The Buttercaster Project

Buckocaster51 · September 13th, 2006, 10:17 PM

So tonight, I actually "got to the city" and was able to hit a store with a fine collection of Krylon "No Runs, No Drips, No Errors!®" spray paint.

Being the quick thinker I am, I said "Maybe I can find the color coat for the Buttercaster."

Found a can of both #1806 Sun Yellow Gloss and #3538 Bright Idea.

Wahooo!

Bright Idea is on the left, and probably what I will go with. Sun Yellow Gloss is probably too intense. I am looking for a nice pastel along the lines of the Lavendercaster and Surfocaster.

Wood is on the way (or will be real soon.)

I'm starting to think that tortishell binding and pickguard would look REAL nice, but the rest of them have white binding and guard. Decisions, decisions.

This will be fun. With luck I will put router bit to wood sometime next week.

I'll try to keep everybody up-to-date as this scintillating project takes place.

Bones · September 13th, 2006, 10:41 PM

Cool, I always enjoy your projects.

Buckocaster51 · September 17th, 2006, 02:30 PM

So Friday...I get home from work...and this is on the door...

aha!

I enter the garage and low and behold

a box from Mario at The Guitar Mill!

at first I'm thinking..."He shipped me 7 lbs of PEANUTS!

but then I dig a bit...

there it is...a nice chunk of alder.

I can start on the Buttercaster now...or wait for a piece of poplar I have coming...or use a chunk of ash that I have...decisions...decisions...but today I have to grade papers...

stratomaster · September 17th, 2006, 02:42 PM

I'm about to start my first parts guitar. I've got a body ready to sand down. I was going to buy paint thru reranch but I noticed you purchased krylon. It seems you've used it before. Have you, and if so have your projects turned out like you wanted. I was going to do a tele in sonic blue with a nitro finish. I'm looking forward to seeing your project progress. BTW my body is a warmoth tele picked up by a friend of mine at a yard sale for $1.00. Its beat but I think I can turn it into something. You read it right it was only a buck. The guy drilled 3 holes thru it and had a metal cutout of the girl you see on the trucker mudflaps bolted to the back of it. I would have done a more natural finish but because of having to fill those hole I think paint is the way to go. I'm new to the forum and this is my first tele but I'm very excited about it and glad to have found this forum. Jeff

Tom S · September 17th, 2006, 02:46 PM

Buckocaster, I look forward to watching this unfold!

sean79 · September 17th, 2006, 02:53 PM

Looking forward to seeing this one... I'm getting the itch to build another. Will you be able to see any grain through the paint, or will it be a solid color?

Quote:

but today I have to grade papers...

What grade do you teach? I know, it's completely unrelated to the Buttercaster topic, but I'm a curious person.
Sean

Buckocaster51 · September 17th, 2006, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stratomaster

I'm about to start my first parts guitar. I've got a body ready to sand down. I was going to buy paint thru reranch but I noticed you purchased krylon. It seems you've used it before. Have you, and if so have your projects turned out like you wanted. I was going to do a tele in sonic blue with a nitro finish. ...f

Jack Wells, the acknowledged Master of Krylon may jump in here...if you are looking for the honest-to-gosh Fender colors, you probably can't beat ReRanch. I've used their products and it is very good. No compatibility issues. You won't go wrong with it.

For the Buttercaster and Lavendercaster, guess what? No ReRanch/Fender colors available, so it was off to the rattle can shelf at the store. It will work, but I will have to "think" about things a bit more.

But it will be yellow.

Pete Galati · September 17th, 2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

For the Buttercaster and Lavendercaster, guess what? No ReRanch/Fender colors available, so it was off to the rattle can shelf at the store. It will work, but I will have to "think" about things a bit more.

But it will be yellow.

Should turn out well IMO. You've already proven with the Lavendercaster that non Fender colors can look very good.

Years ago, I finished a Kubicki ash Strat body with hardware store Krylon. Aside from the fact that I didn't know that I needed to fill the grain, it turned out rather well for someone without any finishing skills. Krylon's pretty forgiving stuff, so it would have almost looked slick if I'd been sharp evough to fill the grain.

