Bowensby23's 2012 Challenge Build Thread -- COMPLETED

Well, I'm throwing my hat in the ring for this years build challenge. Right now the plan is a Spanish cedar body, maple top, maple neck, and pau ferro fretboard. I'm thinking of doing a thinline, because I've missed mine since I sold it. And I have always wanted a goldtop guitar, so we'll see if that's in the cards.

I think a Goldie Thinline is a great idea! Good luck.

That sounds perfect. Rock on!

Oh, and good luck!

Welcome, and good luck! :grin:

Dave

Well we hit a small snag today. I went to pick up my Spanish cedar and the hardwood dealer I go to had all of there s.c. resawn into 1/4 thickness. So now the body of this project will be African mahogany. Photos coming soon.

Finally got around to getting some pics today.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/484702_343054939079443_300698399981764_1032357_134 3941793_a.jpg
The obligatory "pile o lumber" shot

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/480446_343054692412801_300698399981764_1032351_186 4150168_a.jpg
Getting the african mahogany cut down into halves for the body blank

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/486288_343054799079457_300698399981764_1032353_244 856971_n.jpg
planing to thickness

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/480114_343054822412788_300698399981764_1032354_158 0497874_a.jpg
just a hair over 1.5"

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/484542_343054745746129_300698399981764_1032352_119 2724832_n.jpg
I may not use my jointer a whole lot, but man am I grateful to have it!

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/483804_343054865746117_300698399981764_1032355_177 7264716_n.jpg
glue applied

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/483122_343054895746114_1390275006_a.jpg
and there we are in the clamps.

I know the original plan was to use spanish cedar, but I'm kinda happy I ended up with the african hog. It works like a dream, and weighs very little compared to the black walnut I normally use. It also rings like a bell when I tap it.

More pics coming soon.

Mahogany bodied gold top is more traditional! It will be great.

Mahogany bodied gold top is more traditional! It will be great.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

got a couple hours to work today, and wouldn't you know it, there was still more stock preparation to do.

I am using maple for the cap of the guitar. Nothing too fancy since it is getting painted.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/398291_343661592352111_300698399981764_1033991_122 189235_n.jpg

there it is, just a big chunk of rough sawn maple, waiting to become part of a guitar. but not before i beat it into submission.
You see I can only resaw up to 6" wide boards on my bandsaw, and since this one came in around 8", i had to get a little creative. I do not recommend this method, nor do I endorse it. Don't try it and come crying to me when you've ruined your beautiful figured maple board that you've been saving for just the right time.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/409660_343661639018773_300698399981764_1033992_468 387054_n.jpg

It starts off innocently enough. Just a couple runs through the table saw blade. But it's that pesky hunk of wood in the middle of those cuts that gets a bit unruly when you don't have the proper tools. So what I did was to start off by connecting the two cuts with a standard hand saw on the ends of the board, easy enough. Then the caveman in me took over.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/427873_343661562352114_300698399981764_1033990_925 269451_n.jpg

yup, that's a cold chisel wedged in the end of my maple top. It's quick and dirty, and don't expect it to look real nice when it's done.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/293748_343661669018770_300698399981764_1033993_204 6793737_n.jpg

there are the results. not elegant, but it is two boards now. it used to only be one. you can see the cold chisels accomplice, the good old sawzall. He had a hand in this too, when the wood didn't want to cooperate.

After this there was quite a bit of time spent at the jointer and planer to get me to this point

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/295419_343661809018756_300698399981764_1033994_310 305387_n.jpg

there we have the boards all cleaned up and planed down to 3/8".

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/375707_343661842352086_300698399981764_1033995_108 0248574_n.jpg

and there the top is in the clamps.

Hopefully tomorrow I can start actually cutting out things shaped like guitar parts.

Whoa.. Your resaw method started like mine, but then you were smart enough to use the caveman method. I used the handsaw all the way. Your maple is about 100 times harder than my pine, so I understand this very well.

Looking at your grain, that could have gone awfully wrong, but the caveman was lucky! Or skilled...

Welcome to this years challange and good luck. I'm also using Af mahogany for my build. I love it. After routing the inner chambers mine is down to 3lb12oz and rings like a bell.
Looks like you may be using a Ryobi BT3100 table saw (or the Craftsman version). It looks well used.

Whoa.. Your resaw method started like mine, but then you were smart enough to use the caveman method. I used the handsaw all the way. Your maple is about 100 times harder than my pine, so I understand this very well.

I don't know if it was as much smart as it was laziness. Splitting works better when the timber is still green. but desperate times, desperate measures i guess.

Looking at your grain, that could have gone awfully wrong, but the caveman was lucky! Or skilled...

trust me, the caveman was only lucky this time.

Welcome to this years challange and good luck. I'm also using Af mahogany for my build. I love it. After routing the inner chambers mine is down to 3lb12oz and rings like a bell.
Looks like you may be using a Ryobi BT3100 table saw (or the Craftsman version). It looks well used.

this is my first time using african hog, and I really like it. I haven't chambered yet, and the body is already pretty light. Plus it seems to be really easy on my tools, which is nice. The less sharpening the better

That is the craftsman version of the bt3100, and it is very well used. I always contemplate replacing it, but I can't get away from that sliding miter table.

I love working with the African Mahogany. My last build with it came out a little too heavy so I tried chambering this time. I grain filled with timbermate and it came out real nice.
I have had my BT3000 for about 12 years now. It's a love hate relationship. Have you ever been to the BT3K web site? Lots of great info on the saw and how to upgrade it (http://www.bt3central.com/index.php)

I love working with the African Mahogany. My last build with it came out a little too heavy so I tried chambering this time. I grain filled with timbermate and it came out real nice.
I have had my BT3000 for about 12 years now. It's a love hate relationship. Have you ever been to the BT3K web site? Lots of great info on the saw and how to upgrade it (http://www.bt3central.com/index.php)

i'll have to check it out. thanks!

I am happy to say that I actually started making guitar parts today and not just square pieces of wood.

today's journey starts with chambering the body

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/564655_344472288937708_300698399981764_1036413_120 8587077_n.jpg

there's my chamber template on the african hog body blank

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/524970_344472345604369_300698399981764_1036414_111 2927021_n.jpg

all laid out and ready to head to the drill press

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/544364_344472385604365_300698399981764_1036415_109 0682875_n.jpg

just your standard shot of a drill press with a large forstner bit doing most of the chambering work

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557813_344472422271028_300698399981764_1036416_109 311646_n.jpg

needed some music to drill by. hogging out waste is not the most exciting part of the build process

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/562686_344472505604353_300698399981764_1036417_252 137049_n.jpg

roughly 200 arm curls later and the majority of the chambering is complete

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/530150_344472552271015_300698399981764_1036418_177 8304753_n.jpg

attached the chambering template with screws, i've been burned too many times by carpet tape

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/535997_344475055604098_300698399981764_1036441_196 2701815_n.jpg

Safety First!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/545110_344472678937669_300698399981764_1036419_140 104578_n.jpg

on to the plunge router with my 1/2" pattern bit to clean up these chambers

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/546363_344475118937425_300698399981764_1036442_671 644997_n.jpg

almost there, just needs a little handwork to finish it up

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/553673_344475178937419_300698399981764_1036443_197 5293722_n.jpg

I'll use a chisel and router plane to clean up the remaining mess

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/559671_344475202270750_300698399981764_1036444_118 708014_n.jpg

not too bad, could still use some sanding, but for now it's time to rough cut at the bandsaw. I use a sharpie to outline the body and then i leave the line as i cut. This usually leaves just enough to take off at the router table

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/564769_344475252270745_300698399981764_1036445_209 153764_n.jpg

the body template attached and we are at our friend the router table to get the body to final shape.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/537325_344475288937408_300698399981764_1036446_763 524439_n.jpg

did I say our "friend" the router table? because what I meant to say was,
THE ROUTER TABLE IS A DICK!

luckily we do have a friend in the oscillating spindle sander

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/529398_344475325604071_300698399981764_1036451_189 7227459_n.jpg

oh, OSS, you always have my back.

anyways, now it's on to the maple cap. first stop bandsaw

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557181_344475378937399_300698399981764_1036452_204 2466150_n.jpg

roughing out to the line

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/541776_344475418937395_300698399981764_1036453_123 4743103_n.jpg

now, I use my chamber template to help layout my very special "f" hole

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/547144_344475455604058_300698399981764_1036454_147 6399103_n.jpg

wait for it....
waaait for it....

