The Buttercaster Project

[Buckocaster51]

Even when you take out the 1/8" bit used for the string holes and replace it with a 5steenths bit for the ferrules...it is STILL LINED UP WITH THE REGISTRATION PIN!

Makes it a snap to pretty much get the ferrules in the right place.



the one that looks a bit out of place is just sitting high. It will be just fine with a tap of a hammer.



As I look back on the day's work, it has struck me that I still have to drill a hole. Anybody else catch what I missed?

Now it is time for some pizza.

[jwells393]

Bravo ............ Excellent technique for drilling those string through holes.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by jwells393

FYI to the readers.

Last time I was at Lowes they had a Delta 12 bench top drill press for $179.

Sounds good...but haven't you noticed that I don't like to pay more than $99 for anything?



Fuzzy, it will be a couple of weeks at least before I can get any color on either of these. I still haven't decided on which of the yellows to use. The paler of the two is more in line with the Pastelcaster them I seem to have gotten myself started on.

Thanks for the input and advice guys. I appreciate it.

[Justin Crouse]

dumb newbie question:

do you finish with the ferrules in?

sorry in advance,

JC

[Bones]

Looking good Buck.

have you always been a patient man? Just curious if you had to learn to take your time with this or if it came naturally?

I'm teaching myself refinishing a Squier "51" and man it's killing me that the weather wont cooperate and the days when i can spray are few and far between.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by Justin Crouse

do you finish with the ferrules in?

Not me. I don't know what others do but I will pop those out before I get serious about the finish.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by Bones

have you always been a patient man?

That has to be the line of the day!

Lethargic? Yes.

Patient? Never.

There is a difference.

These things take me forever because EVERYTHING I do takes forever.



Besides, you ALWAYS have to measure twice and cut once.

[Justin Crouse]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

Not me. I don't know what others do but I will pop those out before I get serious about the finish.

thanks buck.

any tips on popping them back out, or are they not that tight to begin with?


thanks for this thread too btw.

JC

[Indiana]

this is fun. I've gotta try this now.

[Rob DiStefano]

Good stuff, B'51 - I like simple, effective guerilla body making tactics.

[mojocasterman]

Man, am I ever *loving* this thread... thanks again!

[sean79]

If anybody knows a better way to sand inside the horn, I am all ears. To me that is almost the hardest part of the entire project. Just not enough room in there. I'm glad I didn't decide to put together F-5 mandolins...

If you have access to a spindle sander, that might be the ticket. Depending on the size if the sanding drum you attach, you should be able to get into some pretty tight curves - or big ones as needed. The thing spins and goes up and down - wish I had one when I built the body for my mahoganycaster.

Good luck. And keep posting with your progress; things are looking great.

Sean

[jwells393]

Speaking of spindle sanders ................. I'm finding this RIDGID Oscillating Edge/Belt Spindle Sander to be one of the most useful tools in my shop. However it does cost more than $99.

..............................

[reddogbass]

A spindle sander would be just the ticket. One of these days I'm gonna pop for one. The cheaper ones don't really have a big enough table so it's gonna take several hundred $. In the meantime I'll keep using a drum set-up I made to go in the drill press, similar to the Robo-Sander from Stew-Mac. Problem is it doesn't oscillate so the wear on the sanding drum is in one spot, until you move the table, or the spindle. I can't talk anyone into standing thee and "oscillate" the spindle. They think I'm nuts. I'd post some pics, but my old digital just doesn't cut it.

I like that belt Rigid sander. What I've done for the same effect, and to use the whole width of the belt, is to mount a belt sander at an angle to the table, so the the work-piece is sanded across the enitre width of the belt. Sure saves on belts.

Nice job Bucko'. About that paint job... Yellow is one of the poorest hiding colors. You can get some really different shades by experimenting with different color base-primer coats. Fun ain't it?

[Buckocaster51]

Good idea about the spindle sander. I might have to make nice with the HS shop teacher - take him a new computer or something - I see Grizzly has one for $130 or so, but that is above my limit...

Today I ordered way too much from Stew-Mac and some Keystone pickups. The necks are on the way. Things are falling together.

Also went out and drilled this hole that I forgot yesterday.



It would be a little hard to wire up without it. The putty knife is there to protect the surface from the drill bit.

Thanks again for all of the good ideas and warm fuzzies.

Project will be on hold until binding supplies get here...and with 3 band jobs and a football game next weekend I doubt that I'll get much done on these.

But it does keep me out of the bars...

[moparmutt]

Great pics!!

[kyle1167]

Hey Buck,

Great tutorial. That $99.00 band saw you use, is it the 9" shopmaster. If so what do you think of it? Any problems cutting bodies with it?

I've been considering getting one but I was told that it probably wouldn't be deep enough and would have to flip the body face down to cut the cut out.

