Scooby Snax
Friend of Leo's
I'm back from vacation, and here we are with a new thread from Gil! It's like the Easter Bunny arrived early!
New Design Proto Build - Bone
- Thread starter preeb
- Start date
As in every proto build I need to stop, walk away and think things over and over... and the first thing I noticed was the cutaway. In the blueprint on screen it looks nice but in reality I noticed, while holding the outline template doing air guitar, that it's not open enough.
I went back and fixed it. Remember I said that I'll be using the pickguard for something else earlier? Well... here it is...
I used the guard outline and flipped it to shape the cutaway. Not only that it came out as a great classic open cutaway that keeps the round corner free line flow, it has also created a nice yin and yang thing with the guard (-;
I now need to change the 3 body templates accordingly....
First the main Mahogany outline and then the inner Paulownia outline along with with its negative box hollowing pin router template
The neck core is identical to a 59 LP and I use the same Mahogany used for the body box for both tone and color matching.
Neck blank
center Slabbed body blank
A little flattening
Outline marking
band sawing on the line to prevent router mishaps (-;
Template is attached
and the outline is done cleanly
Like that
This is the most labor intense body I have ever done as it involves 2 body blanks, hollowing and gluing of the slab section... no way to avoid that I guess but it's a lot of fun (-;
Here's the inner featherweight paulownia section blank
It will need to be cut with the end grain rings opposite to the Mahogany with the ark facing up. this will add stability against warpage and the positive ark will spread the high frequencies sideways from the bridge adding to the warmth and midrange emphasis a little bit.
outline...
band saw...
rediculous weight... (-;
Here's the Mahogany before hollowing for comparison
secondary inner template..
flush routing
Done. It feels like building everything twice...
Time to hollow the Mahogany out. I leave about 1/2" thick sides and back. There's still a strong Mahogany tone present since it's about 1/2 of the body slab volume size.
I set the hollowing template on the bottom and place the body in the pin router jig
Depth is set
and the Z axis is zeroed to the face of the body
I now go slow in 1/4" steps (I can do it in one pass but I don't wish to break the box walls in the case of a router Kickback... YIKES!)
Takes a little patience and strong arms but it's finally done
I have to weigh everything when doing a proto in case I'll need to change the ratios in the future. Here it is after the hollowing
I check for a tight fit with the inner slab and put it in the freezer for a while.
This will shrink it enough for an easy fit and when it warms up again after the gluing the fit will be very tight. That's the only way to achieve a super tight void free insert.
As it slowly cools down in the freeze I prepare the 310 hide glue. This stuff is very strong. Feels like glass when dry but the open time is about 10 seconds... I need to work fast (-;
Sandwich jig is set for the Bone model
Hide glue is pored and quickly brushed in the mahogany (the paulownia is frozen and can not accept hide glue), sorry, no time to take photos...
I now hammer the insert in with a few heavy wooden mallet blows
and tighten the jig for a few minutes until the hide glue fully gels
I went back and fixed it. Remember I said that I'll be using the pickguard for something else earlier? Well... here it is...
I used the guard outline and flipped it to shape the cutaway. Not only that it came out as a great classic open cutaway that keeps the round corner free line flow, it has also created a nice yin and yang thing with the guard (-;
I now need to change the 3 body templates accordingly....
First the main Mahogany outline and then the inner Paulownia outline along with with its negative box hollowing pin router template
The neck core is identical to a 59 LP and I use the same Mahogany used for the body box for both tone and color matching.
Neck blank
center Slabbed body blank
A little flattening
Outline marking
band sawing on the line to prevent router mishaps (-;
Template is attached
and the outline is done cleanly
Like that
This is the most labor intense body I have ever done as it involves 2 body blanks, hollowing and gluing of the slab section... no way to avoid that I guess but it's a lot of fun (-;
Here's the inner featherweight paulownia section blank
It will need to be cut with the end grain rings opposite to the Mahogany with the ark facing up. this will add stability against warpage and the positive ark will spread the high frequencies sideways from the bridge adding to the warmth and midrange emphasis a little bit.
outline...
band saw...
rediculous weight... (-;
Here's the Mahogany before hollowing for comparison
secondary inner template..
flush routing
Done. It feels like building everything twice...
Time to hollow the Mahogany out. I leave about 1/2" thick sides and back. There's still a strong Mahogany tone present since it's about 1/2 of the body slab volume size.
I set the hollowing template on the bottom and place the body in the pin router jig
Depth is set
and the Z axis is zeroed to the face of the body
I now go slow in 1/4" steps (I can do it in one pass but I don't wish to break the box walls in the case of a router Kickback... YIKES!)
Takes a little patience and strong arms but it's finally done
I have to weigh everything when doing a proto in case I'll need to change the ratios in the future. Here it is after the hollowing
I check for a tight fit with the inner slab and put it in the freezer for a while.
This will shrink it enough for an easy fit and when it warms up again after the gluing the fit will be very tight. That's the only way to achieve a super tight void free insert.
As it slowly cools down in the freeze I prepare the 310 hide glue. This stuff is very strong. Feels like glass when dry but the open time is about 10 seconds... I need to work fast (-;
Sandwich jig is set for the Bone model
Hide glue is pored and quickly brushed in the mahogany (the paulownia is frozen and can not accept hide glue), sorry, no time to take photos...