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/529003_344475498937387_300698399981764_1036455_166 6813930_n.jpg

I told you it was special!

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/557325_344475585604045_300698399981764_1036456_473 851957_n.jpg

I think this scroll saw is almost as old as I am. it used to belong to my grandpa and now it's mine. He'd be so proud to know I was using it to cut out naked ladies!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/537401_344475685604035_300698399981764_1036460_536 333431_n.jpg

sexy!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/483345_344475718937365_300698399981764_1036461_172 14413_n.jpg

could still use a little sanding, but it's good for today.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/556430_344475742270696_300698399981764_1036462_931 293715_n.jpg

the obligatory, "end of the day with the proof of start form" shot.

Ha, ha, that's awesome! Love the "hole" idea.

And, as much as I'd rather not admit it, but I too have gone "caveman" on a piece of
Maple during an attempted "resawing by hand". Luckily, I had a thick top like you did,
otherwise it probably wouldn't have turned out as well.

Keep up the good work!

Ha, ha, that's awesome! Love the "hole" idea.

And, as much as I'd rather not admit it, but I too have gone "caveman" on a piece of
Maple during an attempted "resawing by hand". Luckily, I had a thick top like you did,
otherwise it probably wouldn't have turned out as well.

Keep up the good work!

it's that damn Roy Underhill, and Barnaby, making the hand tool work look so damn easy all the time.

Grandpa's old tools are my favorites too!
Nice work.

Great F-hole... a buddy of mine is owed a thinline for the use of his metal shop. I'm going to steal that. :mrgreen: He'll love it.

Cheers

Murray

That looks great.

tklaavo Grandpa's old tools are my favorites too!
Nice work.

yeah, luckily no one else in the family is in to woodworking, so I got most of his woodshop

mkhhunt
Theft is the greatest compliment of all
Great F-hole... a buddy of mine is owed a thinline for the use of his metal shop. I'm going to steal that. He'll love it.

Cheers

Murray

that's fine, i'm sure i subconsciously stole it from somewhere else anyways

jkingma That looks great.

thanks so much!

Crap.....there goes my vote....

Barncaster

Crap.....there goes my vote....

Barncaster

Thanks buddy!

Thanks for coming back to my thread. I was able to get the top attached and got a good start on the neck on wednesday.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/305903_346166328768304_1093858803_n.jpg

glue applied to the body, ready for the maple cap

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/555211_346166425434961_300698399981764_1039678_168 7156655_n.jpg

somewhere in that medieval torture device, there's a maple cap making sweet sweet love to a mahogany body.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/528176_346166455434958_300698399981764_1039679_175 9755311_n.jpg

there she is! just peeking out, but you can see her. This step used almost every clamp in my arsenal. One of these days i'm going to get an old book press just for this step.

while that dries, it's on to the neck!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/564049_346166488768288_300698399981764_1039680_113 3641909_n.jpg

there's my maple neck blank, ready for the bandsaw

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/552716_346166525434951_300698399981764_1039681_215 249609_n.jpg

there we are roughed out, with the template attached. ready for routing.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/542190_346166565434947_300698399981764_1039682_152 9341734_n.jpg

and there we a have a shaped maple neck blank.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/564217_346166622101608_300698399981764_1039684_399 514878_n.jpg

here, I am drilling the tuner holes. The neck is still a bit on the thick side, and I haven't thinned the headstock down yet. This way, any tearout I get will be taken care of during the final planing and sanding.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/552920_346166658768271_300698399981764_1039685_533 869460_n.jpg

here we are at the truss rod slotting jig. I'm going in on the back side of the neck. Even though this is going to be a two piece neck, with a pao ferro fret board, I like the look of a skunk stripe.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/541539_346166718768265_300698399981764_1039686_974 385175_n.jpg

and there is a shot of the finished truss rod slot.

that's it for this update. But stay tuned. I have something special planned for the headstock on this build.

Nice clean work. And I'm definitely staying tuned in:wink:

I'ma liking it.

Just a small update to show I'm still alive and kicking.

121221

Got the body out of clamps and at the router table. Flush trimming the top to the body.



121222

And then on to the spindle sander for cleanup.

In other news, I have to start over on my neck due to two colossal failures on my part. No pics right now because I don't want to spoil my headstock surprise.

I figured I would update this thread just in case anybody is still watching it. I got a bit done yesterday. Let's start off with the body shots.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/530116_350802161638054_300698399981764_1052796_125 9758532_n.jpg

here we are with our routing template attached, at the drill press hogging out waste with a forstner bit.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/541188_350802188304718_300698399981764_1052797_128 7144161_n.jpg

and then it's on to the plunge router for final cleanup of the neck, pickup, and control cavities. I know it's not super exciting, but it's progress.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/542174_350802248304712_300698399981764_1052798_170 7549102_n.jpg

there we are left with something that resembles a routed tele body.

Now it's on to my first major mistake on this build. The original plan was to have a single action truss rod in a curved channel. You may recall I had already routed the channel without incident. All that was left was to drill the holes for the anchor and nut. I've seen a couple guys in the past do it with a big long drill bit.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534774_346166772101593_300698399981764_1039687_165 4612799_n.jpg

like so.

The only problem with this method is, you don't know what that drill bit is doing inside your precious headstock and you could be left with something like this.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/564771_350801791638091_300698399981764_1052786_332 23294_n.jpg

a huge fricking mess!

So after I patched that mistake, and glued new face on the headstock, and made a jig to hold my drill bit at the proper angle. It just happened again. I think the drill bit grabbed a hold of the dowel I used to plug the first mistake and just followed it's path.