Pete

aznrambo481 · September 17th, 2006, 06:55 PM

I wonder how big of a box is needed for 7 pounds of styrofoam peanuts...

charlie cash · September 17th, 2006, 06:57 PM

Buckocaster,
Have you considered a two-tone butterburst? It might look cool.

jwells393 · September 17th, 2006, 07:32 PM

I don't mean to hijack the thread but I've tried a variety of rattle can paints and have had good results with all of them. I however prefer Krylon because it drys faster being an acrylic lacquer. The following little Strats were all clearcoated with Deft Gloss nitrocellulous lacquer with no compatibility problems.

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

andy__woods · September 17th, 2006, 07:46 PM

Hey jwells, what sort of Krylon do you use? I was just on their website and there are a lot of options

mojocasterman · September 17th, 2006, 08:25 PM

nice work people!

Buckocaster51 · September 24th, 2006, 11:57 AM

Today I am finally putting cutter to wood. In this picture a 3/4" PDF template that I made from a Ron Kirn master template is attached by wood screws to an ALDER blank that came from The Guitar Mill. I trimmed the blank "pretty close" on my $99 Delta bandsaw. With my little miniature router I can only take about 3/8' of wood off per pass. That's okay, it will just take a bit more time - give me more time to think things through so I don't inadvertently make a lefthanded Buttercaster. (I wonder if anybody has ever done that?)

More pictures later as this whole thing progresses.

jwells393 · September 24th, 2006, 12:28 PM

Hmmmmmmm.......... what is PDF? I have a Porter Cable router with plenty of power and I still like to take only about a 1/4 inch per pass. Less chance of a tear-out. Maybe it takes me an additional 10 minutes to rout a body shape ........... so what?

andy__woods............... I've always used the General Purpose Krylon but the Fusion for plastics would probably work well over a polyurethane finish.

Tedecaster · September 24th, 2006, 12:46 PM

MDF.... maybe? Isn't PDF a computer document?

Buckocaster51 · September 24th, 2006, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwells393

Hmmmmmmm.......... what is PDF? I have a Porter Cable router with plenty of power and I still like to take only about a 1/4 inch per pass. Less chance of a tear-out.

You know, maybe, JUST MAYBE, I got a couple of those things mixed up.

All week long I work with .PDFs on these computer thangs...I think I might, maybe, should've written "MDF" - medium density fiberboard.

Oh well.

I really "nibble away" at the wood and haven't had a tearout problem (yet)...I'll take a bit less next pass and see how it goes. You are right, what difference does an extra 10 minutes take.

Now...back to the router.

mojocasterman · September 24th, 2006, 01:23 PM

Thanks for the pic. Please don't feel like you could ever post too many

Man, I love these build threads...

maestrovert · September 24th, 2006, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojocasterman

Thanks for the pic. Please don't feel like you could ever post too many

Man, I love these build threads...

me 3 !

Buckocaster51 · September 24th, 2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojocasterman

Thanks for the pic. Please don't feel like you could ever post too many

Sort of like the gauntlet has been thrown...

After several passes the MDF template is no longer needed. In fact, the cutters are not long enough to use the template. So the template is removed and the body itself is used as a template.

Pretty slick the way that works.

A word on tools.

I do all of this on pretty simple equipment in the garage. Here is my routing setup.

I'll clean everything up before I start the finish. (I'll even move the NEON out of before I start shootinig nitro )

With the router (1/4" 5/8HP - I think) I use, I am limited in the size of the cutters that I can use. Can't do the entire outside with a top-bearing cutter. For the last cut I have to switch over to a cutter with the bearing on the bottom. Flip the body over and cut from the bottom...

This is what we are after...

ALL that is left on this one is to machine the neck pocket, the control and pickup cavities, and (my favorite part) the channel for the binding.

Probably be done for lunch!

