Flotsam Mahogany Build

[hackworth1]

This was a ten foot 2 1/2" x 2 1/2 " mahogany stud that Dad found on the beach. Dad used to comb the beach for wood when he was able. This board had a few big rusty nails in it. It was aged for 25 years in Dad's garage.

I cut it into usable pieces on my table saw and glued it up.

[hackworth1]

Six boards glued up, bandsawn, sanded and routed. Easy work. This wood cuts easy. Not at all like my first one. Mahogany Thinline Flame Maple Build.

[hackworth1]

This one will also be a thinline with a flame maple top. I got another bookmatched flame maple top set that was laying around. This guitar will have two f holes and rear mounted controls with an access panel. It will have a strat type three pickup system, two tones, one volume and a five way switch. There's a guy selling loaded strat pickguards cheap on ebay. Prolly Squier, but that's ok.

[hackworth1]

This old rusty black nail hole sneaked up on me. It weren't there during the glue up. It was on the inside waiting to spring. Spring it did.

Unlike my other build, this git is light. This sucker weighs about three pounds as you see it.

[jkingma]

Awesome. That is such a great piece of wood.

[BAW4742]

That is a nice looking slab. Have you decided how you will finish it?

[hackworth1]

I will test various stains, apply a light stain to pop the grain, then apply McFadden mahogany grain filler which will both fill pores and provide a deeper red brown tone in those pores. Further depth and variation of tone will be evident. Then a few apps of Behlen's Sanding sealer. Then McFadden clear nitro.

I will shellac the the flame maple top with orange amber shellac. Then perhaps a coat of sanding sealer, then McF nitro.

White plastic binding with black and white plastic perfling. This build, I will try my hand at cutting two perimeter channels - one for binding and one for perfling.

I think I will cut the perfling channel first. It is a shalllower bite on a vertical plane, but a deeper bite on the horizontal plane. After the perfling channel is cut, the binding channel will require half as much depth on the vertical plane.

In summary, mahog back and sides, orange-amber flame-maple double f-hole top, three white strat pickups (bridge pu is humbucker) and controls (backmounted), chrome strat hardtail string thru body bridge, chrome pickup rings, white binding with black and white pinstripe perfling. High gloss nitro lacquer finish.

[mlp-mx6]

Skip the sanding sealer - not necessary, and puts a softer finish under a harder finish, which is not the best approach.

[BAW4742]

Originally Posted by mlp-mx6

Skip the sanding sealer - not necessary, and puts a softer finish under a harder finish, which is not the best approach.

Why no sanding sealer under nitro? I use sanding sealer under nitro and haven't seen a problem. From what I've read this is the recomended method.

[Shepherd]

Personally I've had adhesion issues with sanding sealer. If I get a chip or if I'm stripping a finish I'm not happy with, it always separates at the ss to wash coat layer. The nitro wash coat remains perfectly intact. Ever notice how slippery and soapy the ss feels? I just use straight nitro now instead.

That's a really cool story of where you got the wood from. I'm sure that guitar is going to mean alot to you when it's done.

[hackworth1]

I cut out the rear control panel hole. I used forstner bits on my drill press to cut three holes. Then I connected the holes with cutting bits on my dremel tool. Sanded smooth with 150 grit. Then I routed the recessed edge by hand with a router bit on my dremel tool and the cone shaped attachment that keeps the depth of the cut consistent and holds the cutter at 90 degrees. The bite was managed by feel.

I then made a paper template by running a pencil on an angle around the hole. I had glued up sections of scrap that I retained from when I initially ripped the mother boards on my table saw when squaring them up for gluing up the body. The scrap sections will dry overnight.

One of these sets will become the control panel access cover.

When making the control panel access hole/space, I knew that I wanted the lower body f-hole to show an unimpeded view to the solid back interior of the gitfiddle and not a view of an access panel.

The five way switch and the three knobs will all be positioned above the lower f-hole. The volume control will be positioned close to and forward of the bridge for pinky control as featured in the stratocaster layout.

I think I will have sufficient room to work when it comes time to mount the controls. I can fit my hand through the hole. I didn't want to struggle to put the controls exactly where I want them.

[hackworth1]

I cut out both on my small bandsaw and then ruined one by oversanding it on my drill press with a sanding barrel. The next one, I sanded and shaped to fit much more by hand. Note that I expanded the size of the opening in order to create a wider inside ledge to facilitate screw placement for the plate. Particularly in the corners. If the sides need screws and there isn't enough meat, I'll use thin strips of velcro. I want to raise the level of the plate a bit anyway. This could also be accomplished with rubber or plastic spacers (washers).

This was all hand eyeball work. No templates except for the paper one I made for the lid after cutting (routing - step 2) the opening. I did not use any measuring devices whatsoever.

That is a somewhat rare opportunity in guitar building layout type work.

[hackworth1]

I have arranged the controls to fit as shown. I mounted them temporarily to an old template. First pic shows them mounted to the strat pickguard. Also shows the wiring for the pickups which I cut loose and removed. Anyone got any tips for cutting the narrow channel for the five way blade switch? Seems about everything makes too wide a cut.

There's enough room in my control panel box for a baloney sandwich.

[hackworth1]

I think I will move the blade switch farther to the rear. There's lots of room toward the back. It is as far forward as it can be right now and:

a.) not crowd the knobs

b.) maintain the same angle as the knobs

I think running the five way switch on a straight north-south plane will not look good.

It might look good under the f-hole but there is no room down there without routing the body more.

Farther back so that the shaft of the last tone control knob is in line horizontally with the southern screw of the five way switch. That's the ticket.

[jkingma]

Originally Posted by hackworth1

I have arranged the controls to fit as shown. I mounted them temporarily to an old template. First pic shows them mounted to the strat pickguard. Also shows the wiring for the pickups which I cut loose and removed. Anyone got any tips for cutting the narrow channel for the five way blade switch? Seems about everything makes too wide a cut.

There's enough room in my control panel box for a baloney sandwich.

I've used a Tele control plate as a template and then used a small cutting bit from Stew-Mac in my dremel tool to cut these. Not a perfect cut, but easy to clean up with a nail file or emery board.

[hackworth1]

Thanks. That's the way to do it. I guess those tiny cutter bits are specialty items and are not available at home depot or lowes.

[jkingma]

You could also use the Tele control plate for the template... drill a 1/8" (or whatever size) hole at each end of the slot and then use an exacto to cut out the wood in between the 2 holes. Might be neater.

[hackworth1]

I used a Dremel Tool with a spiral cutting bit with a piece of brass tubing acting as a bearing guide on the template. Worked great. I got both f-holes cut, hand filed and sanded in less than half the time it took to do one by hand last time.

Needless to say, I had the two top pieces glued up, sanded and ready. I set them so that the flame pattern grain is slightly offset this time.

I repositioned the controls and drilled the holes with a forstner bit. Now there is room to mount the five way strat switch directly above the middle knob. This should make for a more symmetrical appearance.

[hackworth1]

Glued and clamped maple top with tite bond original. Aligned center seam with center line on guitar body. Let cure overnight. Routed top using body as template. Used a top bearing spiral bit on my table router.

[hackworth1]

Made my own pickup cavity template for humbucker and strat single coil pickup. The chrome rings from stew mac cost more than all 3 pickups and the controls from ebay.

Routed 3/4 inches deep for the humbucker and the two single coils. I'll do the string thru drilling tomorrow. I'm using the flush mount ferrules on this one.