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jimd
May 28th, 2012, 02:29 PM
I am a major procrastinator. I've had a tele template for 2 years now and haven't built a body yet. I started this thread (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/217654-source-wood-body-blanks.html) to ask for a good source of wood for blanks and got some good advice.
That advice was to go to Keim Lumber down in Amish country, about 1.5 hrs south of me. Since it is really in the middle of nowhere I never made it down. Saturday my wife was going to a triathlon to cheer on some friends and cook out afterwards. She asked if I wanted to go. My first thought was no. But when she told me where it was, on the way to Keim Lumber, I changed my mind.
Well, I dropped her off at the park and drove the extra 45 minutes to the Lumber yard, dodging horse drawn buggies and the byproduct of horse drawn buggies. Holy crap! This place is amazing. Think of a high end hardware/woodworking store, something like Rockler or Woodcraft, and put it in a store the size of Lowes or Home Depot. After wandering around the tools for awhile I hit the exotic woods section. They have body blanks cut and glued and ready to go. They even have plexiglass templates (tele, strat and LP) that you can overlay to see how the grain will look on your shape of choice. They also have wood thicknessed for acoustics. The wood for the electric guitar blanks included, poplar, alder, swamp ash, mahogany, sapele, african mahogany, and several others I can't remember. Some varieties came in one and two-piece versions. But the best part of all was the price, almost half of what you pay online. I walked out with one piece of poplar (to "practice" on), two alder, one swamp ash and one sapele (for a LP Jr.). All were two piece except the poplar. Total cost including a pepsi and candy bar was $230.
Here's the haul.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OFmeqWKP5eg/T8O9ryeciKI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Evm_wVCTvWw/s640/wood.jpg
I also made it back to the park just in time for a burger, dog and a couple of beers. It was a good day.
Hopefully it won't be another 2 years before I can post about the finished project.
That advice was to go to Keim Lumber down in Amish country, about 1.5 hrs south of me. Since it is really in the middle of nowhere I never made it down. Saturday my wife was going to a triathlon to cheer on some friends and cook out afterwards. She asked if I wanted to go. My first thought was no. But when she told me where it was, on the way to Keim Lumber, I changed my mind.
Well, I dropped her off at the park and drove the extra 45 minutes to the Lumber yard, dodging horse drawn buggies and the byproduct of horse drawn buggies. Holy crap! This place is amazing. Think of a high end hardware/woodworking store, something like Rockler or Woodcraft, and put it in a store the size of Lowes or Home Depot. After wandering around the tools for awhile I hit the exotic woods section. They have body blanks cut and glued and ready to go. They even have plexiglass templates (tele, strat and LP) that you can overlay to see how the grain will look on your shape of choice. They also have wood thicknessed for acoustics. The wood for the electric guitar blanks included, poplar, alder, swamp ash, mahogany, sapele, african mahogany, and several others I can't remember. Some varieties came in one and two-piece versions. But the best part of all was the price, almost half of what you pay online. I walked out with one piece of poplar (to "practice" on), two alder, one swamp ash and one sapele (for a LP Jr.). All were two piece except the poplar. Total cost including a pepsi and candy bar was $230.
Here's the haul.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OFmeqWKP5eg/T8O9ryeciKI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Evm_wVCTvWw/s640/wood.jpg
I also made it back to the park just in time for a burger, dog and a couple of beers. It was a good day.
Hopefully it won't be another 2 years before I can post about the finished project.