So sufficed to say, I had to change my plans, and it's on to neck day part 2

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/556252_350802308304706_300698399981764_1052799_800 240781_n.jpg

I had this big chunk of maple left over from the board I used to make my maple top. After a quick trim, and a little work at the jointer, it brings us here

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/526703_350802364971367_300698399981764_1052800_182 8317371_n.jpg

at the bandsaw ready to resaw this board

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/544835_350802398304697_300698399981764_1052801_206 4451357_n.jpg

as you can see, that board was enough for two neck blanks, just in case I screw up again.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/554164_350802431638027_300698399981764_1052802_824 167378_n.jpg

here we are after one of the blanks has been roughed out on the bandsaw, with the template attached, ready for routing

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/563698_350802471638023_300698399981764_1052803_134 4224851_n.jpg

and here we are with the blank in the truss rod slotting jig. if you look close you can see that I added two straight walls to the inside of my jig, so I can cut a flat channel.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/563559_350802498304687_300698399981764_1052804_179 3926725_n.jpg

there is the new slot with it's new truss rod. I decided to just do a double action truss rod on this neck. I've wasted about 3 days of precious shop time on the first neck, and couldn't afford to have any more mishaps if I want to get finished on time.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/557395_350802548304682_1837320238_n.jpg

a nice tight fit

Now it's on to the fret board

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/532487_350801761638094_300698399981764_1052785_907 166314_n.jpg

pau ferro, or morado, or santos rosewood? i guess it's whatever your hardwood dealer wants to call it.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/560503_350801844971419_300698399981764_1052788_815 257970_n.jpg

resawed at the table saw, because my bandsaw blade is pretty dull at this point.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/524538_350801881638082_300698399981764_1052789_114 6242117_n.jpg

cleaning up one of the pieces at the planer and jointer. final thickness is right at 1/4"

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/522342_350801938304743_300698399981764_1052790_161 7523141_n.jpg

trimmed down to 2 1/2" wide at the table saw

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/564560_350801974971406_300698399981764_1052791_307 228792_n.jpg

on to the fret slotting jig

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/556383_350802034971400_300698399981764_1052792_867 07436_n.jpg

a slotted fret board blank

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/375065_350802054971398_300698399981764_1052793_165 8373599_n.jpg

I tried to save a lot of the saw dust from the fret board. I think it might come in handy later on

Now it's time to glue up the neck and fretboard

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/398921_350802584971345_300698399981764_1052806_102 284983_n.jpg

good ole titebond I spread on the neck, and the fretboard has been wiped down with naptha prior to gluing. I think this will help get rid of some of the oils on the gluing surface of the pao ferro.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/532347_350802684971335_300698399981764_1052808_350 786966_n.jpg

and there we are in the clamps. You can probably see that my shop is getting a bit messy. I will have to clean up a bit, or I will probably start losing parts and tools pretty soon.

Thanks for checking out my thread.

Great job thus far. Those little "neck boo-boos" are actually "learning opportunities", so
they're important to have.

And don't even get me started on a messy shop. I'm starting to spill out into another room....yikes

Nice recovery. Everyone hates stuff like that, but as Eric said, it's a learning opportunity and practice. My guess is that you'll be able to knock your next neck out in no time at all.

Ouch! thats a bummer, but just to ease your mind, your still ahead of me

Great job thus far. Those little "neck boo-boos" are actually "learning opportunities", so
they're important to have.

And don't even get me started on a messy shop. I'm starting to spill out into another room....yikes

thanks buddy. I'm just so sick of learning all the damn time!

Nice recovery. Everyone hates stuff like that, but as Eric said, it's a learning opportunity and practice. My guess is that you'll be able to knock your next neck out in no time at all.

yeah, neck no. 2 took me all of about an hour to complete.


Thanks you guys for the support, and for being my biggest fans!

What's up everyone! Thanks for checking out the build again. I got a couple things done in the past two days, so I thought I would update.

when we left off the neck and fretboard were in clamps

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534778_351639651554305_300698399981764_1054768_126 4702034_n.jpg

here we are, out of clamps, at the bandsaw trimming of the excess fretboard

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/543677_351639738220963_300698399981764_1054769_109 6942572_n.jpg

then it's on to the router table to trim the fretboard flush with the neck

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/546790_351639771554293_300698399981764_1054770_847 060260_n.jpg

all trimmed and flushed, ready for a carve!

this is probably my favorite part of the actual woodworking aspect of guitar building. to all of you guys that have special jigs that let you knock out a neck in a couple minutes, god bless you. I however will never build a jig to shape necks, because I really enjoy all the handwork that comes with it. Plus if my neck is in a jig, I can't pick it up and play air guitar with it in the middle of carving!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561033_351639804887623_300698399981764_1054771_158 6121835_n.jpg

I start off by roughing in the headstock transition and bringing the area behind the first fret down to about .90 inches. as you can see I use a fairly aggressive rasp for this part.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/533864_351639834887620_300698399981764_1054772_141 3596141_n.jpg

i then do the same for the heel, and the area behind the 12th fret, only this time I bring it down to about .95 inches, so that the neck has a slightly tapered thickness.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/303482_351639911554279_300698399981764_1054773_203 2779937_n.jpg

I then create a flat plane between these two points with a spoke shave and my rasp, followed up with 80 grit in the random orbit sander. After it is flattened out, I reestablish my center line.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/293057_351639958220941_300698399981764_1054774_139 3787369_n.jpg

then it's just a matter of removing material being careful not to touch the sides of my fretboard or the center line.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/532349_351640011554269_300698399981764_1054775_166 5172391_n.jpg

i use a combination of files, a rasp, and my random orbit sander to get me here. the center line is faint but it's still there, so I know my thickness and flatness of the neck are still in tact

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/527583_351640051554265_300698399981764_1054776_638 662811_n.jpg

after some more cleanup by hand with 150 grit

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557849_351640084887595_300698399981764_1054777_139 6421569_n.jpg

the headstock transition, still needs a slight touch up

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/522157_351640121554258_300698399981764_1054778_170 1694455_n.jpg

same goes for the heel

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/533676_351640138220923_300698399981764_1054779_148 7155806_n.jpg

a couple of quick mock up shots

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/532386_351640158220921_300698399981764_1054780_920 229073_n.jpg

and a shot of the back.

now I can turn my attention to the headstock on this build. I start by drilling tuner holes, again.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/306038_351640188220918_300698399981764_1054781_136 32804_n.jpg

i drill the holes slightly undersized, and sneak up on the final size with a reamer when i'm ready to install the tuners.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/558624_351640228220914_300698399981764_1054782_129 7687632_n.jpg

then I thin the headstock down to just over 9/16" at the radial arm saw

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/539184_351640251554245_300698399981764_1054783_200 7061923_n.jpg

it's not the smoothest surface, but it still has to be sanded to final thickness

now it's on to the surprise part.

I start by attaching a template I made to face of the headstock, and routing it out with a pattern bit in my trim router

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/524256_351640274887576_300698399981764_1054784_835 524566_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561069_351640311554239_300698399981764_1054785_191 2205281_n.jpg

here's a closeup of the template. it's being held on by screws with fender washers put through the tuner holes.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559557_351640351554235_300698399981764_1054786_663 638302_n.jpg

surprise!

actually the surprise was on me, because I'm shocked that it actually worked

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/549155_351640381554232_300698399981764_1054787_196 088890_n.jpg

here are the flames after I touched them up with a dremel sanding drum and some sandpaper, trying to give them more of a 3d effect

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/549936_351640401554230_300698399981764_1054788_103 5422340_n.jpg

then it's on to the spindle sander for smoothing and the fretboard transition

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/535958_351640431554227_300698399981764_1054789_766 078469_n.jpg

and there's how we sit right now.

thanks again for checking out the thread. all of the work going on in this challenge is absolutely brilliant, so it's pretty hard to follow everything. If I haven't come by and commented on your build, please forgive me.

I will be back with binding soon!

I love that headstock routing!

I love that headstock routing!

thank you very much!

Very innovative! Gives a whole new meaning to " F " holes.

Great work, man!!! Love that headstock and I totally agree with you about the neck
carving part. I would even venture so far as to include the fretboard in that process.
(don't tell barnaby, but I even used hand tools like you)

I also got a chuckle from the "air guitar" thing, because I do that every single time.
Takes me a minute, though, to position it right when there's no body.....lol

Very innovative! Gives a whole new meaning to " F " holes.

thanks a lot man. Coming from you, that's awesome!

