The Inexpensive build #2

[GordonGecko]

Hi folks.

As promised, I've made some headway with the wood that I've received recently. For those that didn't catch that thread, I recently received a block of Sapele, that looked like this...



and this...



At exactly 13 inches wide, my hand-made template left nothing at all either side, but left a little extra to play with at the top.



So, I took it into the outhouse that I call my *cough* workshop, and drew around the outside of my template.

Having little money for much in this build (surprise surprise), my templates aren't laser cut. I took the ed hawley/Terry Downs plan. Tile printed it onto A4 paper, taped together and photocopied onto two sheets of A3. Checked the dimensions, and all is ok. Taped to some 1/4" MDF, cut round with a Junior Hacksaw (), and hand sanded to within an inch of it's life. Hand drilled out the routs for the control panel and pickups. The F Hole, was only put in a couple of days before I started this build proper, once I had procured a router. And yes, it was freehand routed. All things considered, looking at the picture above, it turned out so much better than it deserved to be...

So, I took my blank and my jigsaw...




In grand tradition, it's a Tesco own brand.


£7, or $11 if you wish, for something from Britain's biggest supermarket.
Going to the local B&Q, I found some blades that would fit. At £1 ($1.60) for a pack of 5, I bought three packs, just in case.

And so I set about it with wild abandon... Starting by chopping the extra height away from the rest of the body.


before rough cutting the body. Very rough cutting.

[macaroonie]

Good start Gordon. Watch what that jiggy blade is doing on the bottom side of the cut , they are prone to wandering.

[GordonGecko]

I used the technique of making cuts at right angles to the body shape to help stop the blade from drifting.



After taping some double sided tape to the back of the template, and clamping it down to the bench, I cracked out some router bits. First off, the top bearing bit...



For the record, the router was on offer from Screwfix for £22 ($36), and came with two bits (straight and roundover). One top bearing and one bottom bearing bit from the B&Q clearance aisle cost a tenner for the two.

So I started, very very carefully making passes with the router. Knowing how much I needed to take off, I did it in many, many takes. And it took forever. However, I wanted to reduce the tear out, and the thought of an unguarded bit spinning at several '000' times a minute still freaks me out.

I got about a quarter of the way round before I had to see my good lady wife. :-)
To be continued tomorrow...

[misterecks]

A man after my own heart That router looks very familiar

[davmac]

Too late now, but one of the tips I found here, for cutting out a body, is to drill holes every inch or two round the outline and then just join them up with the jigsaw. Minimises the wandering blade and is quicker than the many right-angled cuts.

[GordonGecko]

Originally Posted by davmac

Too late now, but one of the tips I found here, for cutting out a body, is to drill holes every inch or two round the outline and then just join them up with the jigsaw. Minimises the wandering blade and is quicker than the many right-angled cuts.

That is a really good idea. And like the best ideas, It's simple. Loke me

On the subject of the blades, I burnt through two blades from one pack, but two was enough to get through this incredibly dense, hard wood. At £1 for a pack of five (well, four wood blades and an aluminium one), it beat my expectations.

The blade that came with the admittedly cheap jigsaw snapped within two minutes of trying to cut through quarter inch MDF,

Glenn

[davmac]

Here's a pic of my sapele body getting cut.



Worked like a dream. Mind you just after I finished this stage I managed to get hold of a really cheap 14" bandsaw which has been a godsend since.

[Picton]

See? Your second effort already looks better than your first. That's a wonderful chunk of timber there.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[GordonGecko]

Very quick update...



Finally got the top half of the outline routed.

Little tearout here


and here


Nothing a little sanding won't solve. One little bit that I would need to fill is right over where the roundover will go, so it's all gravy.

However, because I left the template on and clamped down overnight, some of the tape residue adhered slightly more than I wanted to the wood.


It also took a small chunk out of the back of the MDF template, but nothing that can't be fixed.

Flipped the body over and did the other half with the bottom bearing bit. Went pretty smoothly, plenty of sandpapering to come to get it totally presentable.


Glenn

[GordonGecko]

I know why the pro's have full dust extraction systems in their shops... and the amateurs do it outside :-D

[davmac]

Save some of that sawdust! It is useful to have a small bag of it, because you can mix it up with CA glue for any spot repairs needed later on.

[GordonGecko]

So, quite a lot of days between updates. Snails pace sums it up. Fine though, I've got all the time in the world

Routed the pickup cavities...



Router bit slipped slightly in the collet, but no big deal. The pickup will hide my sins.



So... As I'm not going for the drop top option, this is what I'm going to do...

Remember the piece that I chopped off the top of the blank?



