Homemade Airline Build

[Customisbetter]

i have been working on this for a while now so i thought id share my progress with you guys...

This is for a competition over at SS.org to build a guitar out of parts from Home Depot...

This is also the first time i have ever built a guitar so its definitely a learning process.

SPECS so far...
===========
4 piece Pine neckthrough
Poplar body wings
24 frets
7 strings
based upon the Eastwood Airline guitar made famous by Jack White of the White stripes.

here is a mockup...






body wood. Im going to glue those pieces together before i cut them again...


here is a better pic of the grain on th epine. The neck is going to have that grain on either die, with the normal looking piece in the center... I think the neck is going to look sweet.

[Customisbetter]

The stack, with an extra piece...


here is the "Back" of the neck...

[guitarbuilder]

Cool, I had some pine like that... I called it birdseye pine.

[Customisbetter]

gluing things together...



size comparisons...

[Customisbetter]

I does look like Birdseye doesn't it?

should look awesome when its cut.
==========
here are some pictures of the body wings after rough cutting...





Neck shape template...

[Customisbetter]

and i did this today...

planed the top of the neck a bit...

[scubadoo]

Pine for a neck? Will that be ok?

I honestly wouldn't think that would be stable enough and would be prone to warping. Why not use maple?

[Zatar]

Isn't it stronger if you put those planks so that the grain is opposite? I'd at least add some harder wood like padouk.

[jkingma]

I love those Airlines... this is going to be a cool build. Thanks for sharing.

[Customisbetter]

Originally Posted by Zatar

Isn't it stronger if you put those planks so that the grain is opposite? I'd at least add some harder wood like padouk.

this contest only allows me me to get my parts form lowes or homedepot. the only suitable wood i could find was pine and poplar. the neck is 4 pieces so i think it should be ok...

1 piece of pine wouldn't work at all...

i routed the truss rod today... i couldn't think of a way to route in a straight line and couldn't make a jig so i did it by the good ole' eye...

[Customisbetter]

HOLY **** THAT IS UGLY!!! ill clean it up later though...



Oops.. its a bit too short. lol




Thats better.

[Groovey Records]

I hope your having fun

It will be a great learning experience

Cold truth time

You could have planed better.

Even with your limitations better choices could have been made.

For instance they sell butcher block, Laminated counter tops, plywood can be laminated.

I love pine but it is not a neck wood. Dosen't your home depots Lumber yard sell table legs of maple or a hardwood

7-1/2"X56" 4092F Oak Fluted Box Newel
Model # NEW4092FOAK Internet/Catalog # 100664130
Store SO SKU # 133118

I think for your project keeping an open mind on desigh with the goal of making the best quality instrument you could would have been the way to go

locking into the Airline before you shopped for the ingredients may of been hasty

[Customisbetter]

^Thanks for the advice! i really have been making blind decisions this entire time so its a "learning by mistakes" experience...

i can continue making guitars with all of these tools so im going to continue with what i have right now... if the neck bend or snaps, i can always hang it on the wall as an achievement. : )

now for todays work...

Bought a new router bit today...

practicing on scrap...



the real thing... this is going to need a lot of sanding still...

[Customisbetter]

Did a little update today. Learned a serious lesson too.





half inch more...

[Customisbetter]

ALL DONE



lol gaps. Note to self: trace outline of cover FIRST, then route cavity. :)



size comparison. im only using one potentiometer and a jack so i don't need much room.

[jkingma]

You should clean that up a bit by making the recess for the cover a bit bigger, and then make a new cover. It will mean taking some time to make new templates and a new cover, but in the end I think you'll feel much better about it.

[Customisbetter]

^Yeah im going to to that. its really not in a usable state now...

worked on hte pickguard and drilled holes for the pot adn jack... don't ahave ajack to measure the diameter though, so i just drilled it the same size as the pot shaft...

[Customisbetter]

I redid the control cover.. .looks a bit better now...

[scubadoo]

Man, you're doing good but things would look so much nicer if you used templates for routing things like the control cavity. It doesn't take long and once you've done it, you can use it again and again.

[Customisbetter]

this is going to sound asinine, but how do you route with a template?

wouldn't the bit cut into the template as well?