Lunch a week from next Wednesday that is.

mojocasterman · September 24th, 2006, 02:32 PM

great stuff. Please do keep it coming!

Buckocaster51 · September 24th, 2006, 04:16 PM

I'm going to backup a bit and post some that I skipped over the first time.

The Ron Kirn templates are 1/4" Masonite (or Trabant Wood for some of you.) The first thing that needs to be done is to make a set of 3/4" MDF (did I get it right that time?) working templates.

Once the working templates were made I used an original to trace the pattern on the blank - simply because it was close.

then we can go to the band saw and get rid of some surplus wood

and we wind up with something like this. Notice that the knot by the horn that some of you were probably worried about has proven to be a knon-factor

SMPTE · September 24th, 2006, 04:21 PM

Sweet!

Buckocaster51 · September 24th, 2006, 04:26 PM

But wait! There's more!

Here's another shot of how the pilot bearing works against the MDF template. And now I have an answer for why I take off so much in the first pass - if I set it much shallower I would lose the contact area between the bearing and the template - at least it sounds good to me.

To machine the control and pickup cavities, the 3/4" MDF template goes back on. It is held in place with 2 screws and a BIG HONKING CLAMP. I'll take this opportunity to drill pilots for the string through and bridge mounting plates.

To make life a bit easier for the WORLD'S WORST ROUTER I drilled a pilot hole of sorts into the cavities. I'm beginning to think it would be nice to own a nicer router. Maybe something that can plunge.

Here's another shot of the pilot bearing on these pattern cutters. These are cheap, but functional, cutters that I bought from Grizzly. So far they haven't let me down.

Gee, how many empty rattle-cans of DEFT can YOU spot on the floor? Might soon be time to do something about that.

Buckocaster51 · September 24th, 2006, 04:37 PM

There is even more!

A few passes with the cutter, and a few precise measurements later...

The pickup cavities are 3/4" deep and the control cavity 1-1/2". Fortunately the body is 1-3/4" thick.

No neck pocket yet. That is what template #2 is for.

Another chunk of 3/4" MDF machined from a master. It is registered to the body with a nail and a drill bit. (I also made a few measurements, but it is more fun to pretend I am a little cavalier about the whole thing.)

After making sure the neck pocket is 5/8" deep I can yank the template and this is what we see.

Still need to create the flat-spot and drill the wiring holes, neck screw holes, and string-through holes...but that will be another day.

Oh...and the binding channels. Have I ever told you how much fun that is?

Tedecaster · September 24th, 2006, 04:42 PM

We were just giving you a hard time!...mdf,pdf..???

Looks great! I think the bits from Grizzly are pretty good. I've got a bunch of them now. If you decide to upgrade "the world's worst router", my favorite all-around router is a Porter Cable 690. I've had several (all stolen, not broken) and the last time around I bought a set that came with a regular base, a "D" handle base & a plunge base. I leave the standard base bolted to a table for a router table & use the D-handle mostly. You'd be suprised what a difference there is in stiffness between the 1/4" & 1/2" shafts, as far as chatter, especially with a top-mount bearing bit. That router will take both sizes. Keep the pics coming!

mojocasterman · September 24th, 2006, 05:16 PM

again, thanks for the pics. I am dying to try and make my own tele body, but I am still too much of a wuss. These threads are great inspiration!

Lostheart · September 25th, 2006, 10:05 AM

My, what a great project and tutorial...thanks for sharing!

txspreacher · September 25th, 2006, 11:04 AM

Yeah, thanks for taking the time to photo-document this build! Really an inspiration for wannabe's like me!

Buckocaster51 · September 30th, 2006, 04:14 PM

Lo and behold...another chunk of wood showed up from The Guitar Mill this week. A fine piece of poplar. So off to the "workbench" we go...

It looks like a good chunk of wood. I think Norm Abrams would be happy. First thing I notice is that it is much lighter/slightly green compared to the reddish alder I worked with last week.

Just like before, I use a template to mark where I want to make the cuts.
Then it is off to th $99 bandsaw.

