Doc's 2012 Challenged Build

[Doc Rorick]

So, I missed the deadline to join the '12 Challenge by about 20 minutes... No worries. I'm going for it anyway, call this a warmup for the '13.

I already started asking questions on another posting and figured I'd better quit hijacking the other thread and start my own.

And here it is! Already have a new question/issue. I'm using the TDowns blueprint but have a 1.5" thick body blank. The neck pocket cavity on the blueprint is .625" deep. Am I ok sticking with that depth considering my body will be .25" thinner than the TDowns-indicated 1.75"?

[sfcmark]

Originally Posted by Doc Rorick

So, I missed the deadline to join the '12 Challenge by about 20 minutes... No worries. I'm going for it anyway, call this a warmup for the '13.

I already started asking questions on another posting and figured I'd better quit hijacking the other thread and start my own.

And here it is! Already have a new question/issue. I'm using the TDowns blueprint but have a 1.5" thick body blank. The neck pocket cavity on the blueprint is .625" deep. Am I ok sticking with that depth considering my body will be .25" thinner than the TDowns-indicated 1.75"?

If you're using standard neck dimensions, the pocket still has to be the same depth. You'll have to get neck mounting screws 1/4" shorter though (unless you want them to come through your fretboard).

[DesmoDog]

It's the 1.5" deep control route that's going to mess you up...

At least I think that's how deep the control route is supposed to be, it's been a while since I checked.

You could put a 1/4 cap on the front if you wanted it full thickness.

[Mike Simpson]

Buy the switch and the control plate and measure the depth you REALLY need for the control route. If you bend the bottom lugs to the side I think you will find that the switch will fit in a shallower route. I built a couple that are 1.5" thick and the floor of the cavity is thin but do-able.

As noted above make sure your neck screws are 1/4" shorter and double check that they will not go through the neck.

Both of these are 1.5" thick, the blues one has a CRL 3 way switch and the gold one has a CRL 5 wway switch.

[Doc Rorick]

Gentlemen, thank you for the responses!

Glad to know that I won't have to alter the neck and/or pocket cavity. And yeah, good call - shorter screws are a must. That woulda been a rough mistake to make!

I did consider throwing a 1/4" cap on this build - actually, haven't ruled it out completely yet - but as I'm discovering that there aren't any big mods that need to be made to accommodate a 1.5" thick body I may just leave it as is.

Control cavity depth of around 1.38" should work, I think - as soon as it arrives I'll know for certain. Mike - I dig that triple P-90 tele! Crazy style.

[Doc Rorick]

Update on my progress, also posted on my build thread at the LGTf:

Got to work on teaching myself how to use a router yesterday. Really bloody fun, as it turns out... but yeah, I've got a lot to learn. Witness:



Here's the outline drawn on my blank source, and



here's the base blank jig-sawed out. The wood is from a Swedish pine countertop; I'm using the rest of the top as a workbench. And Olav -- yer absolutely right about working on some scraps in the "trying-out phase" (my whole project). Only the more scraps that I trying things out on, the smaller my workbench becomes...



Template and blank, ready for routing. I think that the plywood worked fine this first round, but I'm going to pick up some MDF and epoxy the sides (many thanks for that suggestion, O) of the template to keep it from being dinged, dented or deformed by the router guide bearing. Man, I'm glad I spent a bit of extra time fine-tuning that template... well worth it. Seemed like extra work for a one-off project like mine, but it's already paid me back in time saved correcting f-ups. Wait, what? F-ups already?



Congratulations! You've got twins! Why two bodies? Well, the first one I routed was going along great until I got to the very last stretch of the horn and didn't pay attention to the combination of how fast I was moving + amount of material being routed + direction of the grain. Did I mention I'm learning how to use a router on the fly? Yeah. So, rookie mistake #1:



So. Bloody. Pissed. And only myself to blame. So, seeing that I'd started with six feet of blank material, I whipped out another one with the jig-saw and set to work routing a new body. This time I was extremely conservative with the amount of wood I removed with each pass, and paid close attention to the grain direction...



...but managed to let the router sway off level at one point.



FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Don't know if I'm going to just try to sand that wobble out or punt and cut a new blank out of my workbench yet. I put the whole thing away for the night after botching the second blank, went inside, and thoroughly freaked myself out reading about truss rod channel routing/installation. What, me worry?

[mgdesigns]

Looks like the rookie mistake is: Trying to use the router bit to remove too much at once. It is basically a rotary plane - so very fine shavings is all you should be removing, not more than 1/32". Be careful, and sand down close to the line prior to routing. The carbide bit edges can break off and become projectiles, and at 30,000 rpms they are dangerous. Or the work piece can be hurled across the room - don't ask how I know that one.

[Doc Rorick]

Originally Posted by mgdesigns

Looks like the rookie mistake is: Trying to use the router bit to remove too much at once.

Kind of you to limit it to the singular! Duly noted.

Spent the afternoon with sanding blocks and a scraper putting things right; taught me a good lesson.

Will get to work on setting up templates for pup/control cavities and the neck pocket this week; I'm trying not to get discouraged thinking about tangling with the truss rod cavity already but it's on the horizon... speaking of which, I've looked around the forum and haven't had any luck finding a neck blueprint to match the TDowns body one. Is there such a creature?