I've also been looking at the Craftman 10" bench top saw. I'm limited on money and space(my wife is convinced the garage is for the car )
So I have a corner of the garage with two work benches in an L shape.

I would eventually like to cut strat bodies also. So would I be able to do that with a 9" or 10" band saw?

I really don't want to spend more than $200.00 on a saw so if anyone knows of a 14" for around that, I may consider it.

BTW buck, what area of Iowa are you in. I live just north of Cedar Rapids.

[Rob DiStefano]

IMO, it doesn't much matter how you trim away the excess wood from the body blank because it's the the router w/top bearing bit, and the guitar outline router template, that does the real work.

[kyle1167]

Originally Posted by Rob DiStefano

IMO, it doesn't much matter how you trim away the excess wood from the body blank because it's the the router w/top bearing bit, and the guitar outline router template, that does the real work.

So I could actually use a hand held jig saw to cut the rough shape then use the router and template?

If so, I'm a helluva alot closer to starting this than I thought

[Ronkirn]

So I could actually use a hand held jig saw to cut the rough shape then use the router and template?

Yepperz..... Use a drill and spade bit, Jig Saw, Skill saw, whatever it takes to remove the excess lumber.

When you get to the template and routing, just remember to take small "bites" and hold the router tightly. Do not go out and buy a 2inch long bit and try to do the entire depth in one pass....specially with a hand held router.

Take a piece of 3/4 Ply wood, Particle board, whatever, drill a 1 1/2 inch hole in it, and mount the Router base upside down on the bottom. Insert the Router and clamp the ply wood to a work bench edge and you have a makeshift router table, which will make doing the body easier.

Ron Kirn

[jwells393]

I'm a big believer in using a router table. One can be built very easily. Here's one I built and have used for years.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showgallery.php/cat/583

When routing a body shape you need to pay attention to the direction of the cutter with respect to the grain of the wood. Sometimes you go in one direction ............ sometimes in the other. I think of it as "making sure the cutter isn't cutting uphill into the grain". Maybe someone else has a better way of describing it.

[David Barnett]

Use both shades of yellow and do a yellow sunburst.

[kyle1167]

Originally Posted by jwells393

I'm a big believer in using a router table. One can be built very easily. Here's one I built and have used for years.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/showgallery.php/cat/583

When routing a body shape you need to pay attention to the direction of the cutter with respect to the grain of the wood. Sometimes you go in one direction ............ sometimes in the other. I think of it as "making sure the cutter isn't cutting uphill into the grain". Maybe someone else has a better way of describing it.

Thanks for the advice. My mother in law has a router and router table that is just collecting dust in my brothers shed. Time to clean it off and put it to work.

One more question. Would I still need a band saw for trimming down the stock for making a neck?

[celeste]

Hey Buck , thanks so much for letting us come along for the ride. We learn and it is great fun. For what it is worth , I am most intrigued at the "ButterBurst" idea , if nothing else , I love the name.

To expand on what jack said about which direction to cut , generally , you want to cut so the cutting edge comes down into the wood, That the cutter compresses the fibers instead of trying to pull them apart. Cutting this way will tend to minimize splintering and tear out, but it also will pull the bit into the work so you really need control of the work and router. Tear out can still happen at the "bottom" of the cut where the cutting edge is leaving the wood if the grain intersects at a slight angle. The only real answer is use a really sharp bit, take real small cuts and experiment before you get to the final cut to see what gives the best results

If the weather cooperates , I have a date with a pin router on Sunday. A group build , I think at least 4 bodies will be cut out that day. It is kind of funny that us Tele builders know each other from CAMS ( Chesapeake area metalworking society). It is really cool because one of us makes Charlie Christian pickups and another makes bridges, so I have lots of great stuff to learn from lots of great people.

[mojocasterman]

Celeste, that sounds like a great way to learn and have a good time at the same time! Good for you... now if I could only convince Arlo to let me shadow him when he makes those delicious pinecasters

[FenderAmpGAS]

Man, I love these threads. They make me wish I took shop way back when I was in high school. Can't wait to see the final finish on this tele's body.

[mojocasterman]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Use both shades of yellow and do a yellow sunburst.

that's an intriguing idea!

[reddogbass]

Regarding tearout while routing- Celeste described it perfectly,but sometimes an illustration helps.

This is from the Stew-Mac site. It is for routing for binding, and shown on a dreadnought. But the grain direction of the top will be oriented the same as the grain in a solid body guitar, and will minimize the possibility of tear-out.

Make the short cuts (reverse) first, and then follow with a complete cut in the forward direction.

[Jelly]

Originally Posted by jwells393

Here's one I built and have used for years.

Jwells - what did you connect the router to the table with in that picture?

