other-worldly... especially with Charlie Hunter driving...)
Sloth - well that's just taking dog-hair to a whole new level now, ain't it?
Cheers.

Speaking of PK album covers, I remember seeing one (I think it was 'Emerging' where he had his LP standing on it's headstock and he was leaning on it! I remember thinking it was crazy at the time, but now it makes me shiver!

Okay, I think I got it (the montage).
Porsche - built for speed and agility (upper fret access, neck joint, etc...)
PK - Inspiration
Leo - Roots and ingenuity
Ken Parker - Functional innovation (his recent work is other-worldly... especially with Charlie Hunter driving...)
Sloth - well that's just taking dog-hair to a whole new level now, ain't it?
Cheers.
Very good - PK/inspiration - yep, Porsche - kind of - Leo and Ken Parker - dead on - those guys rock. The sloth... that one I don't think any one's going to get until I get to that part of the build - hint - ties into the porsche...

... I did not like how last year ended up - Dang it - I wanta take that hill!!! ... tomorrow I start taking that hill!

Forget that! Been there done it.. I want a real challenge.

This is a challenge:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_17/IMG_0364.JPG

This is lumber that I ripped out of my house's walls while remodeling - all of it is old growth Douglas-Fir from 40 years ago. That big board is one of the toughest, nasty looking Douglas-Fir boards I have seen. That thing has growth rings that are so tight it's denser (at 41 lbs/ft^3) than Ash and it's pulling it's self apart. Here's another picture of my tormentor:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_17/IMG_0361.JPG
nothin' like 31 lbs of dense, unyielding, nail ridden fir for making a Tele!

That board's full of nails...
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_17/IMG_0350.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_17/IMG_0349.JPG

Here's the supporting cast:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_17/IMG_0362.JPG
From left to right:
- on the desk there are some Walnut and Cherry scraps I can use for skunk stripes - maybe some ascents
- Against the wall - a curly bigleaf maple boar
- Misc Brass and aluminum pieces to make the hardware - bridge. control plate...
- A Maple neck blank - Not sure if I'm going to use that one
- A thin piece of rosewood and then a piece of Bubinga for making a fretboard - not sure which I will use yet.
- Mahogany neck blank - this one I made years ago, then I found there was a big crack in the side of it - but there is just enough good wood in that piece for a Tele Neck
- Then I have a pretty piece of D-Fir that came out of my stairway that I ripped out - I may use that one for a top, but I will have to see how things go.
Finally, the last piece is a maple scrap I can use for fretboard if I ended up going with a lighter color wood.

I've been reading a lot of the challenge threads. Yours looks fantastic too. Hell everyone's is interesting. I am really looking forward to seeing how yours turns out. One of the magical things about timber is you can make a old piece of wood look like something out of a wood gallery once you get under the surface of it. Gotta watch those nails with your nicely sharpened blades though :mrgreen:

I've been reading a lot of the challenge threads. Yours looks fantastic too. Hell everyone's is interesting. I am really looking forward to seeing how yours turns out. One of the magical things about timber is you can make a old piece of wood look like something out of a wood gallery once you get under the surface of it. Gotta watch those nails with your nicely sharpened blades though :mrgreen:

Thanks, and thanks for the warning - been there too! Ya I use a really powerful magnet (my pickup magnet charging magnet) to find all of the iron in the wood - works really well since I started using it for that.

You are totally right about great boards being somewhere in the middle of some ugly stuff - I was hoping for an excellent board inside this timber, the next set of pictures will be interesting. :smile:

First after I got 20 nails out of the wood - I washed a lot of the sheetrock and dirt off of the board so that I would not be putting that through the planer. Then I did a heavy pass to see if I could get below those deep cracks - the grain looks pretty nice.
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0369.JPG

This was the first chance that I had to really use my HF dust collector. I had to add a sub-panel to my house to add more 20 circuits (added some 240v lines too - then I ended up rewiring 1/2 my house... Anyways, the dust collector really makes huge difference over just a shop vac - what a great difference - I took some 1/8" passes with the planer and it did not bog down at all and the wood did not get chewed up.

After about 20 passes - I got this:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0375.JPG

I navigated around the nail holes and cracks that were left - I think I got a pretty good compromise.

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0376.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0377.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0378.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0379.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0380.JPG

I've never had a jointer to prep boards for gluing/joining them, I just use some Super-77 adhesive and glue some sand paper to some very flat corian. It works quite well, but this technique has it's limits.

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0383.JPG

And, the gluing begins:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0384.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0388.JPG

And it's ready to sit for a few hours:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18/IMG_0389.JPG

I think this is going to turn out great, the wood is pretty heavy, but has an interesting sound when I hit it - this wood is pretty alive.

Nice build! Love the doug fir, I had some and it really rang when it was tapped. I found it really splintery to machine though - still have a scar from digging out a piece that was buried deep in my finger to remind me of shop safety... LOL.

Keep up the great work, I really enjoy following your thought and design process.

Wow you must be happy with the fir. Fortune favors the bold as they say!

Nice build! Love the doug fir, I had some and it really rang when it was tapped. I found it really splintery to machine though - still have a scar from digging out a piece that was buried deep in my finger to remind me of shop safety... LOL.

Keep up the great work, I really enjoy following your thought and design process.
Thanks, ya I've been pulling a lot of slivers out of my hands :roll: It is some interesting wood. Seems a lot heavier than most d-fir boards.

Wow you must be happy with the fir. Fortune favors the bold as they say! I am pretty happy with the way that board turned out. But, when I unclamped it this morning I found out that the board had twisted pretty good. Then, I had a problem flattening it - pictures/story to follow. So, while I finally got it all flattened out, the thickness was only 1 3/8". So I will need to figure out where I go from here - I have some ideas...

Well - over night that board that I glued up twisted and bowed pretty well.

The idea to fix it was simple - just attache the two corners that are at the same level - then put it through the planer..
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0391.JPG

Then shim the high spots:
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0392.JPG
And put it throught the planer
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0393.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0394.JPG

Opps - it slipped! Yikes!
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0396.JPG

Ok - trying it again, but now with more tape...
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0397.JPG

Well, that worked great - the board is now much flatter, but now it's only 1 3/8" thick - so I'm going back to a chunk that I cut off yesterday and making a piece that will make up the 3/8" that is missing.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0399.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0400.JPG

May as well book-match these if I can
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0401.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0402.JPG

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_18_2/IMG_0403.JPG

Lots of work going in there, mojo. BTW, how to you like your ridgid planer and what size is it?

Lots of work going in there, mojo. BTW, how to you like your ridgid planer and what size is it?
I love my planer - it's a 13" planer and it does a great job. I have to help feed the wood a bit, but it does a very clean/flat job. It did a good job when I was using a shopvac for the dust collection - but it is even better with a 2HP Harbor Freight Dust Collector.

BTW having a bigger dust collector is great. I've done a lot of woodworking in the last 5 year or so and this is the first project where I used a dust collector that big. I used it with my band saw last night and I usually have to clean out the bottom of the bandsaw after even the smallest job when I used the shopvac for dust collection. But with my new dust collector, there was not a speck of sawdust inside the saw after resawing all those boards. I got that dust collector on sale too - best $100 of tool money I can think of. Of course, the time/cost of adding 20 amp circuits was a whole lot more even though I did it myself, but having the power I need to run tools was really needed for a lot of other things.

I am surprised those old boards moved that much. Maybe the moisture from the glue? Who knows, great recovery. I bet it is going to sound awesome.

I am surprised those old boards moved that much. Maybe the moisture from the glue? Who knows, great recovery. I bet it is going to sound awesome.
Thanks. I think the movement probably was a result of reducing the board from 3 1/2" to 2" - I also could have missed spotting some of the remaining twist that the planer will not take out, but I don't know how I would have missed that much of a twist. If I had spotted the twist, I could have just glued up the boards 180 degrees from the way I did and it would have worked out better...

I'm not sure if I'm out of the woods yet, but I have quit a few more options if these thinner boards don't work out - I'm concerned that I will get a full 3/8" out of them as I cut them with only 1/8" for planing flat. I took almost a year off from this kind of woodworking, been remodeling my house, and I'm a little out of practice and making a few stupid mistakes too - which does not help :oops:

Mojotron, I really like the way you set serious challenges
for yourself! I like the wood selection and look forward
to seeing your work on the hardware.

Mojotron, I really like the way you set serious challenges
for yourself! I like the wood selection and look forward
to seeing your work on the hardware.

Thanks, I wish that board had not slipped on me in the planer :oops: - I did not intend to put days into just making the blank, but trying stuff, learning things and fixing things is what this stuff is all about at times.

On the upside, I spent a couple of hours going through and completely resetting up my bandsaw with my Olsen 1/2" resawing blade and fence; while it's not going to impress an expert, that was the best re-sawing work I have done and - once I got going - it went as fast as feeding the wood in. Since I bought that saw about 14 months ago, I've never really taken the time to really get it dialed in for re-sawing: I'm likely not there yet, but that was like an out of body experience to feed wood that thick into the blade and have the cut come out fairly straight.

