dazzaman's 2012 Challenge Build Thread -- COMPLETED

Okay, this is me in - it is the only way I will get off my backside and make the thing. I will worry about the other things I need to do - and sleep - a little later...

I have been thinking about this since the last challenge - which is worrying since I just changed my mind a little in the past couple of days. But it will be the guitar I want to build and have for myself.

So, expect a 69 thinline with walnut burl veneer covering most of it...

Sounds great already! Good luck!

Welcome, and good luck to ya'! :grin:

Dave

Attaboy, dazzaman :mrgreen:.

Good luck!

Good luck! Your plan sounds great.

Very cool.
One of my dearest friends goes by Daz, so I hope you win!
(I keep changing my mind too, but I'm also going for a thinline type thing...)
Cheers!

Well it looks as if its down to you to fly the flag for bonny Scotland. Best of luck and have a good time. If you need anything give me a shout. Mac

Just in case any of you don't know Dazzaman here builds Harpsichords and the like from scratch ........... so be afraid , be very afraid !!!!

Okay, this is me in - it is the only way I will get off my backside and make the thing. I will worry about the other things I need to do - and sleep - a little later...

I have been thinking about this since the last challenge - which is worrying since I just changed my mind a little in the past couple of days. But it will be the guitar I want to build and have for myself.

So, expect a 69 thinline with walnut burl veneer covering most of it...


Mmm--sounds tasty! Good luck dazzaman!

Thanks all for the comments.
Hey mac, really sorry you are not in it this year - was counting on you to get the Scottish average final score up.

Go for it Dazzaman! You're doing it for the team!

Okay - time for proof of start photos.

So, been thinking about the build for a long time - decided about eight months ago exactly what it would be. A thinline with an ash body and walnut top and back both veneered in burl walnut with ash binding. Two piece plain maple neck.

And here is the lumber...

http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/Start1.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/Start2.jpg

As you can see there is walnut, pine, figured maple and ash...
Yep, changed my mind just before the start. It will now be a thinline with a pine body and a figured maple neck.
Well, at least, it is going to start that way.

And a couple of pictures including the veneer...

http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/Start3.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/Start4.jpg

There is some plain veneer there as well - it will become clear in a couple of days, and the roll has more leaves of the same burl walnut - if I unwrap them I will risk damage in moving them around, so will keep them wrapped until I am just about to use them.

So, Igork finishes before I really get started!
Slight drawback here - I have a friend who lets me use his large machines for knocking stock to size, but we can't get in to his workshop at the moment, hopefully we can at the weekend. Causing me a rethink. At the moment the plan has been to use pine for the core with a veneered walnut top and back. But that is a lot of pine to get down to the correct thickness.

Then I remembered the thread about Prototype no. 2 and how that may be made of two pieces each half thickness. So I might do that with some 4/4 walnut that I could thickness fairly easily with the router and sled method. Still do a 69 thinline with the burl veneer and just join the two body halves together once hogged out.

Also, again for workshop access reasons might go back to a plain maple neck and fingerboard.

Still needing to thick whether to cover the edges with veneer or not - I was going to with the pine, and macaroonie sent me a link to some nice marquetry - but maybe it would be nice with walnut even with a joint.

Photos soon of some of the smaller bits such as the pickguard being made.

Looking forward to some sawdust flying :wink:

Sorry Roger, not much sawdust in these images, but a start to something that will be there at the end...

Veneers that will make the pickguard. The top layer is of the same veneer that will be applied to the top and back of the body (and will be edged the same way.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/pickguardmaterials1.jpg

Halfway through - animal glue is used between each layer.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/pickguardhalfway2.jpg

After all the layers are glued the excess glue is squeezed out.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/pickguardsqueezed3.jpg

And then it is cramped using go bars.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/pickguardclosegobars4.jpg

For those who aren't familiar with it, here is a view from further away so you can see how the go bars work.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/pickguardgobars5.jpg

The laminated veneer pickguard sounds great. Want to see more...

Got to the machine shop to do some thicknessing.

Here is the wood to start with.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/3newwood1.jpg

I decided to go with the solid walnut for the body and glue it together in two halves like what may have happened on Prototype 2 (and certainly happened on the pine double esquire). Also went with plain maple for the neck and fingerboard - mostly because I tend to think figured maple will detract from the burl veneer.

And so it all gets passed through the thicknesser...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/3walnutthicknessing2.jpg

As did the maple and ash. And here is the sawdust shot...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/3sawdust3.jpg

I am going to attempt to use ash for all of the bindings - around the top and back of the body, the pickguard, the f hole and the headstock. Wish me luck... At least slicing it was easy.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/3ashslicing4.jpg

And the shot of the finished wood from the session.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/3machined5.jpg

Very nice. That lamination is going to really shine.

Work on the body halves today.
First plane a straight edge. Sorry for the messy workbench - I would like to say it is not normally like but, but, actually, it is...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/4planing1.jpg

Once both edges are done check the plank is straight along its width.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/4checkstraight2.jpg

And check that there is no gaps along the length of the join (I can't photograph myself checking it...)
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/4nogaps3.jpg

And finally glue. I am afraid that I am old fashioned and use animal glue for everything that I can. Theoretically the join doesn't need clamps once the join is rubbed properly, but I have never been brave enough.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/4gluing4.jpg

The other half to make up the thickness was also done, but no point showing that since it all looks the same.

Loving the planed joint of course. If thats the Ash for your binding under the Challenge sheet ..... it looks quite dark in the pic or is that just me ?

Loving the planed joint of course. If thats the Ash for your binding under the Challenge sheet ..... it looks quite dark in the pic or is that just me ?

I suspect it might be the Auto-Brightness on the camera I am using. I just went and put the ash against some other swamp ash I just bought and I can't see any real difference in colour. You did have me checking though.

Next instalment...

Had to plane the surfaces after the edges had to be glued.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/5planing1.jpg

I have a sneaking suspicion that I need to rob a bank and get a Jet 16-32 sander for jobs like this in future. But, I still ended up with nice flat surfaces.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/5finishedsurface2.jpg

And then it was time to select the veneer for the top and the back...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/5selectedveneer3.jpg

They are two consecutive sheets from the same pile, and have been cut in the same place so that it should all match, unless I do something really silly in the gluing up process.

Was hoping to get it glued up last night, but Joe Bonamassa was playing in town. The veneer can get glued on today...

...and today the top and back get veneered...

Since it is hide glue, and especially since it will be a bit slower because I have to photograph, I heat up the body blank with a hot air gun. This gives me more usable open time.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/6heatingwood1.jpg

Then I slosh the glue on the underside. Better to have a bit much than too little...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/6gluesloshed2.jpg
...and turn it over and wet the outer side to try and keep the stresses out of the veneer. Once done I squeeze all of the excess glue out of it.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/6wettedtop3.jpg
And I then cramp with a few go bars...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/6gobars4.jpg

And then I come back later when it has dried hard and look at the result. There are a couple of bubbles in this side where the glue didn't stick. Not a problem with hide glue - I can just take an iron to those spots to warm up the glue and re-press it down again.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/6finished5.jpg
The bits of paper aren't a problem, they aren't stuck with glue or anything and will come off when I start cleaning it up.