Not much grain. Ugly color. But it IS poplar, and it is going to painted. So...

around 2 hours of not-so-steady work later, I have another body.

Sort of.

They still need to be sanded on the sides, drilled for wiring, and the string-through holes, and routed for the binding.

Might need to spend some time cleaning things up a bit. The signs DO say, "Safety First" not "Cleanliness First."

jwells393 · September 30th, 2006, 04:53 PM

Ah ........ trusty old radial arm saw. Looks like yours is used as a work table much like mine.

'56Teleman · September 30th, 2006, 04:57 PM

Buckocaster51,

Thanks for a great thread. I look forward to seeing the rest of the build.

The most I've done is assemble a parts tele. Watching a complete build is interesting to say the least.

Buckocaster51 · September 30th, 2006, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwells393

Ah ........ trusty old radial arm saw. Looks like yours is used as a work table much like mine.

You know, when you need a radial arm saw, you really need one. The rest of the time is DOES make a good work table. Before I got my hands on this one, it was bolted to the back of a truck and used by a siding crew and that was 20 years ago. To say it is not a precision instrument is being kind.

Now I'm off to the school to "borrow" a real drill press for the string and ferrule holes. My little $99 special just doesn't have a deep enough throat.

Buckocaster51 · September 30th, 2006, 08:10 PM

Now to complete the reporting on today's activities. Then it will be pizza time.

Before I start finishing/painting I will try to hit the body with 60, 80, 100, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper.

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...

All proper bound Teles need to have a pronounced "flat spot" for the output jack. It has always been one of my favorite visual aspect. That little bit of asymetry...

Here is my low tech method of making it using my $99 sanding station.

A little touch up with the hand sander and I'll be happy

Buckocaster51 · September 30th, 2006, 08:22 PM

Now we have to drill some holes.

The output jack (of course some people call it the input jack) is a 7/8" hole centered on the flat spot.

Slow and steady...

I have discovered that if the bit is taking off equal sized chips all around the hole, it is going in straight.

this is what we are looking for...

the pilot is just starting to peak into the control cavity. Have to be careful now. We don't want to blow out the hole where it goes into the cavity.

It is straight, not chipped, and pretty much centered. A person couldn't really ask for much more.

Arlo · September 30th, 2006, 08:29 PM

Excellent thread Buckocaster! I am learning a lot from your posts!!

Can't wait to see the end results.

Buckocaster51 · September 30th, 2006, 08:33 PM

Got to make more holes in those beautiful pieces of wood.

Believe it or not, I found this drill bit on a rack in my local True-Value store. It is more than long enough to drill a hole from the neck pocket, through the neck pickup cavity, and into the control cavity.

Doing this makes me nervous. Even in Jr High School shop class, when I was drilling a hole through a bowling pin to make a lamp...wood varies so much in density that I am always afraid that it might not go exactly where I think it should go.

This time, everything went exactly like it should and the drill is peaking out into the control cavity at just the right spot.

My little $99 drill press just isn't big enough to drill the string through holes. I tried doing them by hand once. That was a painful experience.

So...it's off to the school shop. I think this drill press will work. Anybody recognize the color? It is a REAL piece of hardware...

0le FUZZY · September 30th, 2006, 08:37 PM

<li> BTW, I like the won onna rite much better .........^.

<li> It looks like 77 Corvette yaller which I haff painted 3 Camaros and a Blazer and a horse trailer with (oh! and won TELECASTER).

0le FUZZY

Buckocaster51 · September 30th, 2006, 08:44 PM

One way to drill the string through holes is to drill them from the template on the front side. I'm doing this back a ways. I suppose you could just use the drill press to go all of the way through, but in wood drill bits seem to wander all over the place on me. Probably because I buy $0.99 drill bits...

Anyway, by drilling into a sacraficial piece of wood that is securely clamped to the drill press table, you can make a hole that is DIRECTLY under the bit. If you put a short piece of metal (say a cut off nail) in that hole, you have a registration pin that is directly under the bit.