On the upside, I spent a couple of hours going through and completely resetting up my bandsaw with my Olsen 1/2" resawing blade and fence;

i've been using 1/4" blades for years, but i snapped my 1/4" blade on day 2, threw on a 1/2" blade i bought and used once a few years ago. it's weird, like using different gauge strings... plays totally different.

i've been using 1/4" blades for years, but i snapped my 1/4" blade on day 2, threw on a 1/2" blade i bought and used once a few years ago. it's weird, like using different gauge strings... plays totally different.

"Different gauge of strings"... that's interesting, yep I agree. My other blade is a 3/8" blade, but it's got a lot more teeth - feels very different.

I should resaw some of that bigleaf board for book matching while I have it set up - just in case or for some project in the future. When I cut out the blank tonight I'll likely use the thinner blade although the nice thing about a 1/2" blade is that it's still possible to do curves.

Those other pieces I glued up may not be thick enough, and are a little short; so I decided to utilize that d-fir board, in the "supporting cast' picture on page 1, from my staircase to make a piece that will have some tolerance to get to the right size:
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_19/IMG_0405.JPG

Book matched it:
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_19/IMG_0406.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_19/IMG_0408.JPG

This is a really nice piece of wood, this is going to turn out well.

Tonight I should finally get this all glued up and I will have the body blank for final planing and cutout/routing tomorrow - finally.

To make up some time, I turned my attention to the fretboard flattening:
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_19/IMG_0411.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_19/IMG_0412.JPG

Nice and flat - this will glue up really well.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_19/IMG_0413.JPG

I saved quite a bit of the saw dust, never know when you'll need it. I was cleaning up and spilled some acetone on the sand paper and the remaining sawdust got on my hands. That stuff really gets into your skin, my hands are now stained.

your entry sheet looks like it's seen better days.:lol:

nice grain on the new piece.

is that granite or corian on your fretboard lever?

your entry sheet looks like it's seen better days.:lol:

nice grain on the new piece.

is that granite or corian on your fretboard lever?

Ha - ya that piece of paper has found it's way to the floor quite a few times - I think I have worked most of the body wood, I'll likely start working the neck today or tomorrow... so I'll put the paper to the side - I'm a little fuzzy on how it was supposed to be used.

On the grain - the book matching should turn out nice. I hope it works well with the carving I have planned.

On the stone - I had been referring to is a corian, but perhaps it is granite - those pieces are very heavy for their size. I wish they were a little longer for what I'm using them for, but they do a good job of deferring the need for a jointer.

More work tonight:
The grain on the last bookmatched piece is quite nice:
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0414.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0415.JPG

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0416.JPG
Got the neck blank done too.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0417.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0418.JPG
Then, the big glue up - I was running short on glue so I hope I got enough in there.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0419.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0420.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0421.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0422.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0423.JPG

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0421.JPG


Thanks CrazyDave, volowv and others that have been talking about using alignment pins/dowels - great reminder! I used a 3/16" dowel here. I took the blank out of the clamps this morning and it looks like I got a great alignment on the grain/glue lines between the 2 layers I used here.

I'm planning on getting the body and neck cut out tonight. Possibly make some rails and route the inverse truss channel for a non-skunk-stripe neck too.

Really nice looking top - love the book match.

Really nice looking top - love the book match.
Or - is it the bottom? Thanks much! Things should get interesting this weekend when I bust out the carving jigs.

Oops - OK I'm gonna shut up now :oops:

This is gonna be a killer fiddle!
I really like that fretboard.

Oops - OK I'm gonna shut up now :oops:
That OK - I would have assumed it was a top too - it would make a nice one - but I'm going to be doing something a bit out of the ordinary - which may make some cringe. :lol:

This is gonna be a killer fiddle!
I really like that fretboard.

Thanks - ya - I've been in practice mode for the last few years so I've mostly used just woods that I get really cheap from a mill a few miles from here (Maple, Alder... all the domestics). This is my first Rosewood board - came from a scrap piece that I picked up at the hardwood/woodworking store near here. Looks like great care needs to be taken with the ends as it cracks and chips easily.

Nice work mojo.

That OK - I would have assumed it was a top too - it would make a nice one - but I'm going to be doing something a bit out of the ordinary - which may make some cringe. :lol:

Heads up , some of mojo's mojo coming our way soon, can't wait to see what you are planning :)

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0422.JPG
WOW!
Gorgeous!
That is a reaaly nice bookmatch you did here. Easy on the sanding or you loose the match.

great work! I like how you adapted when you came across problems with the wood moving. I've had my own "challenges" in the Challenge so far. That's one of the most valuable parts of this thing, IMHO. Seeing how people overcome trouble. Or make it work in their favor.
Love the back. Beautiful. Wanna see what you're up to with the top carve.
Keep up the good work.

...but I'm going to be doing something a bit out of the ordinary - which may make some cringe. :lol:

Can't wait to see what you have in store :twisted:

Nice work mojo.

Thanks!

Heads up , some of mojo's mojo coming our way soon, can't wait to see what you are planning :)

I hope to not disappoint - softwoods are best carved with a chainsaw and low expectations... but one can do anything with a router right? I have plans, but I think I will follow the build a bit here and see where it takes me.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_20/IMG_0422.JPG
WOW!
Gorgeous!
That is a reaaly nice bookmatch you did here. Easy on the sanding or you loose the match.

Thanks! Unfortunately I don't know if I'll be doing that bookmatch justice as I go along, but I believe the end result will be just as cool.

great work! I like how you adapted when you came across problems with the wood moving. I've had my own "challenges" in the Challenge so far. That's one of the most valuable parts of this thing, IMHO. Seeing how people overcome trouble. Or make it work in their favor.
Love the back. Beautiful. Wanna see what you're up to with the top carve.
Keep up the good work.

Thanks again! Yep - this is a great way to learn stuff - "adapt and and overcome" can be disappointing at times, but if one is all about the journey rather than the destination there's always an upside - in theory... :lol:

Can't wait to see what you have in store :twisted:

Me too! Oh.. actually I know - I just hope that it's not too humbling :lol:

I used my new Timber Wolf 3/8" blade in my bandsaw - all I can say is WOW!!! That blade cut that wood like it was warm butter - what an amazing difference!

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0424.JPG

This is a picture of how I get perfect neck template corners - I just line my neck pocket template with Johnson's Paste Wax, cut off the corners on my neck template, fit the neck template to the neck pocket template and use the empty corners like a mold and fill the mold with Water Putty... perfect corners.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0426.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0427.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0428.JPG

I think every build has some element of the Apollo-13 experience... I can hear Hank Williams playing at a wobbly 1/2 speed in the background...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0429.JPG

Here I wanted to note that double-sided tape works great to hold templates - just remember to clamp the template to the wood for a few minutes to get a good grip.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0430.JPG

And this round of routing is done... Turned out OK, no tear-outs, I used a Whiteside 3/4"x1" template bit and it does an amazing job.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0431.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0432.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0433.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0434.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0435.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0436.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_22/IMG_0437.JPG

nice. that end grain is cool. i have a half of a test body laying in the corner of my shop made of fir with end grain like that and everyone who sees it always comments on it. you don't have a picture of it but i'm sure the grain inside bout curves is nice too.

nice. that end grain is cool. i have a half of a test body laying in the corner of my shop made of fir with end grain like that and everyone who sees it always comments on it. you don't have a picture of it but i'm sure the grain inside bout curves is nice too.
Thanks, I think softwoods are difficult to work with, but I do love how grainy they are and full of surprises. I tried to orient the grain so that when I carve up into the bottom and down from the top the grain lines should tighten and those broad sections will only grow in the deepest cuts. I love doing stuff like this:

http://mojotronics.com/images/guitar/DSCN0558.jpg
http://mojotronics.com/images/guitar/DSCN0553.jpg

This weekend is going to be a bit like opening a Matryoshka doll.

I'm going to have to try your neck fitting technique. I don't have a lot of experience fitting necks (2 actually), but that method seems to have the chance for the best results.

I'm going to have to try your neck fitting technique. I don't have a lot of experience fitting necks (2 actually), but that method seems to have the chance for the best results.

Yep - it's pretty easy - I would make a test template though - ya never know...

Another thing that I did to make the Durham's Water Putty hold to the neck template MDF a little better is to put grooves in the spots where the putty will occupy - kind of like a finger/dove joint. Durhams will not hold all that well to a completely flat surface - which makes the release better (still need some Johnson's Paste Wax of something like that as a mold release though), but opposing groves helped a lot for the putty to grip the corners of the template. Also, I found that the corners with the water putty likely to chip when transporting/storing (just look at mine :oops:) - so this technique works best if you make your master template as a copy of the one that you did the Durhams/molding on - then put the original one in a place where it will not get dropped. Durhams is great stuff - I mostly use it for patching templates - but it's a great wood filler, mold making, inlays, bondo replacement...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2011_TDPRI_Challenge/macgyver_2.JPG

I'm so totally gonna nick that neck corner method!

You're the one who turned me onto Durham's last year, and that stuff has become indispensable. Thanks for that!

I'm also doing a carved back, but that's just a case of great minds...