Thanks for that go-bar shot!

Very cool.

That veneer is going to look awesome as a guitar.

Am I seeing this right , your leafs are big enough to do this in one piece ?

Am I seeing this right , your leafs are big enough to do this in one piece ?
Hi mac, yes, one leaf per side. You can see why I am thinking Gretsch as well... I got it from http://www.valeveneers.co.uk
Here is a shot of the full sheet with lines showing the part of the veneer that I used. The leaves are big enough that I am getting the pickguard with the leftover on one piece, and the headstock veneer from the other piece.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/7veneersheet1.jpg

I am having to think about which way I want to lay out the instrument on the veneer. Two possibilities.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/7choiceA1.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/7choiceB2.jpg
Think I prefer the top one myself. Off to work on the neck so I get a bit of time to decide on it.

If you flip the lower one round you can loose the plain area marked into the cutaway.

121504

If you flip the lower one round you can loose the plain area marked into the cutaway.

121504
I think that will just give me the top choice if I understand you correctly. But you have picked exactly the issue I am thinking about.

EDIT - okay, I hit the quote button. How do I get the actual image to show in this post?

I like the top one a little better as well, although I can't see either one not beeing stunning.

I think that will just give me the top choice if I understand you correctly. But you have picked exactly the issue I am thinking about.

EDIT - okay, I hit the quote button. How do I get the actual image to show in this post?

I don't think attatchments show whereas embedded images do.

Yeah , top piece is the back and its fine , lower piece turned around 180 deg gives the top without the plain section. I reckon thats the way to go. YMMV

Its worth remembering that once all the nicknacks get loaded on to the top a lot of it vanishes. I certainly bear that in mind when looking for grain to show off.

Not got much done over the weekend - real life got in the way. But I did saw the two parts out.
The front...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/8sawnfront1.jpg
...and the back...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/8sawnback2.jpg
Waiting on a router bit and a couple of other things, and then will make a big push.

Nice work! It's true what they say: handplanes improve tone.

Back with it after a couple of days in which work got in the way.
Truss rod time. I am using a Stewmac 2 way truss rod. I have never used one before. It is going to show...
First the preparation. I couldn't get two necks out of my piece of wood, so I didn't worry about being economical with it. So I used the router against the fence having planed one side of the wood straight.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/9setuptrussrod1.jpg
I then routed. Which was silly, because I should have drilled for the end first. That meant that I had to carve out the end with a gouge...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/9carvetrussrod2.jpg
And then made sure the truss rod fitted...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/9fittedtrussrod3.jpg
Next I will need to make a little piece to go over the top - I will remember to do that with something I have already drilled...

Looking good!
I've done a few headstocks with burled veneers and word for you is, 'Epoxy'. :mrgreen:

Looking good!
I've done a few headstocks with burled veneers and word for you is, 'Epoxy'. :mrgreen:
Hi Maricopa - I am happy to learn on this. I was just going to make a top caul and use hide glue. What have I yet to find out? I have used burl veneers on curves, but nothing approaching the radius of the headstock.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/298976-veneering-dummies.html#post3700826 #21

This may help

I just meant that I've found epoxy almost essential for getting the stuff 'filled'. There's usually lots of small voids and chips in the stuff that make getting a smooth finish tough.
It should follow the headstock curve pretty easily.

Maricopa sorry that got lost in translation. Over here epoxy usually refers to 2 part adhesive , Araldite if you know that one for example. We don't have quite the selection of 2 part fillers and putties.
Darryl makes traditional keyboard instruments so I guess he will have many medieaval potions for filling wood. Burl walnut if I recall requires goat beard dissolved in pictish blood and pounded to a fine paste. Hmmmmm

I just meant that I've found epoxy almost essential for getting the stuff 'filled'. There's usually lots of small voids and chips in the stuff that make getting a smooth finish tough.
It should follow the headstock curve pretty easily.

Mac was right - I was assuming you meant 2 part epoxy for gluing the headstock veneer :oops:. Not helped by the fact that I had to mix some up earlier in the day to repair one of my templates when the router slipped.

I have actually been trying to find info on epoxy as a grain filler - looked at the finishing forum here without much luck (seen some fantastic results using it, but didn't see an "idiots how to" guide like what I need, and I am also not sure what type of stuff I need to get. Am I right in thinking it should be something like Zpoxy finishing resin? Then the task will be finding it in the UK...

The finishing resin, which is a longer-set expoy is what I've seen used. Just the few threads
I've come across spaced throughout the internet, it seems to be an awesome filler because
it finishes very level. It would be nice if you decide to go that route to see the process
in action here in the thread. Keep up the good work!

To the fretboard...
I don't suppose there is anything here that people haven't seen lots of times, but in the interests of documentation...
A couple of (posed) pictures of the fret slots being cut. Before getting to that stage I planed one edge of the fretboard straight, and then used a scalpel to mark the distances. Once checked I went over again with a scalpel to get a line across the board, and then over again with a Stanley knife to get a deeper groove to help guide the saw. Then I cut the slots. I am either brave or stupid in just using the square to guide the saw...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/10fretslotcut1.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/10fretslotcut2.jpg

At this stage I am not worrying about the exact depth - I will do that after I have radiused the board. I know I am not going too deep in any case. I must confess that I have to concentrate to ensure the slots are good so I do it in three sessions with a 5 minute break in between. Yes, it would be quicker with a mitre box - I guess I am a cheapskate.

And the finished fretboard, still not cut to width or length at either end.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/10finishedfretboard3.jpg

Just make sure your saw stays perpendicular to the fretboard. The one time I tried sawing slots in that manner, my saw went in crooked causing major fretting problems. No matter how hard I tried to keep the saw straight, it would go in slightly off...

Z-Poxy is popular but I've West Systems and System III and they both work fine and have a nice, amber hue to them. Both also do a nice job accentuating figure.

This is news to me and prob Darryl. West appear to have a distributor here

http://www.wessex-resins.com/westsystem/product-selection.html

can you please highlight the product you use.

Tar said in a pirate twang. Mac

Honestly I'm not sure. It was pre-packaged and sold in a woodworkers store as an adhesive but worked fine for grain filling.

Thanks for passing on the link mac. I am taking Maricopa's tip and will go with the epoxy filling. I suspect there might be a fair bit of the weekend doing research, probably with a phone call to the company on Tuesday (who put Easter holidays in the middle of a build challenge???). The good news is that one of the UK stockists is at a marina not far from here where a friend of mine has a boat. (The other bit of good news is that everytime I think guitars are expensive I remember boats...)
So although there might not be an "idiot's how to" guide on resin filling yet, there may soon be "beginner's guide". Probably in what not to do :smile:

I'm nonplussed about the value of using epoxy for this task. There are plenty of fillers that you and I are familiar with that do not cost this kind of dough. If the epoxy provides some kind of pre finishing then that would be a different matter but again I'm sure you had a plan in place for finishing.
I could well be wrong here but I have not encountered an epoxy clear that is not a plain old goo. It spells mess to me. US products may well be different.
However CA and wood dust is a fine filler , as is hide glue with wood dust.