By placing the body upside-down with one of stringhole you copied from the template on the registration pin, any hole you drill is going to be lined up EXACTLY with that pin. (More or less anyway...and certainly WAY better than I could do it by hand.)

By moving the body to consecutive string holes you can do all 6 of those bad boys...

jwells393 · September 30th, 2006, 08:46 PM

FYI to the readers.

Last time I was at Lowes they had a Delta 12 inch bench top drill press for $179. This is the same drill press that I paid more for. However this one also has a built in lamp, a laser drill guide, and a tool tray that swings out of the way. In my opinion this is a great deal. You should be able to do just about any guitar job with this drill press. It will reach the string ferrule hole location. If you mount your bench top drill press at the end of a work bench you can swing the whole top section 90 degrees and have the capability of a floor drill press.

September 13th, 2006, 10:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	The Buttercaster Project So tonight, I actually "got to the city" and was able to hit a store with a fine collection of Krylon "No Runs, No Drips, No Errors!®" spray paint. Being the quick thinker I am, I said "Maybe I can find the color coat for the Buttercaster." Found a can of both #1806 Sun Yellow Gloss and #3538 Bright Idea. Wahooo! Bright Idea is on the left, and probably what I will go with. Sun Yellow Gloss is probably too intense. I am looking for a nice pastel along the lines of the Lavendercaster and Surfocaster. Wood is on the way (or will be real soon.) I'm starting to think that tortishell binding and pickguard would look REAL nice, but the rest of them have white binding and guard. Decisions, decisions. This will be fun. With luck I will put router bit to wood sometime next week. I'll try to keep everybody up-to-date as this scintillating project takes place. __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 17th, 2006, 02:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	So Friday...I get home from work...and this is on the door... aha! I enter the garage and low and behold a box from Mario at The Guitar Mill! at first I'm thinking..."He shipped me 7 lbs of PEANUTS! but then I dig a bit... there it is...a nice chunk of alder. I can start on the Buttercaster now...or wait for a piece of poplar I have coming...or use a chunk of ash that I have...decisions...decisions...but today I have to grade papers... __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 17th, 2006, 02:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
stratomaster Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: PA Age: 46 Posts: 229	Looking forward to more I'm about to start my first parts guitar. I've got a body ready to sand down. I was going to buy paint thru reranch but I noticed you purchased krylon. It seems you've used it before. Have you, and if so have your projects turned out like you wanted. I was going to do a tele in sonic blue with a nitro finish. I'm looking forward to seeing your project progress. BTW my body is a warmoth tele picked up by a friend of mine at a yard sale for $1.00. Its beat but I think I can turn it into something. You read it right it was only a buck. The guy drilled 3 holes thru it and had a metal cutout of the girl you see on the trucker mudflaps bolted to the back of it. I would have done a more natural finish but because of having to fill those hole I think paint is the way to go. I'm new to the forum and this is my first tele but I'm very excited about it and glad to have found this forum. Jeff

September 17th, 2006, 06:55 PM	#9 (permalink)
aznrambo481 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla, California Age: 18 Posts: 2,890 6 Photos	I wonder how big of a box is needed for 7 pounds of styrofoam peanuts... __________________ Check out my bands, and feel free to PM me comments on them! The Eclectics (guitar/vocals) SLIP (bass)

September 17th, 2006, 07:32 PM	#11 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 65 Posts: 13,956 101 Photos	I don't mean to hijack the thread but I've tried a variety of rattle can paints and have had good results with all of them. I however prefer Krylon because it drys faster being an acrylic lacquer. The following little Strats were all clearcoated with Deft Gloss nitrocellulous lacquer with no compatibility problems. .................... __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person.

September 13th, 2006, 10:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
Bones Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,921 1 Photos	Cool, I always enjoy your projects.

September 17th, 2006, 02:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Tom S Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,262 49 Photos	Buckocaster, I look forward to watching this unfold!