Great tip on the template corners. I'll try that on my next template.

Oh, by the way, I think you put the top on the bottom. Oh damn, there I go again.

I'm so totally gonna nick that neck corner method!

You're the one who turned me onto Durham's last year, and that stuff has become indispensable. Thanks for that!

I'm also doing a carved back, but that's just a case of great minds...

You're welcome - I got that tip from someone else here.

I'm too curious for my own good, but let's see how this goes :cool: :oops: :lol:

Great tip on the template corners. I'll try that on my next template.

Oh, by the way, I think you put the top on the bottom. Oh damn, there I go again.

Thanks, ya ya ya... I'll get it right one of these days :lol:

Corner tip #2 (Lo-Fi version): I happened to have a 1/4 inch radius roundover bit, so I put it on the table router, triple-checked the depth and routed the template corners.
The putty method _could_ be a little more accurate though..

This body weighs 6 lbs and 6 oz as it is. I just did the math - using Terry Downs
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/161035-body-blank-weight.html calculations - this would yield a standard Tele body of 5.93 lbs.

Not that weight is everything (coming from a person that has lost over 90lbs in the last year...) but I'm shooting for reducing this body down to 4 lbs or less.

Corner tip #2 (Lo-Fi version): I happened to have a 1/4 inch radius roundover bit, so I put it on the table router, triple-checked the depth and routed the template corners.
The putty method _could_ be a little more accurate though..

That round-over method could work well I think.

You're gonna' make me go out & buy a scale aren't ya? I know my body is heavy, I just don't know HOW heavy. I'm not sure I want to. Then again I don't know what is considered heavy for a guitar. I have a LP that I suppose is the heaviest guitar I own, but I never weighed it. What is 'heavy'? (I'll figure out the light part later)

For me I used to think it's simply about balance - as long as we are talking bodies that weigh between 3.5 and 5.5 lbs. A Hard Maple neck balances pretty well with a 4.5-5lb body... But, I have a couple of very light ash bodies (3 to 3.5 lbs) that don't balance well and tend to be kind of neck heavy, but I find that I just like playing them more because after a couple of hours of playing standing up I have a lot more energy. So I try to weight reduce bodies where I can - and put more of the weight behind the bridge. It's still about balance, so once I get get below 4lbs I figure I need to start to look at something other than a heavier/denser neck wood. The Mahogany I have for this build weighs next to nothing, so I'm looking for ways to shed some lbs... :)

I don't know if I'll have a lot of pictures from this weekend, I spent most of the weekend building jigs and templates that I used to do without, but I did not want to route another humbucker set with the partial templates I have - they are off anyways. Also built me a version of the body carving jig that Nick JD, KokoTele, and Jack Wells talked about in this thread http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/139456-simple-archtop-carving-method.html, and I made another insert for my neck channel routing jig for making a curved channel under the fretboard. I'll take some pics later.

Hmmm - some one's got a case of the Monday's....

Kind of slow going tonight, a lot more "payin' dues" rather than "doing what pays.." but progress is progress :)

First, I kind of missed that I needed to have more wood on the end of this carving jig I made this weekend:

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_26/IMG_0439.JPG

See..

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_26/IMG_0440.JPG

So I glued up some pieces on to the jig:

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_26/IMG_0441.JPG

Got a little crazy with the clamps.

Then I messed up the humbucker template I was in the middle of making - good ol' Durhams to the rescue. More on that tomorrow night.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_26/IMG_0443.JPG

So, the progression from here is:
- finish template and route the body - I am totally on the fence with how I'm going to do controls. I'm thinking of flipping the typical Tele layout and moving it up some so that I can adjust the volume better while playing.
- carve the back
- Carve the front
- Smooth transitions
- move on to the neck...

I'm interested in seeing you use that carving jig. I usually carve the top using templates. This looks like something I could build really easily, and might be a lot easier to use, and a lot more versatile.

Hmmm - some one's got a case of the Monday's....

Kind of slow going tonight, a lot more "payin' dues" rather than "doing what pays.." but progress is progress :)

First, I kind of missed that I needed to have more wood on the end of this carving jig I made this weekend:

See..

So I glued up some pieces on to the jig:

Got a little crazy with the clamps.

Then I messed up the humbucker template I was in the middle of making - good ol' Durhams to the rescue. More on that tomorrow night.

So, the progression from here is:
- finish template and route the body - I am totally on the fence with how I'm going to do controls. I'm thinking of flipping the typical Tele layout and moving it up some so that I can adjust the volume better while playing.
- carve the back
- Carve the front
- Smooth transitions
- move on to the neck...

That is much more elaborate than my pointy stick jig I made to carve tops. But I bet it will work better to.

Looking good, mojo! Carved front and back? I want to see
how you do it.

Looking good, mojo! Carved front and back? I want to see
how you do it.

+1. I think a carved top is in my near future, so we will leave it in your capable hands to teach us well :razz:.

I'm interested in seeing you use that carving jig. I usually carve the top using templates. This looks like something I could build really easily, and might be a lot easier to use, and a lot more versatile.
That is much more elaborate than my pointy stick jig I made to carve tops. But I bet it will work better to.
Looking good, mojo! Carved front and back? I want to see
how you do it.
+1. I think a carved top is in my near future, so we will leave it in your capable hands to teach us well :razz:.

This jig is similar to what's been used here and at mylespaul, but as ugly as it is, I did make it pretty strong and tight so that it's really solid and I can make a ruler along the top to track how far into the body the jig is routing. I was hoping to make something more flexible and easier to use than the jig that I used last year where I carved a slight curve across the entire top. I liked how that turned out, but I figured out - just for the top - that what I really wanted was a carving that used 2 different techniques and 4 or 5 stages/phases instead of just 2. I'm convinced that I've over-thought this stuff, but it should be interesting. I'm kind of worried that the kind of wood that I'm using here is not the best choice for this sort of thing, but I think it will work fine.

Finishing the carving jig:
I got out a block of UHMW plastic to use for a guide

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0448.JPG

I'm not sure if there is a way to glue this to anything, so I screwed it on.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0450.JPG

And, it's ready. I'll make more of a pole on the other end of the block if I need to for tight spots. The shape I have there was made so that I would have something that I can use a little bit more like a fence.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0451.JPG

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0453.JPG

This humbucker template is killing me - I found out that Durham's does not do so well on pointy corners like these - Durham's will chip - so I have one shot to make a good copy before the rest chips off.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0454.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0455.JPG

Finally! Way more work than I had thought, sometimes it's a lot more time to patch things than to just redo the whole thing.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0456.JPG

And - on with the routing!

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0457.JPG

This is a great bit (Whiteside 3002) for routing out pickup and heel cavities - it's shorter and allows for taking shallower passes when routing.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0458.JPG

And - there we have some progress...
The routes came out pretty good - I went 5/8" deep on the neck heel, and 3/4" deep on the pickup cavities. Next, I'll drill out the sides of the pickup cavities to 1 1/4 for the pickup screws.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0459.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0460.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_28/IMG_0461.JPG

Good job on the cavities. Really clean work. I notice your neck heel has a slither of wood on the high e side. Is that standard in your builds? On my bought teles they just cut the wood earlier.

Cheers

... sometimes it's a lot more time to patch things than to just redo the whole thing.
Truer words have never been spoken :lol:

Things are looking really good, mojo. I like your carving jig-- simple and effective.

Good job on the cavities. Really clean work. I notice your neck heel has a slither of wood on the high e side. Is that standard in your builds? On my bought teles they just cut the wood earlier.

Cheers
Thanks - I think it all comes down to sharp bits, a slavish commitment to slow consistent feed-rates and a good template.

This is some really cool wood to work with - it's incredibly dense like Ash - yet soft like WR Cedar. Definitely a challenge to work and not dent too much.

The sliver of wood is normal for my builds - it gets cut to the normal Tele look somewhere along the line, but I like leaving it a little thick since that is a really weak part of the design. I think Warmoth... actually makes that section of their bodies a little wider than I do. Both sides get trimmed back pretty soon here.

...Things are looking really good, mojo. I like your carving jig-- simple and effective.
Thanks - let's see if I can use it next :twisted: :roll: :oops:

I keep having these sessions where I spend hours thinking about how I might do what I want to do here. And, I'm thinking I may change this whole build plan at this point.

My current plan is to make the back of this guitar concave where for the top 3.5" of the back the concave carve would be with a radius of about 18" - raising the back 3/8" across the back from the rear to the area below the neck pocket (while avoiding removing wood below the neck pocket). Then, the remaining 9.16" - basically the area under the bridge and control area across the back - would have a 3/8 concave carve with a radius of 108" that would leave the 2 top/bottom edges of the back of the guitar at their original position with a concave area on the back of the guitar that would basically be body conforming. Then, I would more deeply carve the 2 areas under the 2 forward bouts of the body. Then, the top of the body would be carved a bit like last year's challenge (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/3201922-post165.html) only the lower 1/2 would be carved more like a Les Paul and the top would have a single radius carve.