Just thinking aloud Darryl , hope you don't mind. M

No mac, feel free to think - I always value your opinion. I hadn't actually looked at the price:shock: From what I have read (and people other than Maricopa have recommended it, including the guy I got my lacquer from) it does seem to give a really smooth finish.
The other aspect is that if I fill with "normal" fillers is that I will have a bit of a task keeping the walnut filler out of the ash on the bindings and vice versa. If it was just the body it would be okay - I would just mask it out, but the f hole, pickguard and headstock are all going to be bound with ash around the walnut. I am also hoping (although time may well do me on this) to turn some knobs in walnut and keep the burl on top and bind them with ash as well.
What is becoming evident is that time is going to be tight since I will have to wait for the lacquer to dry before polishing and, working backwards, I will need something that will not require too much drying/waiting time.
I had ruled out my own concoctions since I am aware the burl veneer is thin so I don't want to do anything that may remove too much of it. The hide glue/wood dust is the only one I would feel at all comfortable with (and I do know that I won't have drying time issues with that).
It does seem that the epoxy gives a finish that would require less work over the top of it, but I might be mistaken on that.
I will ask my boat friend if he has experience of it as well. In any case, I am not going to be able to get much practical work done until Tuesday, so that gives me time to think and find out what I can about it. And see if I can rob a bank:lol:
edit: I take your point about the goo. Zpoxy is also available here and I assume it is the same stuff as in the US. You are quite right - the "normal" epoxy we have would be a huge disaster.

I've thought about doing an epoxy finish before; here, our DIY stores sell a couple of products in the $20-$25 range that are designed to finish a tabletop-size project with slower-setting epoxy. I'd assume that's plenty for a couple of guitars, and the price certainly beats Zpoxy...

My only experience with this sort of thing was a wooden PG I smeared with 5-minute epoxy. I was amazed at how clear, shiny, and plasticky it looked; good for a PG, but I wouldn't like it on an entire instrument. And it was a mess.

I'd be inclined to stick with other products for the filler, though of course YMMV; I've got no idea what kinds of products are available over there.

Have you tried Morrells, just do a google search, its the company most french polisher and sprayers of furniture will use in the UK they have branches all over, and they have always been pretty decent to talk to, and they will be cheaper than anyone else I would of thought

I've thought about doing an epoxy finish before; here, our DIY stores sell a couple of products in the $20-$25 range that are designed to finish a tabletop-size project with slower-setting epoxy. I'd assume that's plenty for a couple of guitars, and the price certainly beats Zpoxy...

My only experience with this sort of thing was a wooden PG I smeared with 5-minute epoxy. I was amazed at how clear, shiny, and plasticky it looked; good for a PG, but I wouldn't like it on an entire instrument. And it was a mess.

I'd be inclined to stick with other products for the filler, though of course YMMV; I've got no idea what kinds of products are available over there.

I'm confused . are we just talking GRP gel coat here ?

I've thought about doing an epoxy finish before; here, our DIY stores sell a couple of products in the $20-$25 range that are designed to finish a tabletop-size project with slower-setting epoxy. I'd assume that's plenty for a couple of guitars, and the price certainly beats Zpoxy...

My only experience with this sort of thing was a wooden PG I smeared with 5-minute epoxy. I was amazed at how clear, shiny, and plasticky it looked; good for a PG, but I wouldn't like it on an entire instrument. And it was a mess.

I'd be inclined to stick with other products for the filler, though of course YMMV; I've got no idea what kinds of products are available over there.

Hi Picton - the 5 minute stuff is what we get over here in DIY stores and is the stuff mac and I are in agreement is not the way to go. Did you finish over the epoxy on your PG and did that have an effect? I certainly won't use only epoxy as the finish and have been assuming that the lacquer will decide the final finish effect.
That said - I am after a high gloss see-my-face-in-it finish - though preferably not a plastic look - more a "wet" look (I am thinking high-gloss Rickenbacker guitar finish).

I'm confused . are we just talking GRP gel coat here ?

And me. What is "GRP"? An acronym too far for me.

GRP = Glass Reinforced Plastic AKA fibreglass.

Lovely build, cool fret cutting skills, my attempts without a mitrebox were as straight as a bulls pish.

GRP = Glass Reinforced Plastic AKA fibreglass.

Lovely build, cool fret cutting skills, my attempts without a mitrebox were as straight as a bulls pish.

Thanks argpod. A fellow Scot, welcome to the thread. I have not been talking GRP myself.

Actually there is a bit of cheating going on with cutting the frets. The square I am using is fairly thick, about 2mm or so next to the saw, so it acts, in effect, as one side of a mitre box. The fretboard is also about 10mm wider than it will finish, so any angle or wider slot at the edges will be cut away after it is glued on. So it isn't quite as difficult as it looks. And, as I said, I do take short breaks after every half dozen frets to keep the concentration up.

Someone, and I can't remember who, makes a "Lacquer/Poly" mixture now and they claim
it's cuts the "gas off" stage to a few days. For the life of me, I can't remember who but
I'm going to WoodCraft, over here, to get some direction. What about qualalacq lacquer?

Hi Picton - the 5 minute stuff is what we get over here in DIY stores and is the stuff mac and I are in agreement is not the way to go. Did you finish over the epoxy on your PG and did that have an effect? I certainly won't use only epoxy as the finish and have been assuming that the lacquer will decide the final finish effect.
That said - I am after a high gloss see-my-face-in-it finish - though preferably not a plastic look - more a "wet" look (I am thinking high-gloss Rickenbacker guitar finish).

Morrells AC lacquer will do it for you. A bit stinky but it hardens pronto. You can swipe it on if you cant spray.

Back after a weekend of having to be away. I am behind in posting images of what I have done - hopefully it won't be long to catch up...
The two halves of the body were only bandsawn to shape, so they got taken closer to the line on the bobbin sander. I can't really get a photo of me doing the work, but the end result can be seen.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/11sidessanded1.jpg
I have also done a few other things to the body that can't really be shown in a photo such as ensuring the veneer is properly glued down.

I also cut out the neck. First a shot of the neck halfway through...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/11neckbeingcut2.jpg
...and then once it was done.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/11cutneck3.jpg
The other things can wait until I stick up the photos.

Got myself a pillar drill with a 165mm throat which arrived at the beginning of the week. Had been meaning to get one for a long time, and the challenge provided the catalyst.