September 17th, 2006, 06:57 PM	#10 (permalink)
charlie cash Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 447	Buckocaster, Have you considered a two-tone butterburst? It might look cool.

September 17th, 2006, 07:46 PM	#12 (permalink)
andy__woods Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Michigan Age: 24 Posts: 1,205 60 Photos	Hey jwells, what sort of Krylon do you use? I was just on their website and there are a lot of options

September 17th, 2006, 08:25 PM	#13 (permalink)
mojocasterman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,437	nice work people! __________________ Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster - Tom Anderson Cobra - Crook Custom T & S - Grosh Carved Top T - SRV Strat - Ovation Elite T - Swart AST - Carr Mercury - Fender Tweed Blues Junior.

September 24th, 2006, 11:57 AM	#14 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	Today I am finally putting cutter to wood. In this picture a 3/4" PDF template that I made from a Ron Kirn master template is attached by wood screws to an ALDER blank that came from The Guitar Mill. I trimmed the blank "pretty close" on my $99 Delta bandsaw. With my little miniature router I can only take about 3/8' of wood off per pass. That's okay, it will just take a bit more time - give me more time to think things through so I don't inadvertently make a lefthanded Buttercaster. (I wonder if anybody has ever done that?) More pictures later as this whole thing progresses. __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 24th, 2006, 12:28 PM	#15 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 65 Posts: 13,956 101 Photos	Hmmmmmmm.......... what is PDF? I have a Porter Cable router with plenty of power and I still like to take only about a 1/4 inch per pass. Less chance of a tear-out. Maybe it takes me an additional 10 minutes to rout a body shape ........... so what? andy__woods............... I've always used the General Purpose Krylon but the Fusion for plastics would probably work well over a polyurethane finish. __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person.

September 24th, 2006, 12:46 PM	#16 (permalink)
Tedecaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Greensboro, Vermont Posts: 1,018 26 Photos	MDF.... maybe? Isn't PDF a computer document?

September 24th, 2006, 01:23 PM	#18 (permalink)
mojocasterman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,437	Thanks for the pic. Please don't feel like you could ever post too many Man, I love these build threads... __________________ Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster - Tom Anderson Cobra - Crook Custom T & S - Grosh Carved Top T - SRV Strat - Ovation Elite T - Swart AST - Carr Mercury - Fender Tweed Blues Junior.

September 24th, 2006, 02:32 PM	#21 (permalink)
mojocasterman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,437	great stuff. Please do keep it coming! __________________ Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster - Tom Anderson Cobra - Crook Custom T & S - Grosh Carved Top T - SRV Strat - Ovation Elite T - Swart AST - Carr Mercury - Fender Tweed Blues Junior.

September 24th, 2006, 04:16 PM	#22 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	I'm going to backup a bit and post some that I skipped over the first time. The Ron Kirn templates are 1/4" Masonite (or Trabant Wood for some of you.) The first thing that needs to be done is to make a set of 3/4" MDF (did I get it right that time?) working templates. Once the working templates were made I used an original to trace the pattern on the blank - simply because it was close. then we can go to the band saw and get rid of some surplus wood and we wind up with something like this. Notice that the knot by the horn that some of you were probably worried about has proven to be a knon-factor __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 24th, 2006, 04:21 PM	#23 (permalink)
SMPTE Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minneeeesoooottta Posts: 1,290	Sweet!