I reckon if I rip them in two, I can try and make a set of rear covers.

Clamp clamp clamp



then drill drill drill...



then a combination of jigsaw (slow, burning smells), hand saw, (slow, aching arms) and finally, a bolster chisel and club hammer (quick, scary, ultimately successful) seperated the two halves.

Up to tonight, I have the first cavity cut out...


The sticking out parts were to be for the screws to hold it, but as you can see, we have a problem.

The first cover split when thinning it out. A crack went through along the grain, and Crack!





The other part of the cover will fit exactly to the first half already dry-fitted, once it's cut to shape. But not tonight.

[GordonGecko]

Oh, and Mr Macleod, I have another 1700 bags just like this one.



The back covers will not be a tight fit by any stretch of the imagination, so they will be superglued permanently down. I'm kind of crossing my fingers that a superglue/sawdust combo will fill these gaps once they've been fixed in place.

So, what's the process? How much sawdust to how much glue? Can I use the use-once tubes from poundland? Is this even a feasable idea?

I wasn't sure if having grain going across from the main body was such a good idea. Now... I'm warming to it.

[whodatpat]

I would think plain wood glue witht hat dust would do the trick. But I am really guessing here. I would just fear CA would set up and still have some gaps to fill.

[GordonGecko]

Quick mockup shot. My neck pickup came in the post today, I'll need to put an order in for a pickup ring as soon as I can. Only found the one place that does them. Strange, I'd thought all my usual sources would have them. No way I could put a pickguard over this lovely grain!





Which is code for... you might find a pickguard over this lovely grain if I end up with something to hide!

[Picton]

Wood glue + sawdust works fine for me; put a few drops of glue between your fingers, add sawdust, and start rolling them together. Soon, you'll have a putty. Add either more glue or more dust to adjust the viscosity. Then, just fill your gaps.

Practice a few times before you do it for reals, and it's always a good idea to do finish samples to make sure it won't come out all dark and scary.

[davmac]

Originally Posted by GordonGecko

So, what's the process? How much sawdust to how much glue? Can I use the use-once tubes from poundland? Is this even a feasable idea?

That may be a big gap to fill with the CA glue/sawdust combo - unless you can find a really cheap source. The way I do it is to wick the glue into the gap, wait until it starts to go tacky, and then dust the surface with the sawdust and massage it in with my finger. Dust on more sawdust and then give it a light sand, and keep repeating that - allowing the sanding to drive the sawdust into the CA glue and level the surface. It takes a few goes to get the hang of it so it is worth practicing on scrap. You might want to try whatever you've planned for the finish on your test pieces, because it does create a surface that is less porous than surrounding areas, as I found to my cost when applying a water-based dye to a quilted maple top.

[GordonGecko]

Originally Posted by davmac

That may be a big gap to fill with the CA glue/sawdust combo - unless you can find a really cheap source.

Is that regular superglue, or am I getting my terms mixed up?

Originally Posted by davmac

The way I do it is to wick the glue into the gap, wait until it starts to go tacky, and then dust the surface with the sawdust and massage it in with my finger. Dust on more sawdust and then give it a light sand, and keep repeating that - allowing the sanding to drive the sawdust into the CA glue and level the surface. It takes a few goes to get the hang of it so it is worth practicing on scrap. You might want to try whatever you've planned for the finish on your test pieces, because it does create a surface that is less porous than surrounding areas, as I found to my cost when applying a water-based dye to a quilted maple top.

Thanks for that info. I'm going to test everything beforehand. I can't see why it wouldn't work. It doesn't look to me like an insurmountable gap to fill, but I'm still a novice when it comes to this stuff. The idea of grain filling already gives me a bit of a headache

Is there an alternative to this to fill something that would blend in with the surrounding wood? I know if it was going to be a solid colour, it wouldn't be an issue. Fill it with whatever you like then primer/paint it - no-ones the wiser.

Glenn

[davmac]

Originally Posted by GordonGecko

Is that regular superglue

That's what I've used.

Originally Posted by GordonGecko

Is there an alternative to this to fill something that would blend in with the surrounding wood?

Not that I've tried but it would be worth experimenting with other glues. For something like a larger gap Titebond Original might work. Also, because you're not talking about a structural joint, perhaps any old white PVA would be fine. You just want something that dries clear.

[Picton]

Originally Posted by GordonGecko

Is there an alternative to this to fill something that would blend in with the surrounding wood?

Read my post from this morning. That's what results from wood glue + sawdust, rolled into a putty.

You could also use white glue; either way, make sure you use really fine sawdust... the kind that results from sanding, not from sawing.