Great work, man!!! Love that headstock and I totally agree with you about the neck
carving part. I would even venture so far as to include the fretboard in that process.
(don't tell barnaby, but I even used hand tools like you)

I also got a chuckle from the "air guitar" thing, because I do that every single time.
Takes me a minute, though, to position it right when there's no body.....lol

yeah, if there is a such thing as mojo, it definitely comes in during the neck carve. and i bet nearly 80% of the participants are guilty of a little air guitar during their builds.

Wow I really like that headstock routing! Consider it stolen :lol:

Wow I really like that headstock routing! Consider it stolen :lol:

consider me flattered!

Great headstock and F hole design. Cant wait to see this one complete.

Enjoying your build a lot. The F hole cutout is great scrollsaw work.

And--you saved me from a fate worse than death. Or anyway, a fate just like yours, because I had planned to use the long drill bit method to produce my truss rod access hole from the slot out to the peghead face. Might have to re-evaluate how I'm going to do that. Thanks for sharing your mistake--valuable learning for me and others, too, I'm sure.

Great headstock and F hole design. Cant wait to see this one complete.

thank you very much!

Enjoying your build a lot. The F hole cutout is great scrollsaw work.

And--you saved me from a fate worse than death. Or anyway, a fate just like yours, because I had planned to use the long drill bit method to produce my truss rod access hole from the slot out to the peghead face. Might have to re-evaluate how I'm going to do that. Thanks for sharing your mistake--valuable learning for me and others, too, I'm sure.

i am happy that it helped someone else. if you go on youtube, Bill Scheltema has a pretty detailed video up of a jig he built for drilling those holes the right way.

Looking real nice. Good build and thread.

What a great looking build so far , I love the custom touches! Can't wait to see this baby finished

What a great looking build so far , I love the custom touches! Can't wait to see this baby finished

Thanks man!

Too cool. I'd like to steal your router plane, but I'll probably steal your method of headstock carving first. That came out very nicely.

In case you're interested in fan feedback, I finally got a chance to show your F-hole to my wife. She took one look and said, "Classy," in her most sarcastic possible tone of voice. So you must've done something right. :wink:

Too cool. I'd like to steal your router plane, but I'll probably steal your method of headstock carving first. That came out very nicely.

In case you're interested in fan feedback, I finally got a chance to show your F-hole to my wife. She took one look and said, "Classy," in her most sarcastic possible tone of voice. So you must've done something right. :wink:

ah yes, the sarcastic wife's approval. if i had a dollar for every time i received that from my wife, i wouldn't be sitting here waiting for payday to order my hardware.

have at the headstock carving bro, but hands of my stanley!

Looking real nice. Good build and thread.

sorry i didn't notice your post at first BR0. thanks for the positive feedback!

what's up everybody! thanks for coming back to my thread. i just have a small update for now. today i was able to get the binding channel cut and the binding glued in place.

i start off by pin nailing two pieces of scrap in my neck pocket like so

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/293092_352883501429920_300698399981764_1058469_144 9205861_n.jpg

this gives the bearing on my binding bit something to ride on, and it also helps to prevent any nasty tearout in the delicate areas of the neck pocket.

then it's on to the router table, i'm using the stew mac binding bit, with the bearing for the .090" binding. i do about half the width of the binding on the first pass around the body, and then finish up with a pass at full depth. i'm left with this

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/530287_352883531429917_300698399981764_1058470_180 1651318_n.jpg

a pretty clean binding channel

next it's just a matter of gluing in the binding. i'm using cream binding for this build. i start at the bottom of the guitar, on the center line and work my way up to the neck, one side at a time

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/526745_352883574763246_300698399981764_1058471_123 0533050_n.jpg

you can see i'm using a socket and a clamp to pull the binding in tight to the radius at the neck pocket. for this binding job i'm using thick ca glue. i tried to make the binding goop, but it was getting a little messy for my tastes, and besides the top on this guitar is getting painted so any discoloration caused my the super glue is going to be hidden.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/521979_352883591429911_300698399981764_1058472_165 0240126_n.jpg

here, you can see i'm using a small clamp to hold the flat area where the input jack goes. it was kind of tough to get this to stay put with just tape, but the clamp seems to be working out pretty well. just don't accidentally glue your clamp to the binding.

that's it for now. thanks again for checking out my thread!

Nice clean work, Bowensby. This is definitely going to look sharp.

I wouldn't dare show my wife your thread, guitars and naked ladies :lol:
She can handle me oogling guitars all night, she could probably handle me oogling naked ladies all night, but the two together............

Great work man, looking good

You are just sooooo much neater than me. Good work!

Thanks roger and e, you guys rule!

And nial, I believe, at this point, my wife would rather me look at naked ladies than guitars. At least I don't want to build a naked lady after I see one I like.

got my grain filler, dyes, and goldtop gold ordered from reranch this morning. now I just have to figure out if I want to paint the guitar, or use it to paint my face and pretend to be the wrestler Golddust. decisions, decisions.

It's looking great, and thanks for the tip on putting scrap
in the neck pocket when routing the binding channel.

It's looking great, and thanks for the tip on putting scrap
in the neck pocket when routing the binding channel.

+1 :wink:

Nice stuff man. Really slick.

just another small update for today.

i started off by taking the tape and clamps off my binding and scraping and sanding them flush. i didn't really get any action shots. it was one of those things where i just went into the shop to check the bindings and, before i knew it, i had spent a half hour scraping and sanding without taking any pics.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/560272_354627221255548_300698399981764_1064470_179 7397325_n.jpg

i used a block plane, a file, a scraper, and my random orbit sander to get the top flattened out, and i did the sides at the router table with my flush trim bit.

now it's on to the fretboard radius. i'm going for a 12" radius on this board, because it's what i'm used to playing.

it's a pretty simple process to do by hand. it is, however, labor intensive.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/305601_354627057922231_300698399981764_1064466_202 1341752_n.jpg

i start by clampling my neck to the top of my table saw, making sure that the centerline of the neck is parallel to my fence. then i slide the fence over until the center of my sanding block is centered on my neck when the block is against the fence.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/536572_354627111255559_300698399981764_1064467_718 839022_n.jpg

then i mark up the fretboard with a white china marker.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/546479_354627144588889_300698399981764_1064468_105 0069412_n.jpg

and make sure the neck is as flat as possible. now's when i find out if my truss rod works. luckily for me it did.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/558134_354627184588885_300698399981764_1064469_922 521412_n.jpg

then, it's a simple matter of sanding with the radius block against the fence until all of the marks are gone from the fretboard. I started with 100 grit, and am going to work my way up to 220 after my arms rest up.

thanks again for checking out my thread. the support and feedback is greatly appreciated.

so i finished up most of the actual woodworking on this build. all that's left is final sanding of everything. so, today's update is mostly about drilling.