[Ronkirn]

Here's a little trade secret a lot of us use to insure a smooth cut....we make the initial cuts with an older router bit, that has been sharpened several times. Let the old stuff do the heavy lifting.

Sharpening the carbide will reduce the overall diameter a few thousandths each time... Using such a bit will leave a few thousandths of wood remaining once the body has been cut out.

Now change to a nice new fresh bit and go around the outside again, it will remove the remaining wood, but since it is so very slight, the cut is quite smooth, also because you are removing so little wood, the new bit will remain serviceably sharp for quite a long time.

Ron Kirn

[mojocasterman]

very nice tip! Thanks

[Buckocaster51]

Exchanging ideas and tips like this is a lot of fun. I've been so danged busy with work and life that I haven' been able to do anything this week except order stuff. But I want to keep everybody up-to-date so here goes.

These are the three (What!?) bodies that I have ready to go.



Two are alder and the top one is poplar. My that poplar is soft. The poplar will most likely become the Buttercaster, one of the alder bodies will be painted Capri Orange (or at least as close as I can come to it) and the other is going to become Buckocaster IV - black & white checkered purfling, and the biggest SILVER or TEAL flake that I can find. Maple board and matching headstock.

My box of supplies from Stewart MacDonald has arrived.



Binding, pickup covers, and those all-important Electro-Sockets.

Back in June the fine folks at Custom Inlay made up some Black & White checkered purfling for me.



Necks and pickups are on the way.

I also have a oscillating spindle sander coming! I decided to go with a Grizzly. Combined with the other tools out in the garage I think it will do the job. It was also sort of not too far away from my $99 self-imposed limit on what I pay for tools.

More later, but all I am doing this weekend is yard work, grading exams, and guitar playing. No time for this other fun stuff.

[mojocasterman]

It was also sort of not too far away from my $99 self-imposed limit on what I pay for tools.

also sort of no too far away from? That definitely made me chuckle!

Thanks for keeping us posted. This is a great thread.

[sean79]

I also have a oscillating spindle sander coming! I decided to go with a Grizzly.

Let us know how that spindle sander works out for you. The shop at my old job had one - used it on some trim work for my house - never for a guitar body. The shop at my new job doesn't have one...

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by mojocasterman

that's an intriguing idea!

I think it would look cool as hell. Take the lighter of the two yellows and fade it so that there is no tint in the center of the guitar, then run a ring of the darker yellow around the edges.

[Indiana]

I love the two tone "Iceburst" color on these new Gibson Les Paul Goddesses.

[Tom S]

Buckocaster, I haven't checked into this thread for some time. Great work so far! It all sounds so familiar!

I will add my vote for a router table as the best thing you can add in the future. I also agree with Tedecaster (I think) that the Porter Cable 690 router is a good choice...sort of a standard workhorse.

A tip for anyone cutting out the rough body shape, no matter whether you're using a bandsaw or a jigsaw: When you're cutting the inside turns, first make some straight cuts perpendicular to the line of the body. This way, when you cut parallel to the line, you will be removing pieces of wood and getting them out of the way as you go. It will make cutting the tight turns in particular much easier and safer.

Buck, good luck on the binding. If you don't already have one, the Stew-Mac bit works really well for this. It should be a breeze.

[Buckocaster51]

So today a box of AllParts necks from Rob DiStefano shows up. Couldn't resist the temptation. Had to perform a trial fit to see how the neck pockets turned out.



I think I'm happy. Both bodies I cut out and the USACG that I have laying around all look pretty much the same. Nice and snug.

By the way, the router nick in the neck pickup cavity will be covered up by the pickguard.

Another by the way, I used a new Photoshop technique to "sharpen" this image. Can you tell the difference?

[jwells393]

The picture does look sharp. So ....... you're the go-to-guy for questions about Photoshop ........

I also am a fan of Porter Cable routers. Especially after using a Craftsman Commercial router which was an absolute piece of crap. However, Porter Cable routers are more than $99.

To answer Jelly's question above about how I attach the router to my home built table: The router's base plate is removed and longer flat head screws go throught countersunk holes in the top of the router table into the router.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by jwells393

The picture does look sharp. So ....... you're the go-to-guy for questions about Photoshop ........

shhhh...

might be veering off topic just a smidge...I just read a lot and have access to some fun stuff.

Look at the difference in these two:





especially in the body grain (and bird poo) ...

It's a technique I just picked up in MacAddict magazine.

Copy the layer/Filter>Other>High-Pass @ about 6 pixels/set layer light to Soft/play with Opacity to taste

Works a whole lot better than Unsharp Mask.

Now back to guitars...

You know, I have a router table. It just never occurred to me to use it on these bodies.

I also have a Craftsman (PoC) Router, but I haven't used that because it is bolted to the bottom of the router table.

Maybe it's time to CLEAN that garage.