Something in the spirit of this: http://www.dustbowl.co.jp/old_guitar/g_image/others/parker_rfcv_tb_body_back.jpg

And the top would end up kind of in the spirit of this:
http://images.quickblogcast.com/2/9/3/9/4/158869-149392/mojosc_popup.jpg

That would be cool right? But when I hold one of those guitars in my hands and look at it, I really get the sense that one can not really plan out the back carve and the front carve without connecting the two. I'm not sure that could really be done without putting much more of a plan together. Which is a bit more complicated than planing the 2 sides separately - and that may be outside of the scope of what could be done in a single build - not to mention one that has a deadline.

OK there's that, plus, this wood would make an excellent chambered Tele and I always had a 22 fret long-neck design replacement for one of my favorite Teles - which is a dual-humbucker Tele - on my list of things to build.

So anyways, I'm wondering, perhaps I change course here and switch to making a chambered Tele - and perfect my carving on some builds using Poplar after the challenge... I'll sleep on it.

Mojotron, that would look really cool, but so will whatever you choose. As to the "degree
of difficulty" for someone such as yourself, I don't think it would be that tough for you at all.
It's really just some basic math making sure the "top" coincides with the "back". I've
carved tops (and now backs)on both sides this way and if I can accomplish it, I know you can. I just
do a lot of "flipping over" when I'm drawing out my contour lines to make sure they line
up and then I leave a smidge over 1/16th just in case.

Wow, that would be overly ambitious for someone like me, but dude, you're one of the hot rods around here. I have every faith in you.... besides, I really want to see it done.:grin:

Mojotron, that would look really cool, but so will whatever you choose. As to the "degree
of difficulty" for someone such as yourself, I don't think it would be that tough for you at all.
It's really just some basic math making sure the "top" coincides with the "back". I've
carved tops (and now backs)on both sides this way and if I can accomplish it, I know you can. I just
do a lot of "flipping over" when I'm drawing out my contour lines to make sure they line
up and then I leave a smidge over 1/16th just in case.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! That is a good point about the extra 1/16th and the contour lines. I'm looking at how people have done that sort of thing and drawing lines on the body looks like a great way to go. I think I was over thinking it.

For the straight lines, here we go again - likely - with the over thinking, I had worked out adjustments laterally on the carving jig and vertically using the router's fixed base to route these lines from the end to to the the area just under the neck pocket in a series of straight lines to make the uniform arcs on the back:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_29/Untitled.jpg

Wow, that would be overly ambitious for someone like me, but dude, you're one of the hot rods around here. I have every faith in you.... besides, I really want to see it done.:grin:

Thanks also for the vote of confidence Roger!

I'm not so sure about a "hot rod" - I just have a lot of goofy ideas, a camera and lack the sense to mitigate risk :lol:

OK - I'm back to Plan-A! On with the carving (well I may drill my bridge holes and route the control cavity first while everything is flat and square and I may get the neck out of the way at some point)

Copying a AANJ from an old Ibanez body
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0464.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0465.JPG

Transferring to body I made
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0466.JPG

Here I want to align the screws for the bridge with the neck - so I used the neck template to align the body and template.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0467.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0468.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0469.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0470.JPG

Then finishing up all kinds of stuff.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0471.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0472.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0473.JPG

Now that all the holes are made that need to be made, I started setting up the carving jig, and I figured out all of the x/y coordinates for most of the back curves. So, here I'm going to be carving straight lines, so I made a fence for the carving jig and I'm using the fence from my table saw to keep track of the horizontal coordinate and the gauge on the router to keep track of the vertical. It's 1am here, so I'm not going to do this tonight, but basically once I get going tomorrow, all I have to do is adjust the fences move the router up/down 1/64th and repeat...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0474.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0475.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_30/IMG_0476.JPG

Looking very smart, Mojo. Nice work!

Very nice work mojo , love the neck pocket curve . Nice carving jig , I gotta copy that :)

I went to line up a bridge and I noticed how bad aligned all the holes were - that's what I get for not going back and laying out the holes in the template the right way... So I'll plug these and redo them later - no biggy, but it was kind of a time sink.http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0477.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0479.JPG

In the process of getting a 1/8" dowel, I got this neat tool for sharpening plane blades and chisels - so I gave it a whirl - all of my hand tools are dull.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0480.JPG

It did an amazing job - turned this Harbor Freight chisel into a serious tool. I could shave with that thing!

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0481.JPG

Then I got out my $2 HF "Mini Plane" and flattened it on my sanding block then sharpened it too - wow what an amazing tool - it flattens things extremely well now - I'll use this more later! That's a great tool now that it's sharp and flat.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0482.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0483.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0484.JPG

On to working with the carving jig:

The way this jig works is that the Table Saw fence controls the lateral movement and the router base controls the vertical - now I can route any shape I just need to plug in a formula in to Excel.

First I figured out all of my reference points - what I was calling "0" on both

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0485.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0486.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0488.JPG

I set all of my stops and just started routing using the x/y coordinates and depths from the spreadsheet:

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0489.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0490.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0492.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31/IMG_0493.JPG

More on this later as I only had time to do one corner of one side before I took a break for dinner. The jig works really quickly - here is a video of me using it - in the video I am routing one of those lines - there were a dozen or so in the first shape I routed.
kHoPdbeSCzw

Very much the poor-man's CNC - however this only took me about a day or so to figure out and build...

Looking very smart, Mojo. Nice work!
Very nice work mojo , love the neck pocket curve . Nice carving jig , I gotta copy that :)

Thanks guys! I'm really admiring your work - I learn so much from your threads.:smile:

Nice build and great thread! This is fun to watch. Keep it up Mojo!

Nice build and great thread! This is fun to watch. Keep it up Mojo!

Thanks! Hey - I know folks in Pflugerville - used to live in Houston too.

Just whittling away here...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0494.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0495.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0496.JPG

Here's the view from the back - right side up - that's what I was looking for. Actually, I had my circle equation inverted, but I got it straightened out and this was pretty easy to do once I had it going - of course isn't that the way all jigs work... :roll:

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0497.JPG

And, from the side - I'll round this off a bit, but one of the cooler parts of this is how the curves come up from the back and down from the front.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0499.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0500.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0501.JPG

I'm getting to like this little guy!

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0502.JPG

The Plane, The Plane...
http://sweden.kcomposite.com/herve-villechaize.jpg

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0503.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0504.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0505.JPG
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http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0509.JPG
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http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/3_31_2/IMG_0511.JPG

Good work mojo , man , that end grain is sick on that body (in a real good way) :smile:

Mojo, that carving rig is cooler than the ice in my Jamison's. :cool:

Good work mojo , man , that end grain is sick on that body (in a real good way) :smile:

Thanks - ya, I love working with softwoods because of the heavy grain. I was hoping to get the center of the tree more when I was planing down that header beam, but those cracks were too deep, but it's still a very dense "old growth" grain - I can't wait to start finishing it.

Mojo, that carving rig is cooler than the ice in my Jamison's. :cool:

Last night when I got done I could have really gone for one of those :smile: - Thanks.

Time for some healthy food!!
http://www2.kelloggs.com/ServeImage.aspx?BID=114480&MD5=4f8087ddc2d06a53d86a705f424cd570&w=220

Time for some healthy food!!


HA, Colon Blow........

HA, Colon Blow........

"Sounds delicious..." :lol:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/10304/saturday-night-live-colon-blow

I made pretty good progress - I'll have pictures tomorrow. Basically, I got all of the routing done on the body - front and back - it looks pretty rough, but the the shape is right. Now I just need to do some rasp work and sanding to smooth everything out. This is going to be a very unique Tele.

I have a business trip until Thursday - so no more work on this until Friday night. Next weekend I hope to have the body and neck ready for finishing and I can focus on making the hardware, pickups and making sure I have all the misc stuff I'll need.

That grain is mesmerizing. This is going to be a very artsy kind of guitar for sure-- with all that carving and grain structure.

Where did you get that sharpening rig? I've got some chisels that are in dire need of a lot of help.

Dude!

That is freakin awesome.

Wow! Very cool.
I should have seen that one coming (haha).

That's an interesting router carving jig....

Mojo, I'm intrigued by your jig and how you're using it,
but am not sure I understand.

If I understand, you can manually adjust "z" via the
router, "y" via your fence, and "x" by moving the body
by hand. Is that right?

Since you're moving the body along the x axis, for
your height calculations you're working out
rectangular regions on the body that are parallel
to the x axis and that are the same height?

Sorry if that wasn't clear! :oops:

Starting to get busy on the corners now...
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0512.JPG

I'm now using the non-fence end.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0513.JPG

This is going to look pretty grizzly for the next couple of pictures

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0515.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0516.JPG

There - it's starting to get there...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0517.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0518.JPG

Now we need a control cavity.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0519.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0520.JPG

Now to put corresponding curves across the top. If you notice, the is a totally different way that I did this compared to last year - I like this method much better - same result basically - just one jig to do whatever is needed.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0521.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0522.JPG
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http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0526.JPG

The idea here is to do successive curves to make a tapering effect - I'm just making it up as I go along...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0527.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0529.JPG
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http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0533.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_1/IMG_0534.JPG

There's a lot of smoothing work to do, but now you can see what I was shooting for. I may just go through the edge on the upper top there - make it more like the bottom... Gota run, more notes later...