Sweet! New Tools :twisted:

On with the images...
After the neck was cut it was sanded close to the line.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/12sandingneck1.jpg
And then it was taken to the table router.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/12routedneck2.jpg
There was a couple of small issues. There was a little bit of tearout at the very top of the head - I tried to photograph it but the macro on the camera is not that good (no doubt it will be seen soon enough). It will require a little bit of filling with the final sand but I suspect (hope) it won't be noticed. There is also a bit of burning in a few places as cn be seen in this close up.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/12neckburn3.jpg
Hopefully that will also come out in the final sanding.
I gave everything a basic sand and smooth, and that is that part done.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/12finishedneck4.jpg

With the neck sized I could complete a couple of unfinished templates. It will be easier next time when the templates have already been done. First I finished off the heel template. I had already cut and routed the outline.
I positioned the neck and nailed pieces of MDF around it.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/13neckjig1.jpg
Then I cut it out on the bandsaw before taking it to the router to finish.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/13neckjigrout2.jpg
And a couple of pictures of the finished template. First by itself, and then with the neck in place.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/13neckjigcomplete3.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/13neckjigwneck4.jpg
Actually, I also routed for the pickups in this template after these photographs, but no picture of that.

Then I completed the quarter-inch thick pickguard template by using the just-finished heel template to route around the neck and I cut the hole for the neck pickup. Once that was completed I used that template to make a three-quarter inch thick one. Both templates will be used to size the actual pickguard.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/13guardjig5.jpg

Still behind with my images, but...
drilling out one half of the body on the drill press.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/14drillbody1.jpg
And the half once it has been drilled out...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/14drillbody2.jpg

More images...
The two halves of the body after it was routed following the drilling.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/15bodyrouted1.jpg

And then back to the neck. Attach the template and then drill pilot holes into the neck...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/15pilotholes2.jpg
Then make sure the big drill has the fence set in the correct place...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/15setdistance3.jpg
And drill a dummy test to make sure the ferrules fit. They are just a little bit tight, so I should be able to ream them out to get a perfect fit once it is all done.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/15ferrulefit4.jpg

Continuing with the neck...
Drilling the holes in the head.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/15drillholes5.jpg
Once that is done the neck was taken to the bandsaw and some of the excess at the front was rough sawn away.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/15cutftwaste6.jpg
Then I took part of the offcut from cutting out the neck and re-attached it (using double sided tape) so that the truss rod slot is perpendicular to the workbench.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/16taperedjig1.jpg
Then a fence is set up on the bobbin sander which takes about 1mm off each time the head is passed through...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/16sanding2.jpg
...giving a final result.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/16tfinishedmaple3.jpg
The thickness of the head is a little less than it should be as it will be veneered on the top with burl walnut as the next step.

Next step for me is to get the veneer on the headstock. Since I am going to bind the headstock I thought6 it was easier to cut the channel before the veneer went on. What I don't have is a dremel attachment to make binding headstocks easy, so I did it the old fashioned way with a chisel.
The result is okay. This photo also shows the little bit of tearout at the top of the head.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/17headchannel1.jpg

Then I made a caul for the veneer. The easy part of that is, to get the final shape I could attach sandpaper to the guitar head and match it. The finished caul...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/17headcaul2.jpg
And then glue and clamp the head.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/17gluedhead3.jpg

Great work! The headstock will be very nice I'm sure.

And the head after the veneer has dried and been sized and sanded...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/18head1.jpg

It is now that the issues are hitting home and I need to do a bit of re-thinking.

1) I had intended to do a thinline, but if there is a sensible way of cutting out the f hole it has passed me by. I had assumed it would be easy to get a quarter inch flush cut bit. I have been led up the garden path a few times including one that was advertised as such but was actually half inch (with a quarter inch shank), despite others described correctly on the same site. What I have ordered is a 3.2mm dremel bit with the intention of running the shank along my template since it doesn't have a bearing. Slight trouble there is, they were listed as "in stock" from the supplier, but turns out that they aren't...
I am half toying with the idea of doing a standard layout rather than the thinline if the dremel idea doesn't work, or if the bit takes too long to arrive.

2) I was going to bind with ash. The original thinking behind that was because I was planning to have an ash body core with walnut top and back and thought that using white binding would not be as "classy". Since it is a walnut core I could perhaps get away with white plastic binding, which would solve two issues - a) it is really difficult to thickness the ash accurately, particularly as I need it in 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.2mm thicknesses, and b) from discussions with macaroonie (thanks mac) and my own trials and tests, bending 2.2mm ash is up there with getting teeth pulled...

3) Time is getting on, and I am running behind. The above isn't holding me up in a way, because the weather here is rain followed by rain and hail... I have a low humidity (40%) and warm (70F) room for letting the lacquer cure, but it doesn't have the ventilation to spray in there, and the outside humidity has not been at all acceptable. I will grain fill and put sanding sealer on in the next day or so, but the lacquer drying could be an issue. I am half-toying with using a French polish finish, though that probably won't work with plastic bindings.

Feel free to offer views - at the moment I think I will wait for the dremel bits to arrive and order plastic binding (if I don't use the binding on this it will be used in the future), and try and come up with a good method of thicknessing the ash in the meantime...

I think white binding will look fine and the plastic will be so much easier to work with.
Give a thought to Acrylic Lacquer as it will cure a lot quicker than Nitro. It's usually found
under "Automotive Finishing". Lots of manufacturer's have used it in the past. I think it
would be ready to buff in well under 2 weeks. Just a suggestion. Build's looking great.

I think white binding will look fine and the plastic will be so much easier to work with.
Give a thought to Acrylic Lacquer as it will cure a lot quicker than Nitro. It's usually found
under "Automotive Finishing". Lots of manufacturer's have used it in the past. I think it
would be ready to buff in well under 2 weeks. Just a suggestion. Build's looking great.

Hi Eric, thanks for the opinion. Of course, no sooner had I posted than someone in the room next to me here said "why don't you use the dremel sanding wheel for thicknessing the ash". I should have thought of that myself. :oops:
So I have thicknessed the piece that can go around the head. My first suspicion is, yes, I can get it accurately thicknessed, but it is still a pain to bend in guitar shapes... So, as I am ordering the white binding anyway I will try and bend with the ash and see before the white arrives...
Macaroonie has also suggested the acrylic lacquer. Is this just the stuff sold in rattle cans for cars? Assuming it is the same for cars in the US and UK... I don't have spray gun facilities - a friend does, but I won't get to his workshop until the second half of next week (which could, of course, be when it is ready anyway).
I see you rattle-can finished yours - I don't know the brands - was that nitro or acrylic - it looks like it will come up really well.

If it's white wood you're looking for, non-flame maple bends far more easily than ash; the grain is obviously different, but the color's close. I've bound with maple quite a few times. It's very easy to thickness using a block plane and a simple holding jig, too.

Just a thought. There are probably a host of other white woods that are just as easy as maple, if you're willing to not use ash.

Yes, at least over here anyway, the acrylic lacquer comes in a rattle can. There's a
Rust-oleum "Specialty Finish" Lacquer over here that's acrylic. That's what I used and it's
already gassing off very nicely after 3 days. I believe it will be ready to buff by the weekend,
believe it or not.