September 24th, 2006, 04:26 PM	#24 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	But wait! There's more! Here's another shot of how the pilot bearing works against the MDF template. And now I have an answer for why I take off so much in the first pass - if I set it much shallower I would lose the contact area between the bearing and the template - at least it sounds good to me. To machine the control and pickup cavities, the 3/4" MDF template goes back on. It is held in place with 2 screws and a BIG HONKING CLAMP. I'll take this opportunity to drill pilots for the string through and bridge mounting plates. To make life a bit easier for the WORLD'S WORST ROUTER I drilled a pilot hole of sorts into the cavities. I'm beginning to think it would be nice to own a nicer router. Maybe something that can plunge. Here's another shot of the pilot bearing on these pattern cutters. These are cheap, but functional, cutters that I bought from Grizzly. So far they haven't let me down. Gee, how many empty rattle-cans of DEFT can YOU spot on the floor? Might soon be time to do something about that. __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 24th, 2006, 04:37 PM	#25 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	But wait! There is even more! A few passes with the cutter, and a few precise measurements later... The pickup cavities are 3/4" deep and the control cavity 1-1/2". Fortunately the body is 1-3/4" thick. No neck pocket yet. That is what template #2 is for. Another chunk of 3/4" MDF machined from a master. It is registered to the body with a nail and a drill bit. (I also made a few measurements, but it is more fun to pretend I am a little cavalier about the whole thing.) After making sure the neck pocket is 5/8" deep I can yank the template and this is what we see. Still need to create the flat-spot and drill the wiring holes, neck screw holes, and string-through holes...but that will be another day. Oh...and the binding channels. Have I ever told you how much fun that is? __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 24th, 2006, 04:42 PM	#26 (permalink)
Tedecaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Greensboro, Vermont Posts: 1,018 26 Photos	We were just giving you a hard time!...mdf,pdf..??? Looks great! I think the bits from Grizzly are pretty good. I've got a bunch of them now. If you decide to upgrade "the world's worst router", my favorite all-around router is a Porter Cable 690. I've had several (all stolen, not broken) and the last time around I bought a set that came with a regular base, a "D" handle base & a plunge base. I leave the standard base bolted to a table for a router table & use the D-handle mostly. You'd be suprised what a difference there is in stiffness between the 1/4" & 1/2" shafts, as far as chatter, especially with a top-mount bearing bit. That router will take both sizes. Keep the pics coming!

September 24th, 2006, 05:16 PM	#27 (permalink)
mojocasterman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,437	again, thanks for the pics. I am dying to try and make my own tele body, but I am still too much of a wuss. These threads are great inspiration! __________________ Trussart Deluxe Steelcaster - Tom Anderson Cobra - Crook Custom T & S - Grosh Carved Top T - SRV Strat - Ovation Elite T - Swart AST - Carr Mercury - Fender Tweed Blues Junior.

September 25th, 2006, 10:05 AM	#28 (permalink)
Lostheart Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 1,716	My, what a great project and tutorial...thanks for sharing! __________________ Casper: "Mmmmm. Butterscotch, yo. That's the best!" From the movie Kids

September 25th, 2006, 11:04 AM	#29 (permalink)
txspreacher Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: TEXAS Age: 41 Posts: 2,070	Yeah, thanks for taking the time to photo-document this build! Really an inspiration for wannabe's like me! __________________ It ain't the years, it's the miles.... - Greg

September 30th, 2006, 04:14 PM	#30 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	Back in the garage... Lo and behold...another chunk of wood showed up from The Guitar Mill this week. A fine piece of poplar. So off to the "workbench" we go... It looks like a good chunk of wood. I think Norm Abrams would be happy. First thing I notice is that it is much lighter/slightly green compared to the reddish alder I worked with last week. Just like before, I use a template to mark where I want to make the cuts. Then it is off to th $99 bandsaw. Not much grain. Ugly color. But it IS poplar, and it is going to painted. So... around 2 hours of not-so-steady work later, I have another body. Sort of. They still need to be sanded on the sides, drilled for wiring, and the string-through holes, and routed for the binding. Might need to spend some time cleaning things up a bit. The signs DO say, "Safety First" not "Cleanliness First." __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 30th, 2006, 04:53 PM	#31 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 65 Posts: 13,956 101 Photos	Ah ........ trusty old radial arm saw. Looks like yours is used as a work table much like mine. __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person.

September 30th, 2006, 04:57 PM	#32 (permalink)
'56Teleman TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Tullahoma Age: 53 Posts: 79	Buckocaster51, Thanks for a great thread. I look forward to seeing the rest of the build. The most I've done is assemble a parts tele. Watching a complete build is interesting to say the least. __________________ I'm gkoelling on TGP.