I start by putting my bridge on the body and marking my locations for the string through holes. once they are marked, i take the body to the drill press.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/527575_355950291123241_300698399981764_1068037_194 6938283_n.jpg

i start of by drilling 1/8" holes about 1/3 of the way into the body.

after that, i get out my little jig for lining up my ferrule holes. i believe i stole the idea from Jack Wells, so thanks a lot Jack.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/549501_355950437789893_300698399981764_1068040_144 8599334_n.jpg

it's basically a 1/8" piece of steel rod centered directly under the 3/8" drill bit that i have in the drill press. the board with the rod in it is clamped or screwed to the drill press table, and allows perfect indexing of the string ferrule holes based on the string through holes on the front of the guitar.

you just place the string through holes on the rod, and drill

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/527932_355950397789897_300698399981764_1068039_207 6201665_n.jpg

you should end up with something like this.

just be careful not to place the rod from the jig into your bridge mounting holes by mistake.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/522026_355950461123224_300698399981764_1068041_197 235905_n.jpg

there are the holes all sanded. they are a damn sight better than the holes on my first build.

next i moved on to the neck screw holes. i'm using the neck mounting ferrules from stew mac, instead of a traditional tele neck plate, so after laying out my hole locations, i head to the drill press to drill 5/8" diameter holes.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/562758_355950514456552_300698399981764_1068042_597 940754_n.jpg

the holes are drilled with a forstner bit to approx. 3/16" deep.

afterwards, i drill 1/8" holes in the center of the 5/8" holes that i just made

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/528673_355950564456547_300698399981764_1068043_145 5788189_n.jpg

these holes go all the way through the body. i'm using 8-32 machine screws and threaded inserts to attach my neck. there are two reasons for this, i believe the machine threads are more durable and reliable than wood screws, and for a guitar with a heel adjustment truss rod, i may find myself removing the neck every time it needs a set up. the machine screws make neck removal and replacement a breeze

afterwards, i put the neck on the body and lightly mark the hole locations on the neck by using a cordless drill and 1/8" bit.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/546716_355950597789877_300698399981764_1068044_169 2318424_n.jpg

place the drill bit in the holes and lightly drill in to the neck at each of the four screw locations

once the locations are marked i take the neck to the drill press and drill 1/4" holes at each of the marks.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/529123_355950634456540_300698399981764_1068045_374 180995_n.jpg

disregard the depth stop on that drill bit, i was just too lazy to remove it. i only drilled about 1/2" down with the 1/4" bit, to accomodate for my threaded inserts.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561205_355950661123204_300698399981764_1068047_179 3566469_n.jpg

these inserts are installed using an allen wrench. as you can see i install them just under the surface of the neck.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/536847_355950691123201_300698399981764_1068048_138 6041119_n.jpg

here's the neck attached with 3 of the neck mounting screws, i'm still waiting for my ferrules to get here. and i need to go back to the hardware store and get the 4th threaded insert i need

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/548956_355950724456531_300698399981764_1068049_351 840667_n.jpg

just a quick mockup shot with the neck attached

afterwards, i removed the neck, and went to the router table to put the 1/8" radius roundover on the back

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/538705_355950781123192_300698399981764_1068050_114 1627451_n.jpg

and here's a shot of the finished radius after the routing, and some light sanding.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/542939_355950831123187_300698399981764_1068052_117 3499547_n.jpg

that's about all i did, the only thing left as far as woodworking is to drill the hole for the output jack, and lots and lots of sanding.

thanks for checking this thread out, and i hope somebody is learning something from this.

One of the nice things about this build is the little extra things you are doing. Love the headstock and I am watching how you are doing the neck attachment with the inserts. It's something I'd like to do sometime.

Good work!

Dep

One of the nice things about this build is the little extra things you are doing. Love the headstock and I am watching how you are doing the neck attachment with the inserts. It's something I'd like to do sometime.

Good work!

Dep

Thanks Dep. I really prefer the machine screws for the neck, and It's only about $3 for the parts needed.

Yep, that was pretty boring alright. (Jeez - I just crack me up :lol:)

But seriously, it's looking good.

(hey, at least I get it, Nosmo...."boring"...he drill holes....buwahahaha)

Man you are on the home stretch now. You'll be aging yours before I get to clear coats.
BTW, have you shared the color or is that a "trade secret"?
Nice work, btw.

Thanks nosmo and e.

As far as colors. I'm going with the goldtop from reranch for the top and a red mahogany for the back and sides.

Very nice F-hole and headstock.

Thanks Dep. I really prefer the machine screws for the neck, and It's only about $3 for the parts needed.

Hey Bowensby23. Your build is really coming together nicely. Very neat idea for the string thru holes. Where are you getting your machine screws and threaded inserts. I've been getting mine from Roy bullis at onyxforgeguitars, but I'm wondering if there's a less expensive source.

Very nice F-hole and headstock.

Thanks colt!

Hey Bowensby23. Your build is really coming together nicely. Very neat idea for the string thru holes. Where are you getting your machine screws and threaded inserts. I've been getting mine from Roy bullis at onyxforgeguitars, but I'm wondering if there's a less expensive source.

Hey nt. Thanks for the kind words. I get my screws and inserts at menards. It's just a home improvement chain here in the Midwest. I pay 29 cents apiece for the inserts and I think around $1.50 for a pack of 5 screws. The screws aren't oval head though.

Very nice! Love the F? hole?

so i need some advice from some more experienced finishers. i bought a can of reranch goldtop. i sprayed the top and it was looking really good, then out of nowhere the can puked a glob right on top of the guitar. there is no sanding this stuff, and i couldn't live with the mistake. so i stripped the top back down to primer. now i have to get more paint, however, it took about 10 days to get my paint the first time, and i don't have 10 days to waste. i am doing the clear with nitro, and i need all the time i can to let the guitar gas off before wetsand and polishing. i have found a duplicolor gold that i like, and it's acrylic lacquer. will i have any problems putting nitro over acrylic, and how long should the acrylic dry before spraying nitro?

thanks in advance.

I sprayed Deft nitro clear over Duplicolor with no issues. I've forgotten how long I let it dry before polishing but I do remember it wasn't nearly as long as a lot of guys said I should wait...

so after a few setbacks, i finally got all my color coats applied, and am waiting a few days to lay down the clear coats. in the meantime, here are some pics

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/575058_361348403916763_300698399981764_1083283_110 1115858_n.jpg

here's the back with a couple sealer coats of blonde shellac prior to grain filling

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/578566_361348443916759_300698399981764_1083284_200 3394974_n.jpg

here we are with another coat of shellac, this time tinted with dark red mahogany dye powder, and grain filled with dark brown oil based grain filler. you can see i had some pooling near the neck bolt holes. turns out i had too much pigment in the shellac and it was acting funny because of it. so i stripped it and started over.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/306103_361348487250088_300698399981764_1083285_238 590264_n.jpg

here we are with the grain filler reapplied

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534788_361348520583418_300698399981764_1083286_161 3262372_n.jpg

and here is a shot of the final color of the back. grain filler was wiped down an left to dry, then i shot it with a couple of coats of lightly tinted shellac. the grain is not completely filled, but i prefer that it still resembles wood, and not plastic when it's done.

now it's on to the top

i started by applying two coats of zinnser bin primer

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/563640_361348553916748_300698399981764_1083287_959 288209_n.jpg

here we are all whited out

from here on out was a struggle that i didn't get many pics of. as stated i purchased the gibson goldtop gold from reranch. i was spraying light coats on the top and just when the color was getting where i wanted it, the can decided to puke all over my top. as many of you may know, you really can't sand metal flake, and have it still turn out right, so in disgust, i had to strip the top back down to primer. needless to say, i was a bit disappointed with the $15 + $11 shipping, can of spray paint from reranch. and since i didn't have another week to spare to wait on another can to get here, i did some research, and asked some questions, and decided to go to autozone and pick up some of the duplicolor perfect match acrylic lacquer. the color is called sunburst gold metallic if anyone is interested.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/579091_361348600583410_300698399981764_1083288_939 244403_n.jpg

here we are after a couple of lightly misted coats

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/403506_361348633916740_300698399981764_1083289_104 4866746_n.jpg

and here is the final color. it took about 5 lightly fogged on coats, but i am pretty happy with the outcome. i have to wait a couple days to let the acrylic gas off before i coat it with the nitro clear coats. but at 1/3 the price of the reranch cans, i'll be happy to wait a couple days.