If you deliberately chose the grain to go with your contours, then you did an outstanding job. If you didn't, you still did an outstanding job.

This'll be NICE.

Some seriously cool ideas here....

Hey Mojo,

This is a seriously cool build!

Barncaster

That grain is mesmerizing. This is going to be a very artsy kind of guitar for sure-- with all that carving and grain structure.

Where did you get that sharpening rig? I've got some chisels that are in dire need of a lot of help.

Thanks! Ya that's just the average 2 sided stone and one of these: http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-Chisel-Plane-Sharpener/dp/B00004T7PB

That one tool totally changed how I viewed hand tools. I'm going to use chisels and planes a lot more than I have from now on.

Dude!

That is freakin awesome.

Thanks Dude! I hope I can deliver this one. :smile:

Wow! Very cool.
I should have seen that one coming (haha).

Thanks - Me too :lol:

Hey Mojo,

This is a seriously cool build!

Barncaster

It's the Colon Blow my friend!! :lol: Thanks!!

If you deliberately chose the grain to go with your contours, then you did an outstanding job. If you didn't, you still did an outstanding job.

This'll be NICE.

Thanks!! Some of that is a happy accident, but that's what I was hoping for.

Some seriously cool ideas here....

Thanks - There is a lot of careful sanding left to do, but I thing it will all smooth out great.

Speechless...it's just too cool.

Thanks! Ya that's just the average 2 sided stone and one of these: http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-Chisel-Plane-Sharpener/dp/B00004T7PB

That one tool totally changed how I viewed hand tools. I'm going to use chisels and planes a lot more than I have from now on.

Thanks for the link. I just ordered one. I've vowed to take much better care of the tools than my dad did when he owned them :roll:.

Remind me to show you a before/after pic of the stanley plane that I got from him...

Speechless...it's just too cool.

Thanks - I can't wait to get my biz trip finished and get back to smoothing that thing out.

Thanks for the link. I just ordered one. I've vowed to take much better care of the tools than my dad did when he owned them :roll:.

Remind me to show you a before/after pic of the stanley plane that I got from him...

Yep - there are likely different (maybe better) tools out there for doing this stuff, but I was very impressed with my results. Blown away really. I did not have time to sharpen any of my big planes, but I imagine I'll finally get to utilizing a hand plane where today I would stuff wood back into my thickness planer and then deal with the snipe. So finding a tool that worked for me (BTW following the instructions exactly did not give me the best results, improvising a little with the sharpening angle will give you the best results) was a big break through for me.

Wild, wild stuff!

Wild, wild stuff!

Wild is as wild does... Or, was that stupid.....? We'll find out :smile:

Wow the Parker-style carving just rocketed this one up in cool points for me! Can't wait to watch the rest!

I am getting dizzy trying to follow the curves of this Tele. That should not be aloud. I love it but Teles are flat and boring, period. :-)

OK Back from my trip...

More shaping tonight...
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0535.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0536.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0538.JPG
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http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0544.JPG
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http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0546.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0547.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0548.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0549.JPG

looking great (and ergonomic)!

Nice , mojo that's really looking good :)

Oh my............

Looks comfortable, but at the same time sharp as a knife.

Looks to me like you've developed a TRUE belly cut.

Very shapely! Your design is really accenting the grain. Nice work.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_6/IMG_0549.JPG

Love this shot.
Looking great!

Wow the Parker-style carving just rocketed this one up in cool points for me! Can't wait to watch the rest!

looking great (and ergonomic)!

Nice , mojo that's really looking good :)

Oh my............

Looks comfortable, but at the same time sharp as a knife.

Looks to me like you've developed a TRUE belly cut.

Very shapely! Your design is really accenting the grain. Nice work.

Love this shot.
Looking great!

Thanks Guys!!

I love the way that Parker Flys just seem to resonate on any and every kind of note. I think a lot of it comes from the thinness of the body in some area - less wood to move means more sympathetic resonance perhaps. Another thing is to get the guitar to balance well I have to get a lot of the wood off of the forward part of the body... I wish I could sit down with Ken Parker for a while and talk about stuff... this experiment is going to be interesting to see how it turns out.

I am getting dizzy trying to follow the curves of this Tele. That should not be aloud. I love it but Teles are flat and boring, period. :-)

I love Teles just the way they are too; nothing's cooler than Leo's first designs, but I'm always looking for new things to try and take some great ideas to a new place.

This is looking more and more interesting by the day. Best part? After you finish, you can flip it over and use it as a tray.

Seriously, great ideas.

[QUOTE=Mojotron;4070225]
I wish I could sit down with Ken Parker for a while and talk about stuff... this experiment is going to be interesting to see how it turns out.
[QUOTE]

Aww, I wish I would've known. He was just at the house.....well, technically
he was probably at his house in Mass. and I'm in Florida. Oh, and I don't really
know him, of course.

But seriously, have you checked out his recent archtops? The guy is an
awesome Luthier. You're on the road!

Such a great design, mojo. I love how you took something so basic (the tele) and merged it with something so cutting-edge (the Parker design). I think it shows great vision on your part to accomplish this so well.

Very keen, I enjoy the process and the finished product is eye appealing. Form following function it reminds me of various Ruger single action grips we made during the 70's. The "cowboy" ones with a large base tapered up to the shank roll in your hand, look kool, but roll. If it is fat in the middle if fills the hollow of your hand for grip. Doesn't roll much, Ya' gotta get used to the look but it works well. This is the same thing, once your eye accepts the curves it begins to look very functional. Here's hoping:)

Great shape Mono - like something from Star Trek.

Papa where can I get some of those grips for my SBH Bisley hunter? Don't mean to hijack, but I've never heard of them before.

Wow!
Okay, now I get the Porsche thing...
The sloth though... (Is your fiddle gonna have large talons?)

First I needed to sort out the bridge holes...
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0550.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0551.JPG

Finish experiments, Minwax Antique Oil Finish seemed to be the best choice - deepest grain.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0553.JPG

One of the best part of owning a ROSS is all of the sanding blocks :)
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0554.JPG


Sanding in the round-over
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0555.JPG

And - here's the final shape:
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0556.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0558.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0559.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0560.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0561.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0562.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0563.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0564.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0565.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0566.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0567.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0568.JPG

Last picture of the evening - The AOF is going on really well.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0569.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0570.JPG

Wow!
Okay, now I get the Porsche thing...
The sloth though... (Is your fiddle gonna have large talons?)

I was going to do a sloth-claw shaped monkey handle, but I moved on to other things... :grin: Perhaps I'm the sloth as I seem to be behind.

This is looking more and more interesting by the day. Best part? After you finish, you can flip it over and use it as a tray.

Seriously, great ideas.
:lol: Ya - it would work extremely well as a tray :lol:

Beautiful mojo , whole lotta curves on that body !

I wish I could sit down with Ken Parker for a while and talk about stuff... this experiment is going to be interesting to see how it turns out.


...
But seriously, have you checked out his recent archtops? The guy is an
awesome Luthier. You're on the road!
Thanks!! It's a long road :lol: There are so many amazing builders here - I learn a lot from everyone's threads more than anything else.

Beautiful mojo , whole lotta curves on that body !

Thanks!! Ya I got a little carried away :lol::oops:

Such a great design, mojo. I love how you took something so basic (the tele) and merged it with something so cutting-edge (the Parker design). I think it shows great vision on your part to accomplish this so well.
Thanks, I appreciate it. These challenge builds are a great opportunity to go all out on an idea - I'm glad you and emoney talked me into staying with the original plan.

Very keen, I enjoy the process and the finished product is eye appealing. Form following function it reminds me of various Ruger single action grips we made during the 70's. The "cowboy" ones with a large base tapered up to the shank roll in your hand, look kool, but roll. If it is fat in the middle if fills the hollow of your hand for grip. Doesn't roll much, Ya' gotta get used to the look but it works well. This is the same thing, once your eye accepts the curves it begins to look very functional. Here's hoping:)
Thanks - yep, I love trying some new ideas - it really is all about function - leads one to do some really interesting things.

Great shape Mono - like something from Star Trek.

....

Thanks!

I've been battling this crazy tendinitis in my left thumb in the last week or so - kind of a downside to using so many hand tools in this build. I thought since I was traveling Mon-Thursday this week and more or less resting my hands it would go away, but I was wrong. I need to figure out how to avoid that in the future.

Looking at what's the next things to figure out on this:
Things still left to do/figure-out on the body:
- I'm not sure what I'm going to go with for the output jack

Do something normal for once... Hmmm never done that before...
Fishman has a cool new output jack that secures from the outside
I like making Les Paul style jack plates - I could use the same material that I'm going to use for the pickguard. And - I could use some cool Marshall style plastic connectors; I've been using them on stomp-boxes for many years and they are very durable and do not make a lot of noise when plugging the cord in.
There's a output jack out now that actually screws in... That made me think - going in a completely different direction with that - why not just drill out a big hole then inside of that drill a hole that is just large enough for the jack - then use some pickgaurd material to make a inset round jack holder... hmmm that might be interesting. - and super inexpensive.