I now hammer the insert in with a few heavy wooden mallet blows
and tighten the jig for a few minutes until the hide glue fully gels
Last edited:
Ypma
TDPRI Member
Ah yes! Very interested to see this one.
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. People really can learn a lot from threads like these. I'm gonna enjoy following this one.
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. People really can learn a lot from threads like these. I'm gonna enjoy following this one.
allen082
Friend of Leo's
Hide glue is pored and quickly brushed in the mahogany (the paulownia is frozen and can not accept hide glue), sorry, no time to take photos...
I now hammer the insert in in a few dead blows
Well that's something I've never seen before. Any idea if anyone else has ever done this? This is incredibly fascinating.
Body is out of the jig and set to dry for a couple of hours.
The proud section of the paulownia is sanded flush with the Mahogany
The joint is super tight and the entire slab's tap tone is amazing. I also tap the back to make sure it's void free and it is! That was one of my main concerns but all in all it went very smoothly.
Diagonal wire channel is cut like on a '59 LP.
and here's the weight again. This is before the cavity routing... extremely lightweight!
Top is dry
outlined and cut
Thicknessed to 9/16" (the neck angle is only 4°)
I make sure the joint line is invisible
Body is heated to allow for a longer open time of the 310 glue
Thin and evenly spread hide glue. It has to be thin for a good and close bond between the maple and the slab.
Sandwich jig is tightened
and the joint is examined for possible gaps in case the glue has gelled too soon. It's OK.
The parts will need to rest for a few days before final truing and further machining.
Hope you enjoy the ride. I do... a lot.
Happy Kosher Passover everybody!
The proud section of the paulownia is sanded flush with the Mahogany
The joint is super tight and the entire slab's tap tone is amazing. I also tap the back to make sure it's void free and it is! That was one of my main concerns but all in all it went very smoothly.
Diagonal wire channel is cut like on a '59 LP.
and here's the weight again. This is before the cavity routing... extremely lightweight!
Top is dry
outlined and cut
Thicknessed to 9/16" (the neck angle is only 4°)
I make sure the joint line is invisible
Body is heated to allow for a longer open time of the 310 glue
Thin and evenly spread hide glue. It has to be thin for a good and close bond between the maple and the slab.
Sandwich jig is tightened
and the joint is examined for possible gaps in case the glue has gelled too soon. It's OK.
The parts will need to rest for a few days before final truing and further machining.
Hope you enjoy the ride. I do... a lot.
Happy Kosher Passover everybody!
Scarf joint at the headstock?
I'm interested to see what you do with the heel....
I like the Schaller bridge.
The less glue the better (-; No scarf joints...
The heel will stay the same. Nothing wrong with a little struggle once you get used to it (-;
The body is a little thinner under the heel so it will be easier on the palm when reaching the higher register.
That would be nice if it will actually stand to my expectations... it can also turn into a costly disaster (-; We'll see...
I'm also expecting your inputs.
Thanks Frank. I'm looking forward to seeing you friend.
You are very welcome. Better get some lemonade too... this is going to take a while.
That black 5 ply was my initial thought but I'll have to see how it looks in reality.
Not sure if to use black M69's as well.
Scooby Snax
Friend of Leo's
Gil, with the paulowina insert being frozen, doesn't that reduce your open time drastically?
It's the Passover !
Barncaster
Doctor of Teleocity
Chag Sameach!
I haven't seen this before but who knows...
Glen Smith
RIP
I have used the freezer method to install a cylinder lining in a car engine block. Works great!
Yes. But it takes 3 seconds to hammer the thing in and it will come in touch with the bottom (where most of the glue is) only after it's in place so no problem there. I also heat the Mahogany.
חג שמח
Very interesting Gil - this is going to be great. I'm following along... I imagine the culinary foray for this one will involve some form of stuffing maybe?
I've always struggled with the thickness of the LP design at the neck joint - it really requires a different playing technique to move up into the upper frets and a lot of players end up with the thumb resting on the fretboard if they stay in the upper frets for very long. I've been researching a neck joint like this to keep a lot of surface area in the joint while allowing the neck pocket to be just a little thicker than the thickness of the neck heel.
That might make for a more playable upper range by making the guitar's thickness at the joint more like 1 1/4" tapering to the full thickness of the guitar rather than 1 1/2" or 1 5/8" all the way along the neck joint.
I've always struggled with the thickness of the LP design at the neck joint - it really requires a different playing technique to move up into the upper frets and a lot of players end up with the thumb resting on the fretboard if they stay in the upper frets for very long. I've been researching a neck joint like this to keep a lot of surface area in the joint while allowing the neck pocket to be just a little thicker than the thickness of the neck heel.
That might make for a more playable upper range by making the guitar's thickness at the joint more like 1 1/4" tapering to the full thickness of the guitar rather than 1 1/2" or 1 5/8" all the way along the neck joint.
OpenG Capo4
Friend of Leo's
I used it to install a flywheel ring gear. Put the flywheel in the freezer and heated the ring gear in the oven. Worked great. Had never thought that would work with wood. And those tolerances are so close.
Thanks for sharing this build, Gil.