I initially purchased the Deft Nitro, but time became a concern so I finished the top two
coats with Acrylic lacquer (you can spray acrylic over nitro, but NOT nitro over acrylic).

So, this is how I got the ash thicknessed accurately...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/19ashthicknessing1.jpg
But I am less and less convinced by what I will end up with. I feel no particular attachment to ash in itself - I was going to use it because the sides of the core were going to also be ash. They are now walnut. Anyway, here is a picture next to the maple. Remember that the ash will only be about 3mm high.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/19ashcolour2.jpg
I should have taken a picture next to the walnut as well, but...
I don't want to use maple, because the neck and fingerboard are (unless I was to put a thin strip in between the head and the binding, which I am ruling out). I could use holly which is quite white. But I am thinking more and more to use white plastic to make life easier in the bending. I still have time to change my mind again...

Also took the chance to cut the pickguard to a little oversize.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/19pickguard3.jpg

It, the headstock, and the body have all been sanded up and are ready for grainfilling and sealing over the weekend.

dazzaman, since time is of the essence, you may want to
consider using CA (superglue) for the grain filling. Mac
mentioned this option. A great advantage is that
it dries really quick.

One of the best finishers on TDPRI, Drak, has used CA
as grain filler for years. Check his work:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/244915-new-roundup-tele-started.html

dazzaman, this is a well thought out build using some traditional tools and materials (e.g. hide glue) and I have been very impressed with both your work and your workmanship. :cool:

I have found your entire thread extremely interesting, and I'm looking forward very much to keeping an eye on your progress - as well as seeing the finished article!...:grin:

Excellent stuff - keep it up!....:cool:

* Side note * - I've just previewed my post before submitting it, and realised that my comments sound like something you might have found in one of your old school reports! Apologies - I'm not a teacher or anything...:lol:

dazzaman, this is a well thought out build using some traditional tools and materials (e.g. hide glue) and I have been very impressed with both your work and your workmanship. :cool:

I have found your entire thread extremely interesting, and I'm looking forward very much to keeping an eye on your progress - as well as seeing the finished article!...:grin:

Excellent stuff - keep it up!....:cool:

* Side note * - I've just previewed my post before submitting it, and realised that my comments sound like something you might have found in one of your old school reports! Apologies - I'm not a teacher or anything...:lol:

Hi Fatmanstratman, thanks for the comments. Trust me, it is nothing like my old school reports - They were always "He would probably be good if he ever bothered trying...":smile:

dazzaman, since time is of the essence, you may want to
consider using CA (superglue) for the grain filling. Mac
mentioned this option. A great advantage is that
it dries really quick.

One of the best finishers on TDPRI, Drak, has used CA
as grain filler for years. Check his work:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/244915-new-roundup-tele-started.html

Thanks Glenn, I had seen that thread before, and his work is sensational. To be honest, the pore filling aspect isn't particularly time sensitive since I am waiting on a dremel bit which will be Tuesday at the earliest. I am also very concerned about doing something I have never done before and messing it up when there is an actual deadline. I will look into CA and exopy filling for future builds - I am really impressed with the end results (although, of course, it probably says much more about the person doing it than the method).

So, I did some testing with the pore filler I already had - it is something I know, even if I haven't used it on burl timber before. The test turned out really well giving a perfectly flat finish after one application. So I decided to go with it.

First I lined everything up on the bench. You might just be able to make out my test piece in the vice at the back of the bench.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/20readytofill1.jpg
Then I coated it with the grain filler...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/20piledon2.jpg
...and then once it had started to set I scraped as much off as I could with an old credit card.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/20scrapedoff3.jpg

The end result is something which looks like dark brown mud - if I hadn't done the test piece I would be in a panic. Interestingly, the pores of the burl veneer were MUCH easier to fill than the plain walnut veneer on the back of the pickguard. The good news there is, of course, that the back of the pickguard never gets seen:smile:

So, the pore filler has had time to dry, so it got sanded back to totally smooth...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/21headstock1.jpg
And then it was given a coat or two of sealer. Naturally enough I couldn't help but take a photograph of it when it was still "wet" to get an idea of what the finished product will be like...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/21headstock2.jpg
It changes quite a bit according to how the light hits it, but, if the finished product stays something similar to the image then I will be a happy bunny:grin:

Thats heading in the right direction , should be a breeze now you're past the tricky bit.

The binding arrived from Stewmac. Once again I am stunned that I can receive an order faster from Stewmac in the States than it takes to get stuff from here.

So, having cleaned the excess pore filler off the pickguard I routed it to size. As can be seen in the picture, the reason I have two templates for the pickguard is that it is flexible, so it is sandwiched between the two templates when being cut on the router table.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/22pickguardsize1.jpg

It, and the head, are now ready for binding. The pickguard seemed easier (the trouble with the head is the curve up to the fingerboard, and the binding isn't terribly fond of being bent in the wide direction). So, a first piece of binding being applied to the pickguard.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/22pickguardbinding2.jpg

I am needing to make some binding goop for what I think will be essential repairs to the head when I get there, but once I have that sussed out it should be all systems go on the neck.

Taking a break while waiting for gluing to put up a few images.

The head was bound and then I cleaned it it with the dremel and then scraping and sandpaper.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23headbinding1.jpg
I then was ready to glue on the fretboard. First I drilled a couple of small holes through a fretslot position to act as locator positions when gluing the fretboard to the neck
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23fretboardlocatorpin2.jpg
And then I cut the fretboard itself so it was slightly over width at each side and also slightly overlength.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23fretboardcut3.jpg
Pictures of the gluing process up next...

Very nice work. I like the looks of binding on a headstock. If you heat up that stuff it
bends a lot better, btw.

Very nice work. I like the looks of binding on a headstock. If you heat up that stuff it
bends a lot better, btw.

Hi Eric, yeah, clearly it wasn't heated to bend quite well enough. The problem was actually that it protruded above the top of the headstock which made taping it difficult without it trying to tip inwards. It should be fine though - I have some goop which, when it is all cleaned up and applied should fill the gaps and give a consistent thickness of line.

Back to the fretboard.
I put a bit of tape over the trussrod and applied glue with a brush.http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23gluingfretboard4.jpg
Then remebered to remove the tape...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23removetape5.jpg
The neck was then placed face down on a inch thick piece of MDF. I had previously drilled a couple of holes in it for the protruding locating pins.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23necktoglue6.jpg
Then the neck had lots of clamps put on it...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23gluingneck7.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23gluingneck8.jpg
Once the glue had dried hard it was removed and the curve at the end of the fretboard was done, first using the bobbin sander and then the final touch up part with chisels, files and sandpaper.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/23angledboardattop9.jpg

There is a little gap at the top of the binding which will be filled with goop a little later on.

next stage on the neck is the dot markers. Naturally I am going to make life difficult for myself and do walnut ones.
First I cut up a spare piece of walnut into sections about a foot long and about 3/16" square. And then I started to plane it into a circular rod.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/24rawdowel1.jpg
Then I have to get the square rod into a round hole (of the right diameter as I will have for the finished dots.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/24dowelhole2.jpg
I just basically hold it in one hand, start by changing the square shape into an octagon and then plane the facets away.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/24planedowel3.jpg
Once I have got it so it is slightly oversize I hammer it through the hole which is (in this case) a piece of maple.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/24hammerdowel4.jpg
It gets hammered all of the way through - obviously I need to use a piece of rod once it is flush with the front of the maple, and hammer using that until the dowel rod pops through the other side. Hey presto - handmade dowels, all exactly the right size...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/24finisheddowel5.jpg

I'm diggin' the headstock!