Cheers

[Doc Rorick]

So, not as much tele time this weekend as I'd hoped for, but I still managed to make a little progress:



prepped my control cavity template



admired the flame in the neck blank Bubba sent me



and almost finished the TRC jig. Ran out of daylight so packed it in for the weekend. Time to drink some liquor out of an old fruit jar.

[Olav]

Gotta love 80s metal fashion.

[Doc Rorick]

Gotta love the lefty lurking in the background on the reverse firebird!

Now if I could just get an outfit like his...

[Olav]

Paul Raymond is one of the first lefties I was aware of, besides Hendrix.

[Doc Rorick]

Made a little progress this week:

Finished the TRC jig, and gave it a trial run with a 2x4 neck mock-up



Ready, steady...



How do you get the centerline to stand still? Quit movin' around, you!



line wobble corrected, maple neck installed in jig



and there's my TRC, at last



and what the *$%! is this? Of course, the channel I cut in the 2x4 was without blemish. C'est la guerre. And at least the channel is on center.



Time to reboot with a bonus cup

[bubba01]

Nice job Matt. That neck's turning out good. It's not as scary as it seems. Get you a good rasp for shaping the neck. I use a safety planer to thickness the headstock. They don't make those anymore so you may have to look for something else to do the job.

[bcarter_1]

That neck is going to look real good.

[Doc Rorick]

*FAIL ALERT*

Originally Posted by bcarter_1

That neck is going to look real good.

Originally Posted by bubba01

Nice job Matt. That neck's turning out good..

Thanks fellas... but unfortunately it looks like I've trashed this neck. I set my jig up incorrectly, with the result being that the TRC is shifted 13mm toward the peghead from where it should be.

I don't think that it's salvageable, as even if I filled it in and re-routed I don't know if there would be enough original solid wood for the truss rod to push back on. I was so gutted when I discovered the error yesterday morning that I packed it all up and walked away for the day. If I can finish work early enough today I'll take it back out and give it another look... anybody have a good idea for saving this neck? Is filling and re-routing possible, or should I punt and start over with a new neck blank?

If this neck isn't saveable, I guess I can at least have a fingerboard cut off of it. I'm pretty bummed to have ruined this beauty of a piece of flame maple that Bubba sent me.

[Doc Rorick]

Ducked out of the winery early today and made two stops: lumberyard and Harbor Freight. No 1" thick maple to be had, but I did find an interesting piece of sapele. It would change up my plans for the build a little, as I'd originally planned on leaving the patchwork pine countertop body unfinished to match the maple neck. The dark mahogany might call for some kind of stain or finish on the body. Thinkin on it.

At Harbor Freight, I found what I absolutely struggled to come across on the interwebs: a 24" 3/16 drill bit, just like motorcitytele talked about in his 12x build:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home...today-x12.html



Going to try the outside-in method on the TRC drilling once I get a new neck shaped and channeled. - I tried to mock it up with a 12" bit and a 12" extension but the rig was too wide to fit into the TRC and didn't lay flat on the back of the channel as required for motorcitytele's method. I had just about given up hope on being able to drill them this way... and those 24" bits were right where he said he found his. Go figure.

Also on tap to order up some fretting gear, and a radius sanding block. I really enjoy the feel of both my SG (12") and Deuce F (15") -- I know that traditionally teles have tiny radii, but think I want something a little bigger than the neighborhood of 7" or 9" for mine. Or do I?

[DeepSouth]

Hi Doc - looks like you are going great guns there! It's great fun isn't it - but I'm nervous about routing the body - 'specially after seeing what can happen if you lose a bit of concentration. Oh well touch wood on that one - I'm almost up to that part of the build

Looking forward to seeing it all come together on your thread!

[Doc Rorick]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

Hi Doc - looks like you are going great guns there! It's great fun isn't it - but I'm nervous about routing the body - 'specially after seeing what can happen if you lose a bit of concentration. Oh well touch wood on that one - I'm almost up to that part of the build

Looking forward to seeing it all come together on your thread!

It is great fun, but man I'm having a heck of a learning curve with some of this. Patience, I keep telling myself... patience. You'll do fine on your body routing I have no doubt!

[Doc Rorick]

Went back and re-read some of Olav's 2011 tele build for inspiration. It definitely inspired a bit of interest in lunch, so I started with one of these:



Small World in downtown Napa does a damn good falafel, but I wonder if I can get Olav to send me his homemade version recipe?

Right, what about this build... well, I pulled the trigger on a piece of sapele to replace the flame maple neck I botched. Figured I'd have the guys at North Bay Plywood rip and plane it down to size for me:



This is somewhat faster and a little more accurate than my jig saw



in two passes it's perfectly thicknessed -- crazy what the right tools for the job will do for you. I almost regretted having to get back to the ill-equipped carport that comprises the workshop at Doc's Drunken Lutherie... almost.



So I ended up with a 1" thick neck blank and a 1/4" thick piece that I'll save for the fingerboard of a future build (hope springs eternal). Next it's on to the business of not repeating the same mistake I made with the maple neck, nor of making any new mistakes. Oh, yeah, and actually making this blank into a neck. What, me worry?