September 30th, 2006, 08:10 PM	#34 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	Now to complete the reporting on today's activities. Then it will be pizza time. Before I start finishing/painting I will try to hit the body with 60, 80, 100, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper. 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... All proper bound Teles need to have a pronounced "flat spot" for the output jack. It has always been one of my favorite visual aspect. That little bit of asymetry... Here is my low tech method of making it using my $99 sanding station. A little touch up with the hand sander and I'll be happy __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 30th, 2006, 08:22 PM	#35 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	Now we have to drill some holes. The output jack (of course some people call it the input jack) is a 7/8" hole centered on the flat spot. Slow and steady... I have discovered that if the bit is taking off equal sized chips all around the hole, it is going in straight. this is what we are looking for... the pilot is just starting to peak into the control cavity. Have to be careful now. We don't want to blow out the hole where it goes into the cavity. It is straight, not chipped, and pretty much centered. A person couldn't really ask for much more. __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 30th, 2006, 08:29 PM	#36 (permalink)
Arlo Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Maine [in a van down by the river] Age: 50 Posts: 2,533	Excellent thread Buckocaster! I am learning a lot from your posts!! Can't wait to see the end results. __________________ My music? It is free for my friends.

September 30th, 2006, 08:33 PM	#37 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	Got to make more holes in those beautiful pieces of wood. Believe it or not, I found this drill bit on a rack in my local True-Value store. It is more than long enough to drill a hole from the neck pocket, through the neck pickup cavity, and into the control cavity. Doing this makes me nervous. Even in Jr High School shop class, when I was drilling a hole through a bowling pin to make a lamp...wood varies so much in density that I am always afraid that it might not go exactly where I think it should go. This time, everything went exactly like it should and the drill is peaking out into the control cavity at just the right spot. My little $99 drill press just isn't big enough to drill the string through holes. I tried doing them by hand once. That was a painful experience. So...it's off to the school shop. I think this drill press will work. Anybody recognize the color? It is a REAL piece of hardware... __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

September 30th, 2006, 08:37 PM	#38 (permalink)
0le FUZZY Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kolly-forn-knee-ya Posts: 10,001 6 Photos	<li> BTW, I like the won onna rite much better .........^. <li> It looks like 77 Corvette yaller which I haff painted 3 Camaros and a Blazer and a horse trailer with (oh! and won TELECASTER). 0le FUZZY __________________ At least we still have our memories.

September 30th, 2006, 08:44 PM	#39 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 7,331 1 Photos	One way to drill the string through holes is to drill them from the template on the front side. I'm doing this back a ways. I suppose you could just use the drill press to go all of the way through, but in wood drill bits seem to wander all over the place on me. Probably because I buy $0.99 drill bits... Anyway, by drilling into a sacraficial piece of wood that is securely clamped to the drill press table, you can make a hole that is DIRECTLY under the bit. If you put a short piece of metal (say a cut off nail) in that hole, you have a registration pin that is directly under the bit. By placing the body upside-down with one of stringhole you copied from the template on the registration pin, any hole you drill is going to be lined up EXACTLY with that pin. (More or less anyway...and certainly WAY better than I could do it by hand.) By moving the body to consecutive string holes you can do all 6 of those bad boys... __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams Last edited by Buckocaster51; September 30th, 2006 at 10:56 PM.

September 30th, 2006, 08:46 PM	#40 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 65 Posts: 13,956 101 Photos	FYI to the readers. Last time I was at Lowes they had a Delta 12 inch bench top drill press for $179. This is the same drill press that I paid more for. However this one also has a built in lamp, a laser drill guide, and a tool tray that swings out of the way. In my opinion this is a great deal. You should be able to do just about any guitar job with this drill press. It will reach the string ferrule hole location. If you mount your bench top drill press at the end of a work bench you can swing the whole top section 90 degrees and have the capability of a floor drill press. __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person. Last edited by jwells393; October 1st, 2006 at 01:44 AM.