On with putting the fretboard markers in. I guess there is nothing new here, but in the interests of documentation...
First I mark out the positions.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/25markfb1.jpg
And then the holes are drilled on the drill press.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/25drillfb2.jpg
I am using superglue to glue the dots in with - dab a bit into the hole...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/25glueanddowel3.jpg
...and then push in the dowel.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/25glueddowel4.jpg
Once the glue has set enough I cut the excess off, leaving a couple off millimetres protruding...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/25cuttingdowel5.jpg
And the fretboard has that part done.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/25finishglued6.jpg

I like your innovation on making the rod for dots. Good job.

Back to the body...
First a coat of sealer - to protect the top as much as anything else.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/26bodysealed1.jpg
And then, it having finally arrived, I could use the dremel to rout the f-hole.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/26fholerouted2.jpg
And the control hole was drilled at the same time with a bigger bit. I will use the normal router for that.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/26controlhole3.jpg
The pickup holes were also done at the same time.
I wonder if it is just coincidence that the bridge pickup is routed to half the body depth, which made this - and no doubt things like the 1950 pine double esquire really easy...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/26fholerouted4.jpg
And then rout for the wires. It sort of looks like a really big woodworm was visiting...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/26innershot5.jpg

Next will be binding the f-hole, and themn the two parts can be glued together.

It's really starting to come together. can't wait to see it all buttoned up

Looks like it was a very hungry woodworm too. I guess they gotta eat as well.

So I naturally had to check and see that the neck pickup wires comfortably fit through the routed slot. Nice to see it in place :smile:
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/27pickupfit1.jpg

Then on to the f-hole binding. I am using thin (.5mm) stuff which doesn't need to be pre-bent at all.
I start with the part around the "eyes" of the hole.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/27bindstart2.jpg
I glue that section in two parts which allows me to trim the end in exactly the correct position in the notch.
Once that has dried I glue on the other (short) pieces.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/27bindfin3.jpg

Back to the neck.
First I sanded the fretboard flat.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/28fretboardflat1.jpg
Then I set guide curves. For this I used a half-inch wide electric file - which is basically a very narrow belt sander.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/28sawguidecurves2.jpg
Then I got the shape for the main part of the neck. I used a spokeshave for most of it, though other tools (bobbin sander, file, block plane etc.) were used in the later stages.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/28spokeshaveneck3.jpg
And the "finished" centre part.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/28centredone4.jpg
Then worked on the transition at each end, hit it with (lots of) sandpaper, and the rear of the neck is done :grin:
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/28finishedrear5.jpg

Very nice. Looks like you've got a great process together for shaping necks.

That's really looking great! That burl is amazing! I had to do a double take on the pic of you using that bobbin sander, at first i looked like you were taking a electric chain saw to the neck! :lol: Nice work !

And back to the body again. And I finally get it glued together :grin:
First though, I had to stick the label in.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/29labelin1.jpg
To do a bit of explaining... I can't really use my own surname on a guitar because a very-long established American guitar company would send me a cease-and-desist letter. Let's say that giving my daughter the initials C. F. did cross my mind. So, how come Svanen? I grew up in Western Australia whose state symbol is the black swan, so I adopted that. Svanen means "the swan" in Danish, where my wife is from. And no need to guess my daughter's name - the guitar will be hers one of these days.

And once it was glued in the two parts could be glued together - splosh on the glue...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/29stickglueon2.jpg
...but not before remembering to seal the inside with tape for protection for the finishing process...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/29gluedandsealed3.jpg

Once glue was on it is a race against the clock to stick the clamps on.
Her is a picture as they were going on...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/29clamping4.jpg
...and when it was done...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/29clamped5.jpg

Once everything was firm I then went around it with a hot air gun, just to warm the glue again in case it had started to congeal a little quickly.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/29heatup6.jpg

So, tomorrow should be the day of routing to final shape. From the start I had been wondering whether I should veneer the sides as well. I was uncommitted until Mark's (Guitarnut) all-maple thinline build resurfaced at the Tele Home Depot part - now I think I would forever be kicking myself if I don't also veneer the sides. But sticking veneer on those curved surfaces will be fun...

This is one of these day where little bits and pieces happen - all things that need doing, but you end up feeling you haven't really got very far.

Started with routing the body to finished size.
Did it in three passes.
First was with a 3/4" template attached to the top.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/30bodytorout1.jpg
Then I did a pass without the template (using the body itself as the template), and then flipped the body over to do tyhe last pass from the other side using a bottom-bearing bit rather than the shaft bearing one.
It came up okay.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/30routedbody2.jpg
I have decided to definately go with veneer on the sides as well, so the touch-up needs only be minor.

Then I went to the neck.
I set up a system to put the radius on the fretboard.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/30settoradius3.jpg
And then went to work through the grits.
The final result...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/30radiusdone4.jpg
The little mark at fret 20 is where a bit of filler spilt onto the fretboard. It is fine after sanding - the mark is all under where the fret itself will be. I recut the fretslots, but forgot to photograph that.

Then I made my variation on the "Guitarnut no-cost fretbender" and bent the fretwire.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/30fretbender5.jpg
Worked a treat! The radius is a bit tighter than the 9.5" I am using, but that will be fine :grin:

Glued the veneer on to the side of the body. I have some spare sheets, so I cut a few strips, each a bit narrower than the body width.
I than applied the glue...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/31setglue1.jpg
...and started to glue it on. It needs to be firmly pushed down to get the air bubbles out, and then tape applied.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/31starttotape2.jpg
And I mean lots of tape! I found that basically everything needed to be covered, or else it would curl up at the edges, even if there was only a half inch or so.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/31alltaped3.jpg

You look to be doing some very nice work, dazzaman. That's a nice, classy label you have there, too.

Many thanks for you comments and support Roger.

Back to the neck (while glue is drying)...

Fretting time - no need to tell anyone what this is. I put a couple of drops of superglue in the fret slot first.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/32fretpress1.jpg
And after each fret is pressed I use another caul with a smaller radius and hit at either end to ensure the ends are down.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/32hammerends2.jpg
Which gives me a fretted neck with overlong frets protruding.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/32fretsdone3.jpg

A bit later I went back and finished the fretwork, filing the ends and putting the angle on. I also took the chance to drill through the veneer on the head.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/32neckdone4.jpg

I also touched up the spot on the top of the head which I damaged while routing. So, tomorrow will hopefully be basically a final sand and that will be all of the neck woodwork done.