Good job on the save. It can be frustrating having color issues, but it looks like you made
a nice rebound and now you'll know what to use next time.

...as stated i purchased the gibson goldtop gold from reranch. i was spraying light coats on the top and just when the color was getting where i wanted it, the can decided to puke all over my top. as many of you may know, you really can't sand metal flake, and have it still turn out right, so in disgust, i had to strip the top back down to primer.

FWIW I've sanded House of Kolor paint with a fine flake in it and then resprayed, no problems. You can't sand and then clear of course but you can sand and then recoat. I've also done something similar when I wet sanded through the clear coat. That was a bit trickier but it still worked. I can see the spot but no one else has found it yet and it's in a very visible location.

Of course this works better when you have a lot of paint. Running low on a spray can makes the repair a little more nerve wracking! :wink: I'm debating trying a repair on a reranch finish I'm using (two color aerosol burst), but I know I haven't got much paint left...

FWIW I've sanded House of Kolor paint with a fine flake in it and then resprayed, no problems. You can't sand and then clear of course but you can sand and then recoat. I've also done something similar when I wet sanded through the clear coat. That was a bit trickier but it still worked. I can see the spot but no one else has found it yet and it's in a very visible location.

Of course this works better when you have a lot of paint. Running low on a spray can makes the repair a little more nerve wracking! :wink: I'm debating trying a repair on a reranch finish I'm using (two color aerosol burst), but I know I haven't got much paint left...

Yeah, the can was about done when it messed up, so there wouldn't have been enough for a recoat.

BTW thanks for the advice about spraying nitro over the acrylic the other day.

Nice! That duplicolor looks great!

Nice! That duplicolor looks great!

Thanks roger! Clear coats are coming if it ever stops raining.

Well I decided to spray a little more color today. This time I mixed the dye in lacquer, and the lacquer was much easier to work with.



123928

I was able to get a deeper more even color with the lacquer. Now I think I am satisfied, so I'll move on to clear tomorrow. Weather permitting

well, i'm still here. i got all the finish applied early last week, i am just now getting to posting some pics.

here are a few shots of the body in various stages of lighting

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/543666_368508783200725_300698399981764_1100043_112 3742461_n.jpg

this shot is inside under the fluorescent lights

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/149480_368508859867384_300698399981764_1100045_130 9243909_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/577757_368508816534055_300698399981764_1100044_137 0216486_n.jpg

here's a couple shots with the flash

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/579473_368508906534046_300698399981764_1100046_220 921944_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/564284_368508949867375_300698399981764_1100047_185 4941154_n.jpg

the obligatory outside shots

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/578307_368509019867368_300698399981764_1100048_341 573174_n.jpg

the back, outside

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/392397_368509139867356_300698399981764_1100050_400 026388_n.jpg

the back, inside with flash

overall, i'm happy with the color of the guitar. it's a little orange peeley right now, but it will sand out

i put about 3 light coats of nitro/thinner (50/50 mix), and then 6 wets coats of straight nitro. In about a week, I plan on sanding everything flat with 600 grit to help it gas off a little quicker.

now it's on to the neck

i started by drilling for my side markers. i'm using the plastic rod that stew mac sells, 3/32" diameter

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/522906_368509193200684_300698399981764_1100051_824 02316_n.jpg

there we are all glued in. i used thin c.a. and wicked it in around the markers

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/577932_368509229867347_300698399981764_1100052_694 185886_n.jpg

next i prepped my fret slots

i started out by cleaning all the dust and debris from the slots with an xacto knife

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/546053_368509253200678_300698399981764_1100053_181 7991091_n.jpg

then i ran my triangle file over the top of each slot to give each fret a little more room to seat

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/580402_368509309867339_1599368540_n.jpg

my homemade fret bender, the railroad ties i'm using for frets gave me a hell of a time, but i got them all radiused to slightly under 12". Then i hammered them in, no pics of the hammering, but i'm sure by now you all know how its done.

after they are all in, i trimmed and filed the ends flush with the fretboard

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/306581_368509366534000_300698399981764_1100055_788 965653_n.jpg

filing the ends flush

and then i beveled the fret ends

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/562826_368509416533995_300698399981764_1100056_232 484411_n.jpg

my jig is set at 35 degrees

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/551897_368509436533993_300698399981764_1100057_669 73250_n.jpg

fret ends all beveled.

now i masked off the fret board and began spraying lacquer on the neck

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/556216_368509479867322_300698399981764_1100058_192 8164743_n.jpg

after a couple seal coats of 50/50 lacquer/thinner

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/528033_368509539867316_300698399981764_1100059_160 3463438_n.jpg

and here's my decal applied over the first couple of seal coats.

i've since finished spraying the neck, and now my body and neck are hanging in the spare bathroom, on the second floor of my house. i figure if i leave them where i can't see them, it will help me to resist the temptation to screw with them while they cure.

this week, sometime, i hope to wind my pickups and get my pickguard made.

thanks for checking out my build.

This is a great build. I love everything about it. Well done.!

That is great... love the mudflap girl F hole.

This is a great build. I love everything about it. Well done.!

thanks man. I appreciate you checking out my progress. I dug your build too, can't go wrong with a wraparound and a nice subtle top carve.

That is great... love the mudflap girl F hole.

thanks a lot. It's not popsicle sticks, but then again, you might be insane!

Nice job man. This has turned out super nice. Does the humidity of a bathroom affect
lacquer from curing? I've got a spare that never gets used and it's always seemed like
the perfect spot, as opposed to leaving them outside in the garage.

Nice job man. This has turned out super nice. Does the humidity of a bathroom affect
lacquer from curing? I've got a spare that never gets used and it's always seemed like
the perfect spot, as opposed to leaving them outside in the garage.

we don't use the bathroom, so it doesn't get very humid, and since it's upstairs it stays a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house. plus as an added bonus, i was able to get back to making sawdust in the basement and I started my single cut jr.

What's up everyone! Thanks for checking out the build again. I got a couple things done in the past two days, so I thought I would update.

when we left off the neck and fretboard were in clamps

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534778_351639651554305_300698399981764_1054768_126 4702034_n.jpg

here we are, out of clamps, at the bandsaw trimming of the excess fretboard

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/543677_351639738220963_300698399981764_1054769_109 6942572_n.jpg

then it's on to the router table to trim the fretboard flush with the neck

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/546790_351639771554293_300698399981764_1054770_847 060260_n.jpg

all trimmed and flushed, ready for a carve!

this is probably my favorite part of the actual woodworking aspect of guitar building. to all of you guys that have special jigs that let you knock out a neck in a couple minutes, god bless you. I however will never build a jig to shape necks, because I really enjoy all the handwork that comes with it. Plus if my neck is in a jig, I can't pick it up and play air guitar with it in the middle of carving!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561033_351639804887623_300698399981764_1054771_158 6121835_n.jpg

I start off by roughing in the headstock transition and bringing the area behind the first fret down to about .90 inches. as you can see I use a fairly aggressive rasp for this part.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/533864_351639834887620_300698399981764_1054772_141 3596141_n.jpg

i then do the same for the heel, and the area behind the 12th fret, only this time I bring it down to about .95 inches, so that the neck has a slightly tapered thickness.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/303482_351639911554279_300698399981764_1054773_203 2779937_n.jpg