- I may touch up one spot where there is some minor cross grain sanding marks.
- I need to figure out what color scheme I'm going for: I really want to make the bridge out of brass - the saddles will be brass - but the pickguard is while pearloid. I would actually have to order some satin-gold colored tuners, but I'm thinking that perhaps I can go with some satin-silver tuners I already have. The nice thing about keeping silver in the mix is that I can use Aluminum for a lot of it and Aluminum is a great material for guitars - I may make some Aluminum pickup rings - that would look sweet.

I've been really inspired by Bruce Bennett's work on the J Backlund Design guitars - especially this one (which has a trademarked shape...):
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/10123_137132265255_137125965255_2424031_4576573_n. jpg
and I came up with a potential pickgaurd that has some of the same themes.


Well, now that the body is pretty much done, I'll work on the neck today. I think the way I'm going to proceed is to get the truss rod in - making the insert under the fretboard on this one - then glue it up and then treat it as a one-piece neck since all of my jigs are already set up for one-piece necks.

xcuse please Mojo, cannot pm a pic... for Nosmo

Grip is actually fatter in the middle than at the lower end.

Happy Easter everyone - an amazing reminder that life is not all about guitars (not about chocolate, bunnies, tulips, lilies either...).

xcuse please Mojo, cannot pm a pic... for Nosmo

Grip is actually fatter in the middle than at the lower end.

No problem at all - interesting history.

Well - not a lot of pictures today, but pretty good progress:

First, I needed to glue up my fretboard/neck. I had tried to figure out a way to do a under the fretboard route, but the only ways I could figure out how to do it is to have a heel adjust - but I hate heel adjusting the truss rod - so I'll do this one like a one piece all the way.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_8/IMG_0571.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_8/IMG_0572.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_8/IMG_0573.JPG

Next, I fixed some of the sanding problems on the body. I did not realize how big of a difference it made, and how big of a gooy mess Antique Oil Finish is when you try to sand it off - went through a lot of sanding pads. But, the end result was fantastic - now the grain has that translucent golden pop in the right light in most places where it could. I'll have to get a close up of that grain - it's pretty cool and something I've only seen in D-Fir. I have to say that Minwax AOF is really easy to work with - if you're not trying to remove it.

You're moving right along I see. I hope all those questions you were asking were retorical. Oh, never mind, just read it again and it appears you were talking to yourself. Do you ever answer? I do, actually I have had some terrible arguments with myself. Am I rambling? No, you're doing fine. Hey shut up, nobody's talking to you......

Thanks for the pic Papa.

Wow, Mojo -- it's not your Daddy's telecaster, is it? I would've thought
the tele body shape was a hard place to do something really creative.
I was wrong!

Happy Easter everyone - an amazing reminder that life is not all about guitars (not about chocolate, bunnies, tulips, lilies either...).


+1000

Bruce Bennett, while being a great builder, is also a pretty funny guy, especially
when he gets all frustrated with someone in an online guitar forum, lol:lol:

Now I'm all excited about an input jack....what the heck?

+1000

Bruce Bennett, while being a great builder, is also a pretty funny guy, especially
when he gets all frustrated with someone in an online guitar forum, lol:lol:

Now I'm all excited about an input jack....what the heck?
Link?

He re-glued the bridge on my dad's Guild acoustic a few years back.
I'll never forget the look of horror on his face when my dad told him that the previous "luthier" he had contacted had suggested drilling bolts through the bridge to keep it in place.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_7/IMG_0570.JPG
What's great is that from the front it looks (almost) like a normal tele.

Looking really good. Question: What kind of pickup rings are you using or maybe you aren't using any. Just noticing how thin the wall between the control cavity and pickup route is, wondering how that will all come together.

You're moving right along I see. I hope all those questions you were asking were retorical. Oh, never mind, just read it again and it appears you were talking to yourself. Do you ever answer? I do, actually I have had some terrible arguments with myself. Am I rambling? No, you're doing fine. Hey shut up, nobody's talking to you......

Thanks for the pic Papa.

A great mind thinks alike! :lol:

Looking really good. Question: What kind of pickup rings are you using or maybe you aren't using any. Just noticing how thin the wall between the control cavity and pickup route is, wondering how that will all come together.

I was just planning on putting the pickups through the pickguard, but I may make some rings out of Aluminum, or maybe wood. I designed the gap to be just big enough for standard rings if I wanted to use them, but I'm not sure they would look right.

Wow, Mojo -- it's not your Daddy's telecaster, is it? I would've thought
the tele body shape was a hard place to do something really creative.
I was wrong!
Thanks! This was actually where I wanted to go last year, but only got about 1/2 way there, then spent 10 months remodeling my house.... so I've been thinking about this stuff for a while cutting molding, tile, sheetrock, fastex.... :smile: So, this is a bit of a relief build - getting that board out of that header beam was cathartic :grin:

+1000

Bruce Bennett, while being a great builder, is also a pretty funny guy, especially
when he gets all frustrated with someone in an online guitar forum, lol:lol:

Now I'm all excited about an input jack....what the heck?

I'm still thinkin' on the jack - I'm leaning towards the Jem/Universe style...

Very cool, Mojo, how have I missed this?

Link?

He re-glued the bridge on my dad's Guild acoustic a few years back.
I'll never forget the look of horror on his face when my dad told him that the previous "luthier" he had contacted had suggested drilling bolts through the bridge to keep it in place.

http://www.jbacklund.com/

What's great is that from the front it looks (almost) like a normal tele.

Thanks - Yep - I always loved Teles - all the design changes for upper neck access... were supposed to work into the concept of making a Tele.

Very cool, Mojo, how have I missed this?

Thanks Phil! I ask myself that question all the time. :lol:

Another night of pluggin' along....

First - one more coat of Antique Oil Finish - getting a little bit of a shine on the 2nd coat. I am loving that stuff!!

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0574.JPG

On to the neck!!

First there is always the alignment of the Harbor Freight drill-table/fence - that is actually a good tool... I'm just following the instructions that came with the Safe-T Planer - basically you just put a big wire in the chuck and make sure that the table is square/flat in all directions - works well.

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0576.JPG

Wow - the planer blades are super sharp from use on last year's challenge - they are cutting great. I love it when that happens

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0579.JPG

And I went from some bowing to completely flat in about 5 minutes - gotta love the Safe-T Planer too!!

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0580.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0581.JPG

Then I just throw a sander in the chuck and sand the planing marks down.

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0582.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0583.JPG

Then the rest is a matter of routing to take off all of the extra rosewood - I have rosewood dust everywhere now :smile:
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0584.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0586.JPG
http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0587.JPG

http://www.mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_9/IMG_0579.JPG
i love the battle-scarred proof sheet :lol:

That is the most complex array of body contours i have ever seen on a tele! Simply amazing work!! Just thinking about how you calculated everything makes my head hurt. Perfect execution!

i love the battle-scarred proof sheet :lol:

Ya I had to dig out (clean up) a corner of my garage and it was sitting there - had not seen it in a while once the routing started :lol:

That is the most complex array of body contours i have ever seen on a tele! Simply amazing work!! Just thinking about how you calculated everything makes my head hurt. Perfect execution!

Thanks much - ya it was not all that tough once I figured out how to use Excel to compute how far down to go for the next cut based on the calculation for a circle where the D column is the radius of the circle and the C column is the distance from the center of the circle - the the calculation of =(D#-SQRT(((D#*D#)-(C#*C#)))) where "#" is the cell number pumps out the numbers.... I guess that is making my head hurt now :lol: It ended up being pretty rough, but it worked.

More progress on the neck:

First I made a centering bit from a 1/4" aluminum rod piece - basically you just lock it down in the collet and make sure that the center of the bit is in the middle of the neck...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0588.JPG

So I was going to be extremely careful to get everything centered - not that it effects the functionality of the neck to have the truss rod off a little - but the last build I did I made all of these changes to my jigs to get it alll centered... Well it worked great...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0589.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0590.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0591.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0592.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0593.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0594.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0595.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0596.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_11/IMG_0597.JPG

I'm pretty happy with this - the only problem was that the hole to pass the truss rod through is a little shallow - I'll have to shim the channel a little (1/16")... so that's the most centered neck I've done, so I'm happy with that.

Yeah, good work, mojo. I'd say to did a great job!

Yeah, good work, mojo. I'd say to did a great job!
Thanks - After thinking about this for a while, I'm a little worried about how high the access hole ended up in the channel. The channel goes down to about ~.73" at the bridge (from the back) and the hole-bottom is about .65". Perhaps it's nothing to sweat as the neck is going to end up pretty thick once I contour the back..

So, I decided the best way for me to fix the hole being high is to put a piece of Bubinga under the truss rod - shouldwork...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_12/IMG_0598.JPG

Then I focused on making the trus rod...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_12/IMG_0601.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_12/IMG_0602.JPG

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_12/IMG_0603.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_12/IMG_0604.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_12/IMG_0605.JPG

All done - this will work

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_12/IMG_0606.JPG

Great progress!! Nice contours!