.126289

^ Yes mac, not lost on me :smile:

Started the day with going over the veneer on the sides. There were a few air bubbles and places where it wasn't fully down, so those places got heated with the hot air gun and then I used a piece of MDF to really push the veneer down well. Seems to have workled everywhere - the is no hollow sound when I tap.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/33pressveneer1.jpg

Then gave the front and the back a really good final preparation sand...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/33sandedfront2.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/33sandedback3.jpg

So, this weekend will be spent pore filling and starting to seal the wood. I know I still have to cut the binding ledge at the top and bottom - It seems a touch safer to do it after I have finished sealing pores. And I will hold off cutting the neck socket until the binding is done.
But, hopefully, I will be in a near-to-finish sealing state when that is all done.

As mac pointed out the time, he is right. I can still get it done according to the rules, but I don't want to rush the finish, so I will finish it with shellac for the purposes of the build, and then lacquer it afterwards - I would hate to find myself rushing and not doing it justice having put this much into it.

Finally, I decided I wasn't happy with my pickguard, so I laminated up another one. No images of doing it (and anyway, it looks like the previous one), but here is an image having just routed it to shape. It will also be pore-filled etc at the same time.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/33newpickguard4.jpg

The veneer looks very nice. Good idea to shellac it for the challenge and lacquer it later. Gonna be a beauty.

I thought I had finished all the woodwork on the neck, then I realised that I still had to do the side dot markers :oops: They were done in the same way as the neck dots.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/34dots1.jpg

I then applied the first coats of sanding sealer to the neck.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/34front2.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/34back3.jpg

Today has been starting the filling of the body with CA. It has gone well so far, but I will finish the process and write it up in one post. More sealer on the neck as well.

To come clean at the start - my big issue about using techniques I wasn't familiar with was if it would be a disaster and cause an unsolvable problem - so I did an undocumented practice on a piece of scrap body offcut first in which I applied the CA with a piece of MDF. My concern was sanding, and it was fine for risking it on the real thing.
People might also remember the discussions about using epoxy as a filler. I asked my boat friend and he didn't think much of the idea. I also did an undocumented test and I wasn't happy with that, hence trying a walnut coloured filler in the first instance. The walnut filler was a new brand to me - and I won't use it again - sanding it was impossible - the paper would slide over the top which meant that I had to be quite rough and oversand. The end result was any filler got sanded out in that process (well, a bit remained in places, but not much.

I read Glenn's thread part about CA filler and thought I would just use a washing-up sponge - who needs a handle? :roll: Yes, you do need a handle. After doing the top, back, sides and pickguard I had my finished sponge.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/35sponge1.jpg
You need a handle because I forgot that CA gets things VERY hot, and I almost burnt my hand. The heat gave a very short working time (for that reason) and it was applied thickly (which I wanted) but not smoothly.

After it dried I rubbed it down. The result:
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/35ftaftera2.jpg
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/35bkaftera3.jpg
The back shot gives an idea of what remained.
I also did the pickguard and the sides. The sides were the hardest to rub down and get smooth, partly because in applying it there were a few runs.

I then needed to give a second coat. This was done with an old credit card. The back was fine, but I leanrt that you don't want to have dry glue on your spreader, because it doeasn't go on smooth either...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/35applyb4.jpg

But that was enough (even on the sides to give a perfect finish...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/35bkafterb7.jpg

...except on the pickguard. Even though my second coat went on equally thickly (actually, probably too thickly - I put too much glue on)...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/35pickafterb5.jpg
...It took an awful lot to rub in near smooth - lots of rub through in places, and still some shiny patches here and there.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/35pickafterc6.jpg

And then it dawned on me. See anything wrong in the pictures? Yes - I was documenting the rear of the pickguard. :oops::oops: Which is interesting, because both coats on the rear were done with the credit card. So - using a credit card means three coats, whereas using a sponge meant two.

To be honest I am still not happy about what should be the application method - I think a squeegee would be best. But I am sold on CA filling and will continue to use it. The work time is a bit short - another minute would have been really good to have (probably an advantage of using epoxy), but that is the only issue - the squeegee would get it flat.

And the thought crossed my mind about using it for finish coating as well - I have ruled it out becasue I really don't see how it could be applied smooth on a fretted neck, but apart from that it would be in the running.

I can't remember who I heard it from specifically, but another builder told me that he ca finished necks are his absolute favorite. Don't see why you can't just use medium and brush it on.

i've also got another builder friend who also used to make ink pens. His favorite finish for them was ca. He said it could polish up to a nice shine as well as feel good.

I used a couple of coats of CA on my build. Like you, I used a kind of kitchen sponge. :lol: I tried a plastic spreader, but also like you, couldn't get it to go on smoothly before it dried. I couldn't get it to fill dents or tear-out very well, but I liked the hard surface it gives, and I liked the way it sanded--didn't clog up the paper as much as vinyl sealer. I ended up drop-filling a lot of spots, but of course, since it was CA on CA, it was no trouble at all.

I gotta agree though--if it would just give you one more minute before setting, it'd be a LOT easier to use. I think I might try epoxy next time for that reason.

Binding time.
First I routed the body channel.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/36routechannel1.jpg
Which came up really well. Some slight chips in the side, but, given that it is veneer, it is no real surprise, and they will be easy to repair and invisible.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/36channeldone2.jpg
Then started binding. Did the back first...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/36backbound3.jpg
...and then the front.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/36done4.jpg
Also did the new pickguard, but that looks much like the other oned in how I did it, so no images there.

Getting there...
Frets done. First I masked out the neck so that no dirt got anywhere...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/37maskout1.jpg
...and then I levelled the frets. As can be seen, I use a Stewmac level with a bit of sandpaper attached to the underside with double-sided tape.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/37flatfrets2.jpg
Once that was done I crowned the frets.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/37crownfrets3.jpg
And then I polished them with fine wet and dry paper.

Today was also a day of doing lots of little odds and ends - the sorts of things which take a couple of minutes each and aren't really needing to be documented (touching up small marks etc), but need to be out of the way.

Tomorrow the body will get a final clean up, and it, and the neck will get their final finish coats applied. :smile:

Before the body gets its final clean up I had to do some more remedial work getting the body right. This included getting the bindings flush with the body and a touch of filling where the veneer tore as the binding channel was being cut. I also cut the body to receive the neck. Fairly standard way of doing it, cleaned most of it out with a forstner bit and then put the template over it.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/38neckslot1.jpg
Then I used the router to clean the rest of it out. Can't really show it being done, but here is the finished result.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/38neckslotfinish2.jpg
And then drilled everything for the neck and put it on. I couldn't resist putting the pickguard in place for the picture.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/38neckattached3.jpg

Holy Burl-O-Caster Batman!

:shock:

Hey Dazza,

Both you and your guitar are definitely in the running for best dressed in the shop! Love the burl!

Barncaster

Lovely.