I then create a flat plane between these two points with a spoke shave and my rasp, followed up with 80 grit in the random orbit sander. After it is flattened out, I reestablish my center line.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/293057_351639958220941_300698399981764_1054774_139 3787369_n.jpg

then it's just a matter of removing material being careful not to touch the sides of my fretboard or the center line.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/532349_351640011554269_300698399981764_1054775_166 5172391_n.jpg

i use a combination of files, a rasp, and my random orbit sander to get me here. the center line is faint but it's still there, so I know my thickness and flatness of the neck are still in tact

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/527583_351640051554265_300698399981764_1054776_638 662811_n.jpg

after some more cleanup by hand with 150 grit

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557849_351640084887595_300698399981764_1054777_139 6421569_n.jpg

the headstock transition, still needs a slight touch up

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/522157_351640121554258_300698399981764_1054778_170 1694455_n.jpg

same goes for the heel

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/533676_351640138220923_300698399981764_1054779_148 7155806_n.jpg

a couple of quick mock up shots

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/532386_351640158220921_300698399981764_1054780_920 229073_n.jpg

and a shot of the back.

now I can turn my attention to the headstock on this build. I start by drilling tuner holes, again.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/306038_351640188220918_300698399981764_1054781_136 32804_n.jpg

i drill the holes slightly undersized, and sneak up on the final size with a reamer when i'm ready to install the tuners.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/558624_351640228220914_300698399981764_1054782_129 7687632_n.jpg

then I thin the headstock down to just over 9/16" at the radial arm saw

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/539184_351640251554245_300698399981764_1054783_200 7061923_n.jpg

it's not the smoothest surface, but it still has to be sanded to final thickness

now it's on to the surprise part.

I start by attaching a template I made to face of the headstock, and routing it out with a pattern bit in my trim router

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/524256_351640274887576_300698399981764_1054784_835 524566_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561069_351640311554239_300698399981764_1054785_191 2205281_n.jpg

here's a closeup of the template. it's being held on by screws with fender washers put through the tuner holes.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559557_351640351554235_300698399981764_1054786_663 638302_n.jpg

surprise!

actually the surprise was on me, because I'm shocked that it actually worked

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/549155_351640381554232_300698399981764_1054787_196 088890_n.jpg

here are the flames after I touched them up with a dremel sanding drum and some sandpaper, trying to give them more of a 3d effect

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/549936_351640401554230_300698399981764_1054788_103 5422340_n.jpg

then it's on to the spindle sander for smoothing and the fretboard transition

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/535958_351640431554227_300698399981764_1054789_766 078469_n.jpg

and there's how we sit right now.

thanks again for checking out the thread. all of the work going on in this challenge is absolutely brilliant, so it's pretty hard to follow everything. If I haven't come by and commented on your build, please forgive me.

I will be back with binding soon!

Cool build! I also use my radial arm saw to thin down the headstock, except I use a dado blade set for about 1/2". It gets the job done a bit faster and the surface is smoother. Love the headstock too!

Cool build! I also use my radial arm saw to thin down the headstock, except I use a dado blade set for about 1/2". It gets the job done a bit faster and the surface is smoother. Love the headstock too!

thanks for checking out the build man. i love my ras, but i was too lazy that day to put in my dado blade. nowadays i use my ras for crosscuts and my tablesaw for ripping.

You are doing some really great stuff - The headstock and F hole [cough] are cool and the guitar is looking really great. The neck carving tutorial was also really excellent thanks.

I just hope the f hole doesn't make the guitar too quiet. I try to get my guitar noise past my woman and she always complains that I should turn it down :mrgreen:

Cool headstock :smile:

You are doing some really great stuff - The headstock and F hole [cough] are cool and the guitar is looking really great. The neck carving tutorial was also really excellent thanks.

I just hope the f hole doesn't make the guitar too quiet. I try to get my guitar noise past my woman and she always complains that I should turn it down :mrgreen:

i hear ya brother, anything past 3 on my tiny vox practice amp, and you'd swear i had a wall of marshalls in the living room.:mrgreen:

Cool headstock :smile:

thanks Herb, any compliment from a builder such as yourself is a real nice reassurance.

what's up everyone. just a quick progress update here. i was able to get my pickups and pickguard made this past week.

let's start with the pickups

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/524376_375511715833765_300698399981764_1118321_177 7024982_n.jpg

using my pole piece holder to hammer in the pole pieces into the bottom piece of flatwork

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/545564_375511749167095_300698399981764_1118322_210 7191729_n.jpg

seating the top piece of flatwork over the pole pieces.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/535219_375511805833756_300698399981764_1118323_211 3028642_n.jpg

i'm using the pole piece holder over the top of the pole pieces and my fretting hammer to get the top piece of flatwork to seat properly. i've also got wooden spacers held in place with a rubber band on each side of the bobbin.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/544980_375511862500417_300698399981764_1118324_104 9253196_n.jpg

seated pretty evenly across the top of my spacers

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/564802_375511912500412_300698399981764_1118325_105 504064_n.jpg

the completed bobbins

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/557655_375511965833740_300698399981764_1118326_149 5757311_n.jpg

next i gave the bobbins a quick dip in lacquer. i read that this helps to insulate the pole pieces, so i gave it a try.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/292136_375512072500396_1559213293_n.jpg

the bobbins are left to dry on my screw driver rack

next i moved on to winding the pickups. i didn't get many action shots of this step, as it was my first time and i was more worried about the pickups than my camera. sorry!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/581512_375512129167057_300698399981764_1118329_238 785227_n.jpg

here's a shot of my makeshift winder. it's just an old sewing machine with a bolt coming out the side to act as a guide and transverse stops for the wire. i've also attached a wooden block to the flywheel for holding the bobbins during winding. i use double sided tape to fix the bobbins to the wooden block.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/574559_375512169167053_300698399981764_1118330_184 1246477_n.jpg

here's a shot of my counter. it's a pedometer that i soldered leads to the contacts inside. the wires are attached to a 1/4 instrument plug. inside the sewing machine i found a cam that rotates once every time the flywheel turns. i placed a momentary switch near the cam, and once every turn the switch is pressed by the cam. I wired this to a 1/4" output jack. i used the jack and plug so i can switch to a better counter in the future without having to mess with the switch inside the machine.

btw the pedometer is too slow to keep up with the sewing machine, so it's very hard to get an accurate count. i am going to upgrade the counter before i wind for my next build. as a result of the counter not working right i overwound the bridge pickup and got a quite a high resistance reading of about 12.5 kohms. i'm not really worried about it though, as i really like hot pickups, so this could be a happy mistake. i was able to eyeball the neck pickup and ended up with a reading about 6.7 kohms.

after i soldered the leads on and attached the cover to the neck pickup and the backplate to the bridge pickup it was time to pot them.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/548303_375512225833714_300698399981764_1118331_105 7489910_n.jpg

i'm using a mixture of 80% paraffin and 20% beeswax heated to approx 150 degrees.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/560478_375512259167044_300698399981764_1118332_638 103259_n.jpg

here are the pickups placed in the wax

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/579167_375512295833707_300698399981764_1118333_721 120626_n.jpg

i left them in the wax for about 10 - 15 minutes, until the bubbles stopped coming to the surface. every couple minutes i would move the pickups around, trying to coax whatever remaining air that was in the pickups out.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/579282_375512369167033_300698399981764_1118335_922 97015_n.jpg

after they stopped bubbling i removed them from the wax, wiped off the outside of the pickup while it was still warm, and then left them to dry on a paper towel for a while.

making the pickups was very enjoyable for me, and i can't wait to do it again. i've already ordered a p90 kit from stew mac for my next build.

now on to the pickguard. i'm using the cream colored material from stew mac, and a pattern i got from the terrapin island website.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538703_375512395833697_300698399981764_1118336_110 7264295_n.jpg

here's the rough outline

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/530409_375512442500359_300698399981764_1118337_429 207795_n.jpg

after the bandsaw, at the router table for final shaping and beveling of the sides

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/564916_375512495833687_300698399981764_1118339_137 3793555_n.jpg

and here's a quick mockup of the body. i'm just waiting for my pots and electrosocket to arrive, and i'll get this baby wired up.

hope you enjoyed!

