One-piece myrtlewood body

I've had three slabs of myrtlewood drying in my garage, for two years now. I took one to the shop teacher at school and had him plane it for me, to just over 1 3/4". I'll leave the other two to dry a while longer, in case this piece doesn't work out.

Here's the front:

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz167/hankstank/Myrtleslabfront.jpg

and here's the back:

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz167/hankstank/myrtleslabback.jpg

I think I'll run back down there (forgot to take my template with me this morning) and borrow the bandsaw for a few minutes.

I'm thinking something esquirish, maybe with a P-90, maybe not. I hate to cover the grain with a pickguard, but I might need to use one to cover some weight-reduction cavities. This slab weighs approximately as much as a microbus.

That wood is great ,the knot above the neck pocket may cause you some issues though. If you were making a lefty you would be in good shape though.
( clue )

There's a shop in Salem that makes bodies out of Myrtlewood. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but your slab looks like it should be nice once it's all done. Looking forward to pics!

That wood is great ,the knot above the neck pocket may cause you some issues though. If you were making a lefty you would be in good shape though.
( clue )

Yes, I've been thinking about that. I've been flopping my master template around in various spots on both sides, and I might re-orient the position, perhaps even change which side I use for the top. I'm not sure I'll stay aligned with the vertical grain, in the end, since a little shift will give me better wood at the neck joint. I'm not sure whether such a shift would look right or not, but since the grain pattern swirls around so much anyway. . . .

Those nice knots might look all the better on the back.

I would keep the knots to the back, they look like they'd be bang in the middle of where you 'd put the bridge and pickups and they may tear out or mess up the rout. lovely looking piece of wood though!

I'm about as good with my router as I am with my guitar. I chewed up my template, ruined one of my router bits (the bearing came apart and the blades chipped), and the control cavity looks like I hollowed it out with my chainsaw. I think part of the problem is that myrtlewood is so hard, especially the knots, and the grain changes direction without warning. I probably should have taken shallower passes.

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz167/hankstank/Routedfront.jpg

Fortunately the neck pocket is pretty smooth and even, and the pickup cavity, too. I think I'll keep going. Hope I don't have to find an oversize control cover.

Here's a look at the back:

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz167/hankstank/routedback.jpg

This fissure (below) showed up after I cut out the body. Apparently it is from two trunks joining as the tree grew, and there's bark inside. Is there something clear, hard, and stable I could fill it with?

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz167/hankstank/barkhole.jpg

Edit: I just noticed. Something is very, very wrong. :oops::oops::oops:

Perhaps I'll mount a nice clock in the back side, and start again with one of
my other slabs.

CA adhesive will harden the bark stuff if you use the thin kind it will seep in to the pores.
After that you can probably use an epoxy putty to fill the cavity. Choose your own color.
Hey am I missing something , your control cavity is on the upper part of the body , are you making a skewed lefty ?

Dammit. Wotta maroon.

Glad I hadn't ordered any necks or pickups yet.

THINLINE !!

THINLINE !!

EXCELLENT idea! I think myrtlewood is better suited for a cap anyway, since it weighs so much. I might see if I can take a slice off for a top. Is that a job for a bandsaw?

Only thing is, if I do find a way to slice it, I'll bet that bark seam shows up again. I see it all around the walls of the pickup cavity, for instance.

I'll probably just start over with another slab, and use it for caps instead of whole bodies. They'd be nice over Douglas Fir, alder, or cedar. Now I have to make new routing templates, too, and get some more bits.

Make it a "lefty doublecut". Charge $100 more for it. Problem solved.

Oh man, I didn't even notice til you mentioned something was wrong and I scrolled back up.

Sorry that happened, it's an easy mistake to make so don't be too hard on yourself. Like someone else said Thinlines are nice :sad:

Cribbage board.

Cribbage board.

Now there is an idea. What is it ... 72 holes. You could put them around the edge and the ' control cavity ' can be a store for dice or whatever.

You could just say that's your new "F-hole" design. Enhance it a little, and bam....creativity.

Funny, it took me a minute to realize what was wrong, lol. Easy mistake to make.