[jkingma]

You need template bits. The bearing follows the template.

[scubadoo]

Yep, get some of those bits, a 3/4" and a 1 or 1.5" would be good.

Then you remove most of the wood using a forstner bit in a drill press, then tidy up with the template and template bit.

[boneyguy]

Originally Posted by scubadoo

Man, you're doing good but things would look so much nicer if you used templates for routing things like the control cavity. It doesn't take long and once you've done it, you can use it again and again.

+1

Making templates for cavity routes is essential for a nice clean job. It's a bit more work but it's well worth it.

There's a nice little trick I taught myself as well. Once you've routed the cavity (using a template!!) take the guitar body to a photocopy place and photocopy the cavity route. Then cut out the photocopy of the route and you've got the exact size and shape of the cover you need to make. Then you can use a glue stick to adhere the cut out photo to the material you are making the cover from and away you go.

Good luck with your project. It's going to be very cool I think.

[Customisbetter]

Thanks guys!

im going to get a template bit now and hopefully i can find something to use as a fretboard... :)

EDIT

just got back from the store.. i bought a 1/2" - 1" template bit and a 1"x 6" x 2' poplar board to make templates from...

how do you guys go about making your templates? just drill our the corners and then cut the rest with a jigsaw?

[scubadoo]

Here's a quick guide that i posted for templates, there may be some useful bits in here.

[Groovey Records]

oh brother

[scubadoo]

Originally Posted by Groovey Records

oh brother

??

[Groovey Records]

refer to my earlier post Haste makes waste

[scubadoo]

hmmm, seems to me as though Customisbetter is taking the time to listen to the advice he's getting (yours included) and has slowed down to get the correct tools and make some templates. Not sure how 'oh brother' is very constructive. Good luck to him i say. He'll learn from every mistake, as long as he keeps all his fingers

[ehawley]

Originally Posted by Customisbetter

gluing things together...

Wait a minute!!! You still have room for the kitchen sink to balance on top!!...
I'm enjoying this build . It takes guts and inventiveness to do it. Just be careful and take your time.
Cheers
ED

[barkley]

Good work customisbetter! It looks real good!
Since when did home depot sell fret boards?

I know everyone here loves templates, but I found little use for them making my one and only build- a tele thinline. I couldnt source a template router bit so i just did it all by hand and it turned out great. I just took it real slow and focused on what I was doing. Pickup cavs, neck pocket, body outline, control cav, all turned out fine. I mean fine. It was also the first time id used a router. If you are really careful I dont see why you cant do the same.

One thing that is super important however is to take it slow. Think and think again before taking cutter to wood, be extremely careful and dont rush or do something before the build needs it (if you know what i mean).
Wood can be glued back on but fingers dont regrow.

Also, nice choice of guitars to build!

EDIT: Actually, I did use a 'template bit' for the binding channel

[jaydawg]

Originally Posted by Groovey Records

I hope your having fun

It will be a great learning experience

Cold truth time

You could have planed better.

Even with your limitations better choices could have been made.

For instance they sell butcher block, Laminated counter tops, plywood can be laminated.

I love pine but it is not a neck wood. Doesn't your home depots Lumber yard sell table legs of maple or a hardwood

7-1/2"X56" 4092F Oak Fluted Box Newel
Model # NEW4092FOAK Internet/Catalog # 100664130
Store SO SKU # 133118

I think for your project keeping an open mind on desigh with the goal of making the best quality instrument you could would have been the way to go

locking into the Airline before you shopped for the ingredients may of been hasty

Actually Joseph, pine should be OK as a neck. Classical instruments use cedar without a truss. So the addition of a truss should deal with the additional string tension. You should head down to Rick Kelly's shop. He's building solid pine necks that, by all accounts, sound amazing!

[Groovey Records]

Originally Posted by jaydawg

Actually Joseph, pine should be OK as a neck. Classical instruments use cedar without a truss. So the addition of a truss should deal with the additional string tension. You should head down to Rick Kelly's shop. He's building solid pine necks that, by all accounts, sound amazing!

OK granted done with care and precision a neck can be made out of pine but slapping 4 2x4's together?