Love the truss rod, of course. What are you using for your heel end? Is that just larger
steel rod stock?

Great progress!! Nice contours!

Thanks!! I'm getting a little done everyday I hope to get all of the woodworking done this weekend.

Love the truss rod, of course. What are you using for your heel end? Is that just larger
steel rod stock?
Thanks - yep that's just a 3/8" 12l14 steel rod for the end and 3/16" 12l14 steel for the rod. It's a hard steel that is still easy to machine. Usually I use 5/8" rod, but thought I would try the smaller 3/8" rod as it will make the guitar weigh less.

Hmmm - not sure what happened to my pictures of the headstock/fretboard transition, but I got the initial transition done last night too using a ROSS and the 2nd to the biggest sanding drum. Pretty straight forward stuff, but always risky.

I think you're just holding out on the pics. Every step is risky stuff when I do it, lol.

Mojo, nice job on the truss rod and truss rod access hole.
I like your homebrew centering bit -- those things are handy.

I think you're just holding out on the pics. Every step is risky stuff when I do it, lol.

OK - lots of pics are coming.... I decided to go down an interesting path - it will be interesting how this ends up.

Mojo, nice job on the truss rod and truss rod access hole.
I like your homebrew centering bit -- those things are handy.

Thanks - yep, I found that tip here somewhere .... it's a really good idea as no jig is going to be completely aligned.

Tonight's progress - First I used CA to glue in the filler strip of Bubinga (an extremely durable wood) that goes under the truss rod since I needed to bring the truss rod up about .1":

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0607.JPG

Then I finished up the truss rod;

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0608.JPG

I actually run over to the USACG shop (they are just down the road from my house) once in a while and get stuff like these nuts - can't find anyone else that makes these. Those guys are extremely helpful - it's kind of interesting to see what they have going on too.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0609.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0611.JPG

Hmmm.. this 1/4" thick Aluminum would make an interesting skunk stripe...
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0612.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0613.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0614.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0615.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0616.JPG

:cool::cool::cool:

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0617.JPG

All glued in using epoxy and saw-dust...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_13/IMG_0618.JPG

:shock: Aluminum skunk stripe ?? Brilliant!!

:shock: Aluminum skunk stripe ?? Brilliant!!

Thanks - I'm going to have much more on the Aluminum theme :smile:

I wrote a poem for you, mojotron:

Your love of aluminum seems to be growing,
fitting you're in Seattle, along with Boeing.

I wrote a poem for you, mojotron:

Your love of aluminum seems to be growing,
fitting you're in Seattle, along with Boeing.

Awwwww....that is so romantic. How many guys can say they had another
guy write a poem for them for their build? You should cherish this forever!

wait......ummmm.......I, of course, meant that in the most masculine of ways....of course.:shock:

How about Dem Bears, eh?

I wrote a poem for you, mojotron:

Your love of aluminum seems to be growing,
fitting you're in Seattle, along with Boeing.

Ha, that's funny, a lot of my neighbors are Boeing machinists and I'm always bidding on Boeing surplus stuff. I was trying to get 1000 yards of carbon fiber a while back, but I did some measurements and I would not have a way of getting it back to my house - or store it, but one of these days I'll have a major Boeing material score.

As you know from my previous builds, I really do love Aluminum for guitar builds - I should be adding a lot of brass on this build too. In fact if my routing ideas work out, I'll be routing the bridge plate next weekend.

...
How about Dem Bears, eh?

Glenn's Scatter's Gator tune from last year was awesome! Certainly one of high points of last year's challenge.

I might write a song about my "Aluminum Jones..."

Worked on the neck quite a bit today:

I'm taking a simpler approach to make pucks for this year's challenge - these are for a 59 roundback neck - so I'm using this compass to make the curve I need on the puck - worked extremely well.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0619.JPG

Centered the jig - that's critical - I just lay a 3/16th rod in there and center everything.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0620.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0621.JPG

I started out on really low speed settings until the bulk of the Aluminum was removed and the rest was flush with the back of the neck.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0623.JPG

Then I took it up to full speed and the epoxy held it all in there.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0625.JPG

Using chisels on the transitions made that part of this job effortless. I was amazed at how fast and how well those chisels worked - that is the perfect tool for that job...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0627.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0628.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0629.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0630.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0631.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_15/IMG_0632.JPG

Wow shiny!

I love the aluminum.

That's a great way to get the neck jig centered.

you routed the aluminum? don't you need a spiral bit for that? or something...:confused:

also, did you cut the aluminum on your bandsaw? that's what it looks like in the picture... is that a multi-speed bandsaw? or did you just use a high TPI blade at 1750rpm?

Wow shiny!

I love the aluminum.

That's a great way to get the neck jig centered.

Thanks - yep I'm glad I did get it centered because I went a little too high and it's a trivial fix since it was centered.

you routed the aluminum? don't you need a spiral bit for that? or something...:confused:

also, did you cut the aluminum on your bandsaw? that's what it looks like in the picture... is that a multi-speed bandsaw? or did you just use a high TPI blade at 1750rpm?

Working Aluminum just requires being careful - you can route thin pieces fine with carbide blades as long as you take tiny bits at a time, low speed, very slow feed-rate. I don't use any of my favorite bits for that sort of thing though. And, WRT the bandsaw - as you mentioned - a different blade. I actually did not know what to use my small bandsaw for after I got a nice one, so I just put a high TPI metal blade on there and use it for cutting Aluminum and Brass. It's a little tough on the tires, but not abusive on the tool at all - plus it's a relatively cheap tool with no purpose if I did not use if for that...

On the routing, I ran a the slowest speed (I think around 6,000 RPM) until I got if flush with the wood - then ramped the speed up to 20,000 RPM for the last 1/16th - 3/64ths - worked great and the bit will still shave a finger nail when I finished :)

That's great! The aluminum stripe is a bold choice. You know... like cargo shorts :razz:

That's great! The aluminum stripe is a bold choice. You know... like cargo shorts :razz:

Or.... Like the Dickey...
http://i42.tinypic.com/dzhtvm.png :lol:

I have another business trip for the next few days - so no progress will be made until likely Saturday.

I did weigh the body last night and it came in at 4lbs 6oz - originally the body weighed 6 lbs and 6 oz, 6lbs after all the standard Tele routing. So the contouring front and back reduced the weight by 1 pound 10 ounces. 4-4.5 lbs is a pretty good weight to balance out the weight of the neck. The Mahogany/Rosewood neck should be relatively light compared to Maple - so I think this guitar should balance well.

There you have it, coolest skunk stripe on TDPRI. Well done.

There you have it, coolest skunk stripe on TDPRI. Well done.

Thanks - at very least it's the shiniest :lol:

Actually, this morning, I was holding it trying to see if I had the back shape where I wanted it and the the feeling of a very cold skunk stripe was quite interesting. It warmed up pretty quickly just holding it, but it really does add a different feel to the neck.

Be careful if you ever play it outdoors in the winter. You might stick to it! :lol:

Be careful if you ever play it outdoors in the winter. You might stick to it! :lol:

There are obvious safety considerations http://wdrb.images.worldnow.com/images/13828370_BG1.jpg

Ummmm.....well this is rather embarassing....but...well.....oh, I'll just say it;
Your aluminum is showing.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0633.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0634.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0635.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0636.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0637.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0638.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0639.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0640.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0641.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0642.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0644.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0645.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0646.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0647.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0648.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0649.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0650.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0651.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0652.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_22/IMG_0653.JPG

Wow, 21,000 words' worth!

Beautiful tradesmanlike work as usual Mojo, you sure make it look easy.

DC

Superb. Just superb.

Gees it's all looking pretty special and very neatly executed - the aluminium is a really nice touch too!

Beautiful , very nice clean work mojo :smile:

Wow, 21,000 words' worth!
Thanks!
Beautiful tradesmanlike work as usual Mojo, you sure make it look easy.
...
This year, I'm actually using templates less and getting back to using hand tools a little more and it has gone better than ever. Getting tips and seeing how everyone else has solved some problems has been amazingly helpful.
Superb. Just superb.
Thanks! - Sorry I had to remove the template print out :smile I really need to send a big "Thank You" out to Casual_Reader for all of the headstock templates: I've used his work quite a bit.
Gees it's all looking pretty special and very neatly executed - the aluminum is a really nice touch too!
Thanks! Ya - I'm sort of continuing the theme from last year's challenge build that I did not complete on time. I'll likely start using more brass in the future :)
Beautiful , very nice clean work mojo :smile:
Thanks! Sorry it's not a snakehead :smile: Maybe next build.

Thanks again guys - I really appreciate it!! Sorry for the lack of dialogue, I wrapped up about 2AM last night. I got back from my trip Friday night, so I needed to make progress fast to catch up to everyone else. Wow there are a lot of great builds going on - good times on the forum!

Brilliant work on the neck mojo, I love it.:cool:
but you keep saying aluminium wrong. al-you-mini-yum.:lol::lol:

Man this is really looking great , nice work!!

Superb!