Great stuff! Brilliant idea with the counter mechanism on the winder. Hopefully I'll be hitting you up later for some pointers on making my own.

That's a great color scheme too!

Great stuff! Brilliant idea with the counter mechanism on the winder. Hopefully I'll be hitting you up later for some pointers on making my own.

That's a great color scheme too!

thanks roger. just let me know if you need them and i'll take some pictures of the switch and cam inside the sewing machine.

Mudflapgirlacaster! Pretty cool man, like the gold top and the hand wound pickups. Thats something I want to get into eventually, I've already done pedals and amps, pickups are such a nice touch on a custom build. Great job! Thanks for sharing your build with us.:smile:

Regards,

Don

Great job on the pickup winding. I'm so ready to give that a go.
And the pickguard accents your top color perfectly. Nice work!

thanks guys. if my pots and switch ever get here, i actually get to find out what my pickups sound like.

Sweet work! Haven't wound pickups yet either, but it is intriguing. I am guessing it is like neck building to a lot of guys, intimidating to think about but very fun and rewarding when accomplished. Who knows, maybe there is a garage sale sewing machine in my future too.

Wow what a great color combo. Nice job on the finish. Looking forward to hearing your pups.

thanks guys. if my pots and switch ever get here, i actually get to find out what my pickups sound like.

If worse comes to worse, you can get temp audio pots and switches from Radio Shack if you are out of time for the video.

Barncaster

This is looking fantastic! I agree with Barncaster, that'd be a good interim measure.

Thanks for the kind words guys. Unfortunately my local radio shacks don't have 250k pots. It seems they are more concerned with cell phones than parts these days. Good news is my switch and pots should be here tomorrow.

well no electronics yet, but they are scheduled to arrive today. in the meantime, here's what i spent a little time on yesterday.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531321_381309181920685_300698399981764_1133764_104 3087770_n.jpg

about $2 worth of felt and a hinge, plus some offcuts from the scrap bin, and I have a nifty little place for my guitar to sit.

I also did some assembly and set-up work

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/536443_381309235254013_300698399981764_1133765_206 7393637_n.jpg

all strung up and ready for my pots and switch. I rigged up a little temporary jack so I could plug into my tuner and do the set-up. Sorry no pics of the temp. jack, but I promise it's not very exciting.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/149343_381309265254010_300698399981764_1133766_712 210068_n.jpg

that's where it sits right now.

Really nice!

As its set up, solder the pickups directly to the jack and then you can make your video on time! You have 45 minutes. You can do it!

Barncaster

wait. don't i still have two days? i know i was drunk last night, but i don't think beer makes me time travel.

Beer does indeed make you a time traveler.
I have a very long and interesting theory on alcohol induced chronological interconectivity in a helix like time-space structure that might net me a Noble prize yet.

But you still have two days

wait. don't i still have two days? i know i was drunk last night, but i don't think beer makes me time travel.

Sorry,

Beer post on my end...........

Barncaster

I know I've lost at least two days thanks to the beer time machine.
Looking great by the way. :-)

well i got my parts in today, and got it all wired up. here are some glamor shots for you guys

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/582530_381490375235899_300698399981764_1134202_164 3710212_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/547131_381490428569227_300698399981764_1134203_758 776732_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/533273_381490471902556_300698399981764_1134204_979 680528_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/525502_381490738569196_189813783_n.jpg



video is coming soon. thanks for you checking out my thread.

Wow absolutely stunning! Congrats on a fine job!

Beautiful - now you can kick back & have a beer. Just don't loose track of time:grin:

Congrats , beautiful guitar :smile:

well she's all done


african mahogany body
maple top
maple neck
pau ferro fret board
jumbo frets
wilkinson tuners
wilkinson compensated 3 saddle bridge
cts 250k volume and tone pots
.033uf capacitor
crl 3 way switch
electrosocket output jack
custom wound pickups


w9WPEqeyBVE

and here's my final pic

oh... oh, that's nice :shock:

Great job. Love the way that bridge pick up sounds.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/525502_381490738569196_189813783_n.jpg

Wow that's outstanding. And the gold top goes so well, you've got your finishing skillz all in order that's for sure, well obviously a few other skillz as well. Nice guitar.

New final pic coming soon.

Wow that's outstanding. And the gold top goes so well, you've got your finishing skillz all in order that's for sure, well obviously a few other skillz as well. Nice guitar.

Thank you so much.

Next year you should do a material covered guitar out of those curtains in your video :lol:. Just kidding, but I'm guessing from your great taste in guitars you didn't pick those curtains out :mrgreen:.

Next year you should do a material covered guitar out of those curtains in your video :lol:. Just kidding, but I'm guessing from your great taste in guitars you didn't pick those curtains out :mrgreen:.

That was the wife. She's got a whole fishing lodge motife going in that room.

That was the wife. She's got a whole fishing lodge motife going in that room.

Oh - nevermind then, that's pretty cool. I don't have a fishing lodge in my place. I don't have a gold top guitar either. One of those things may change soon, now that I've seen how well your gold came out.

african mahogany body
maple top
maple neck
pau ferro fret board
jumbo frets
wilkinson tuners
wilkinson compensated 3 saddle bridge
cts 250k volume and tone pots
.033uf capacitor
crl 3 way switch
electrosocket output jack
custom wound pickups


w9WPEqeyBVE

and here's my final pic

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/398950_10151726948170083_587945082_24043310_187497 9385_n.jpg

Beautiful, clean work, and I love the gold and the mudflat girl.
Sounds great, too -- guess your pickup-making is up to snuff
as well!

Beautiful, clean work, and I love the gold and the mudflat girl.
Sounds great, too -- guess your pickup-making is up to snuff
as well!

Thanks a lot. I made a better counter yesterday for my winder, so I should be able to get repeatable results now. Can I ask where you get your lumber?

Thanks a lot. I made a better counter yesterday for my winder, so I should be able to get repeatable results now. Can I ask where you get your lumber?

Sure - Owl Hardwood. There are three of them in
Chicagoland; I go to the one in Lombard.

Yup, I go to the one off cicero. Thanks.

well no electronics yet, but they are scheduled to arrive today. in the meantime, here's what i spent a little time on yesterday.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531321_381309181920685_300698399981764_1133764_104 3087770_n.jpg

about $2 worth of felt and a hinge, plus some offcuts from the scrap bin, and I have a nifty little place for my guitar to sit.


Hey - that stand is pretty cool - I don't suppose you'd put up a drawing of that or at least give us an idea of dimensions?

Love the guitar! The flames are an especially unique touch, as is the cutout - killer job!

Yeah i'll put up a sketch next time I'm at the computer.

Yeah, very nice stand!

here's those dimensions if anyone is interested in them.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/150478_10151750425550083_587945082_24119616_106771 5039_n.jpg

Thank you for the sketch.

Awesome - thanks for sharing the stand dimensions!