Oh, man... my mouth is watering. That's a super-classy looking guitar; it's what a top-of-the-line Tele might have looked like in 1938 or so. Beautiful work!

I am so inspired! That burl is off the hook (as they say). I think I have a big box of veneer left over from my woodworking days.....That means several more builds. I'm gonna have to buy stock in a luthier supply store :grin:

^ Thanks to all for the kind comments, much appreciated.

Today has been a "get things finished" day.
The body was given a good sanding and clean up...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/39cleanup1.jpg
...and was then coated in shellac.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/39polishbody2.jpg
Once it has hardened I will smooth it down like the pickguard.

The neck, which was shellacked the previous day was then got into its final state. The before shot...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/39neckbefore3.jpg
...and the after.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/39neckafter4.jpg

So, that is the neck and pickguard done (finish wise), and the body will be first thing tomorrow. Why do I suspect I may be compiling a "to do" list later tonight?

That's really coming together beautifully! :grin: You gonna make it!

That's really coming together beautifully! :grin: You gonna make it!

+1

How can it get any more classy?
The answer is 'none' - None more classy.

I did promise a "still to do" list. Mostly for my own use, but there may well be things I have forgot to add.

Pickguard
drill holes for screws, control knobs and switch
cut switch slot

Neck
cut nut slot
attach tuner ferrules
attach tuners
attach string trees
make and size nut

Body
Rub down shellac
Drill jack hole
fit jack
drill string-through holes
fit ferrules
fit strap buttons

Assembly
attach neck to body
attach bridge pickup to bridge
attach bridge to body and add ground wire
fit neck pickup to body
fit control knobs and switch to pickguard

Action
cut nut slots
set bridge saddle heights

Wiring
wire control knobs and switch
wire pickups to switch
wire output jack
solder bridge ground

Assembly
screw on pickguard
attach output jack to body
string

Misc
learn to play
make video

That is probably it, apart from things that come up as part of the above going wrong somewhere...

Easy for a man with your talents , you have a whole weekend , maybe slot in some golf just to relax a little ..............

Getting there, again little tasks which tend not to be photographed.
But, put the buchings in, got my tuners in a line...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/40straightline1.jpg
...then marked their positions, drilled for the screws, and got the tuners done.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/40headdone2.jpg

Also got the pickguard drilled and the selector slot cut.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/41pickguarddone3.jpg

This build is epic - really. The binding and veneer are stunning. I want this one :mrgreen:.

Got the rest of the body stuff done.

Drilled through for the string-through holes...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/41drill1.jpg

And then got the ferrules in - the line turned out pretty straight.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/41straightline2.jpg

And couldn't resist a mock up...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/41mockup4.jpg

So, just the action work and electronics to go build-wise :smile:

That looks really REALLY sharp.

I want. Gimme.

Holy cow.

That's one pretty guitar!

So, you know what I said about fine provided there was no problems...

Well, last night was a lot of cursing (I can't really photograph that) as my wiring did not go as I hoped. I know, it isn't the world's biggest job, and I am not a complete idiot at it, as in, I have soldered before, including making a baroque trumpet (don't ask...), but it just wasn't working. I had visions of have to pull out through non completion of the last building task.

A phone call with a friend - following sending Mac a couple of text messages by mistake (sorry, Mac - Mac and Mark are next to each other in my contacts list, and I was getting rather stressed at that stage...) - and it seemed that the tools were wrong for the job.

So borrowed my friend's better soldering iron and some flux (solder which is supposed to have flux in it is rubbish...) and, following about four hours swearing last night, job was done in 30 minutes. :roll:

One working guitar :grin:

Got it in tune and harmonic set etc. Letting it settle, but ready for the video tomorrow. Cutting it fine I know...

Well for that post to have any value we need pics !!

A couple of pictures of the nut being slotted which I had intended to post over the weekend.
First the nut curve being marked. I think my method is a little different to the norm. I do not use a complete half pencil, but the pencil is planed so that the lead is almost exposed. This means that the drawn line is higher than the fretline.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/42nutinprog1.jpg
Because it is higher I can slot it to the bottom of the pencil line.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/42nutslotcut2.jpg
Once done with the small saw as seen in the image the slots can be widened with Stewmac slot files and checked they are wide enough with the strings. The nut is the put on along with the top and bottom string. Any further adjustment is done from the bottom of the nut, unless one of the slots has been cut too deeply.

I didn't get the chance to take any images of the soldering - mostly because I was rather panicked as described above. If I get the time I will take the pickguard off and take a few images. There won't be anything that exciting to see - it is just the standard layout.

So everything is in tune and at pitch. Time to see if I can make a half-decent video...

Wowsers. That is insanely beautiful. :shock:

Last set of pictures...
The front...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/43front1.jpg
The back...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/43back2.jpg
The sides...
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/43side3.jpg
and the body close up.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/43body4.jpg

Just to give a resume.
It is based on a late 60s thinline, with an American walnut body, veneered on the top, sides, back and head with burl walnut. White binding on the front, back, around the f-hole, pickguard and head.
Two piece maple neck with walnut dot markers.
Wiring is standard - the pickups are a set of Fender Original Vintage telecasters, one volume, one tone, three-way selector giving neck, both, and bridge pickups.
Strung at present with D'Addario Chrome flatwound 11s with a wound third string.

Here is my portrait picture.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t503/darrylpetermartin/TDPRIchallenge/44portrait.jpg

And here is my video. A colleague loaned me a youtube account.
Sorry, playing not that great, I knew I should have started to learn the guitar more than a couple of days ago :wink:
LS2jBsOWKVs

Awesome! I love how it sounds in the last piece you played - what is that one called?

Beautiful guitar!

Many thanks for the comment - and also to everyone else for their kind works on and off the thread.
The piece is a jazz standard - "Autumn Leaves".

Lovely guitar and it sounds great too. Nice playing also. Well done. Actually is there any sun at the moment in Scotland as it would be great to see some shots of it in natural light? Cheers

Seriously, we have had the wettest April on record, and May looks like going the same way. I can't speak for the rest of Scotland, but with the exception of last Wednesday I haven't seen good sun for a long while. Currently have rain here, and I am not about to find out how rain and new guitars mix... Hopefully one can still add to the threads after the challenge completely ends, and I can get them then.

Hey Dazzaman,

This is a beautiful build. Please do post some pictures when you get a bit of sun. How do you keep your acoustics happy with that excessive humidity?

Rob

Nice, Daz!
I'm thoroughly convinced that everyone in the UK who says, "I can strum a few chords," or "Yeah, I need to learn to play..." is some kinda formidable muso!
Also, I must confess - I don't really like burls... but I seriously want this guitar. That's a pretty impressive feat right there!
Cheers,
Chris

Also, I must confess - I don't really like burls... but I seriously want this guitar. That's a pretty impressive feat right there!
Cheers,
Chris

Thanks Chris. There are so many builds in this challenge (yours included) that I would never think of doing, or I suppose ever do myself, but that I would love to have.

Wow, the playing matches the guitar. Beautiful. :shock:

really nice guitar!