I don't think so

[ehawley]

Originally Posted by jaydawg

Actually Joseph, pine should be OK as a neck. Classical instruments use cedar without a truss. So the addition of a truss should deal with the additional string tension. You should head down to Rick Kelly's shop. He's building solid pine necks that, by all accounts, sound amazing!

I Agree. You won't actually know until you try something. And since this is a "contest" guitar using home depot materials (and made as cheap as possible) it doesn't matter. If he wins he just hangs it on the wall forever, pumps his chest, and moves on to building other ,better made guitars. A real learning experience for little money! Great project!
Cheers
ED

[Cap'n Kier]

Let the man build it!

I think it's a cool project :) I'd like to see a National Town & Country build or a Val Trol or something though! :D

There's a seller on the 'Bay who own the Res-O-Glas name and build replica parts, including a nice stepped tailpiece that might go nice on your build :)

[oramac7891]

More pics please!

[Customisbetter]

im buying a Bandsaw and a Beltsander off of craigslist on monday. I can't wait.

Ill have loads of more progress pics then.

[Ironwolf]

Stop! Don't even think about using a belt sander on a neck! And especially not pine.

Get yourself a spoke shave or hand plane. A belt sander is a virtual guarantee of ruining the neck. They are much too hard to control and impossible to do delicate work with.

[Dr.Ow!]

Congrats CIB. I am glad you've posted this and I enjoy seeing a young guy go for it in his garage. Entertaining read too. Excellent project and good choice in the Airline.
Good advice in the post above- get a spoke shave, block plane, rasp and course file, Belt sander belts in 60 and 80x, and a sharpening set up. Then a basic hand tool woodworking book on how to use them well, and then practice a bit on scrap. Practice practice. Clearly you have to aptitudes of a builder and the gumption to head on into the adventure-good on you!
No one here can know how much or how little training you have with machine tools. If your truly a beginner in the machinery please be cautious and think before you dive in. The only advice I have for you relates to your mention of the band saw. I have a lot of bandsaw experience in furniture-both custom and manufactured, stairmaking, and boatbuilding and it is a favorite to work with, But I went to school and got direct training before venturing in too deep. I have know one guy to remove his thumb in a lapse of attention, and he was a longtimer and very good. It is (along with the shaper and big knife cutter heads) the most serious woodwork machine in the general wood shop due to the exposure factor. Silent smooth benign seeming, but such an efficient cutter- Be very careful there. Read a good machinery operation and safety book, or better pay a cabinetmaker for an hour of his time to intro you if you have no experience with these tools. You may be the next Stradivari(sp?) and don't want to be dumb in your enjoyment of your projects progress.
Your doing great stuff, and thanks for sharing it.

[scubadoo]

Originally Posted by Dr.Ow!

Congrats CIB. I am glad you've posted this and I enjoy seeing a young guy go for it in his garage. Entertaining read too. Excellent project and good choice in the Airline.
Good advice in the post above- get a spoke shave, block plane, rasp and course file, Belt sander belts in 60 and 80x, and a sharpening set up. Then a basic hand tool woodworking book on how to use them well, and then practice a bit on scrap. Practice practice. Clearly you have to aptitudes of a builder and the gumption to head on into the adventure-good on you!
No one here can know how much or how little training you have with machine tools. If your truly a beginner in the machinery please be cautious and think before you dive in. The only advice I have for you relates to your mention of the band saw. I have a lot of bandsaw experience in furniture-both custom and manufactured, stairmaking, and boatbuilding and it is a favorite to work with, But I went to school and got direct training before venturing in too deep. I have know one guy to remove his thumb in a lapse of attention, and he was a longtimer and very good. It is (along with the shaper and big knife cutter heads) the most serious woodwork machine in the general wood shop due to the exposure factor. Silent smooth benign seeming, but such an efficient cutter- Be very careful there. Read a good machinery operation and safety book, or better pay a cabinetmaker for an hour of his time to intro you if you have no experience with these tools. You may be the next Stradivari(sp?) and don't want to be dumb in your enjoyment of your projects progress.
Your doing great stuff, and thanks for sharing it.

such a great post, lovely.