Brilliant work on the neck mojo, I love it.:cool:
but you keep saying aluminium wrong. al-you-mini-yum.:lol::lol:

Thanks! Ya, you Brits with your "colour" ... "rumour"... Let's agree to disagree on the size of a pint, but, well, when it comes to metal and I'm stickin' to it. Aluminum! :lol:

Man this is really looking great , nice work!!

Superb!

Thanks guys - can not wait to get the neck screwed into the body it's going to be like Christmas, but I have a lot of fret, bridge... work to do between now and then....

Let me throw in my "oooohhhhh's" and "aaaaaaahhhhhh's", please.

Let me throw in my "oooohhhhh's" and "aaaaaaahhhhhh's", please.

+1

+1

+2 way to go Mojo

Deep thoughts #3:
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2011/01/porsche_918_rsr.jpg
http://christiandfahey.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/master-and-the-musician.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/LeoFender1978.jpg/220px-LeoFender1978.jpg
http://www.salondeguitaredemontreal.com/images/exposants/2011/fiches/Ken_Parker.jpghttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQX1uk5DiedDuyBOU7H5UQiVHlrfECFx Ywa0sly9cbWufk3NFohig
Phil Keaggy lives about 4 miles from me, and I've seen him close up and personal a few times. WOW what a great musician, and make looping look easy.

I've seen him close up and personal a few times. WOW what a great musician, and make looping look easy.
I got to run sound for him one time.
Talk about easy :lol:
He was super nice to work with.

Let me throw in my "oooohhhhh's" and "aaaaaaahhhhhh's", please.

+1

+2 way to go Mojo

Thanks!! I'm glad to have found some time to keep from falling too far behind everyone else, it's a challenge to keep from rushing things, but I think I may finish on time this year.

There is always some sanding to do after the radius jig - there is just a lot less - the sanding took about 5 minutes.
Starting off with 80gt on a home made radius block. I use this simple jig to make sure that every stroke is parallel with the center line. I hate sanding, and I'm always concerned about taking too much off - so I try to keep sanding to a minimum.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0654.JPG

Then, moved on to 120gt and then 320gt with the Stu Mac sanding block - this block is really precise so I finish up with it.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0655.JPG

I really love the Stu Mac 150 fret wire: It's the widest/highest they sell, it plays great and will support a lot of fret-end work - if time/patience permits as well as touch-up fretwork later on.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0656.JPG

I like to minimize the space under the tangs, so I cut slots with the saw's depth gauge on - it's got a clumsy feel to it - and kind of sounds like I'm trying to get a mule up a steep hill, but this method works really well for getting very tight fret slots that hold frets without using glue in the insertion process. I covered my fretboard as the plastic I made my saw depth gauge out of will dent wood - I need to make a new one out of some other material some time.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0658.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0657.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0659.JPG

A long while back someone asked how to cut the nut slots in a thread and I did not have a good picture, but this is how I do it. I just cut the 2 ends - but instead of cutting them like I do

frets, I use the depth guides on the jig to keep the saw flat - this will make a slightly deeper slot (.095", instead of .075" in this case) that is flat instead of curved.

Once I have the ends cut, then I just take the tape off that holds the neck to the template and cut a bunch of 'slots' in between the 2 ends - you end up with something that you can clean out very easily with a 1/8" wide file.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0660.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0661.JPG

Done with that...

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0662.JPG

Nice work on the neck, Mojo! I especially like the use
of aluminum on the truss rod adjustment hole. Also,
I like how there's no problem doing the fretboard radiusing
and dot inlay surfacing at the same time with the router --
that would be risky with mother of pearl.

I couldn't tell from your pics -- are the side dots aluminum, too?

Then, I file into the slots a little - it helps a lot with fret insertion as well as keeps chipping to a minimum (although with Rosewood there is always chipping with fret removal) this just keeps huge chunks from coming off if the fret is pulled later.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0663.JPG

Another note - one of the down sides of sharp tools for cutting wood is that they will then also cut humans really well! I ended up stabbing myself with my center punch trying to open a hole in my bottle of CA glue.... just a mere flesh wound!

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Here's my fret-bender - nothing out of the ordinary, but I use a rubber lawn mower wheel and plastic door wheels - the bigger rubber wheel makes it easy to push the fret through as it grips really well and non of the wheels will scratch the fret wire.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0664.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0665.JPG

After a lot of cleaning with acetone and cutting the fret wire is ready to go. I think most people do fretting in very much the same way.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0666.JPG

I use a HF 1 ton press - totally overkill for pressing frets, but it was dirt cheap on sale and it works very well - actually the caul and insert cost a lot more than the press (I got tied of using my own caul so I thought getting the Stu Mac one would be a lot better... I like the Stu Mac caul better, but perhaps not worth the money since it is something one can make easily).

I ran into some problems because I forgot to clear the saw dust from the fret slots before I tried pressing. I tried to clear the slots with a fret that had the tangs filed down - that did not work well as the dust just got clogged in the middle, so I just cleared the slots with the fret saw: Since it cuts on the pull stroke - if I am only pushing the blade through the slots it will not widen the slot (or at least if it does I could not tell. That is my last resort as there is some risk of widening the slot, but it is also the best way to fully clear fret slots. The

slots were still very tight, but most of the frets popped into place really well. I test each fret with "the corner of a piece of paper" method. On one fret I just plan did not pay attention to what I was doing and had to pull it out - a new fret went in just fine, but I have a tiny (can hardly see it) chunk of Rosewood to fill in.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0667.JPG

Last, I run CA glue into both sides until it stops coming out the other side. This takes a great deal of fast cleaning with acetone since the Rosewood will soak up a lot of CA glue - but I want to make sure that I get as much in there as I can.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0668.JPG

I finished this late last night and let it sit over night (although an hour would be just fine) just to make sure the CA glue cures well before I cut the ends - sometimes cutting the ends will cause a fret to move - I am being overly cautious. Since it was 1am, I will pick this up tonight.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23/IMG_0669.JPG

Nice work on the neck, Mojo! I especially like the use of aluminum on the truss rod adjustment hole. Also,
I like how there's no problem doing the fretboard radiusing
and dot inlay surfacing at the same time with the router --
that would be risky with mother of pearl.


Thanks!!

Ya, I love the look of MOP, but it's some fragile stuff. I think this way of doing things would work well with pearloid dots that Stu Mac sells (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Inlay,_pearl/Pre-cut_inlays/Pearloid_Dot.html) (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Inlay,_pearl/Pre-cut_inlays/Pearloid_Dot.html)

I remember routing over MOP a little in the past without problems in the past, but I did 1/128" (maybe 1/256") at a time - life is too short for that!

Aluminum works so well for dots that this time I forgot to clean these dots with Acetone; then, once I got it almost down to the fret board, I mistakenly set the depth too deep and did all of the radiusing in one pass (I would have never chosen to do that - normally it's 1/32" at a time, but this time I did 1/16")... And it came out just right! I was totally surprised it worked out. Hardly any sanding too - which is good, because that's where the ugliness is: Aluminum will take a lot more sanding than any wood. So the trick is, to either use a very hard/even (stone/tile) sanding block to sand wood and Aluminum at the same rate, or sand the Aluminum to where you want it first with a file then bring the wood down to that level (which is the approach I have to take with the skunk stripe on the back) while cleaning up the file marks in the Aluminum at the same time. It takes a little different approach.



I couldn't tell from your pics -- are the side dots aluminum, too?

Nope - I love using the plastic side dots - they work well with CA glue too - I just don't want to sand all that much on the sides of the neck, and Aluminum is a bit of an extra even sanding challenge, so the plastic side dots work best IMO.

Beautiful work, Mojo-- I used Sm's Pearoid dots, too, except the ones I got were much thinner.

Beautiful work, Mojo-- I used Sm's Pearoid dots, too, except the ones I got were much thinner.

Thanks! Yep - I have to try the new dots that Stu Mac has now...

Well - I did not take any pictures of the flush cutting of the fret ends - but there's nothing to that stuff...

Here are a couple of tools i made that I really like a lot

Here is a regular old file where I whacked the pointy end off and glued it to this board for filing the fret ends flat - works really well for that.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0670.JPG

Here is my file for putting an angle on the fret edges.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0671.JPG

I like mine about 1/16" into the wood and not too slanted on the bevel - so I make my necks about 1/8" wider for extra fret end work.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0677.JPG

I love this stuff - the best tool I have!!
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0678.JPG

OK - looks pretty good - time to move on to some other stuff.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0679.JPG

I always wrap up neck shaping by sanding like this - sort of like you were polishing a shoe - makes the back of the neck feel so much smoother.
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0680.JPG

I love it when get the frets cut and filed - it really marks the point at which the really tough stuff is done. I measured the thickness and the neck is a little too thick at the 12th fret (by .02") I'll fix that tomorrow.

http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0682.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0683.JPG
http://mojotronics.com/images/Guitar_builds/2012_TDPRI_Challenge/4_23_2/IMG_0684.JPG

That's just pure class. Amazing stuff. :smile:

Top Shelf!

good stuff. Looks like you've really got your process down with frets. Nice and clean for sure.

Ooooh.... Love the alu and wood combo. :smile: