Freeman Keller
Doctor of Teleocity
Makes my arm sore just looking at those. I know how much work that is.
PRS hollowbody inspired build v2
- Thread starter photondev
- Start date
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
The mahogany back wasn't that bad after routing the steps, then the sander went really smoothly.
The maple top, on the other hand, was really a lot of work with rasps and the sander using 120 grit sanding disks. Using 60 grit was much better.
Freeman Keller
Doctor of Teleocity
I bought a new little finger plane when I started on the archtop - made it much easier. However I was also planing spruce which is about the easiest wood there is.
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
I will look into those planes.... not sure I can justify the cost for a good one.
carved top is the final frontier for me; I may never go there...
Freeman Keller
Doctor of Teleocity
I can do most of the outside convex stuff with ordinary flat soled planes, mostly my old block plane, but the little Ibex plane was perfect for the inside concave work and the recurve on the outside. The other tool that couldn't live without is a good cabinet card scraper. Everything needs to be scary sharp of course.
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
External is OK, IMO. The interior carve is much more challenging even with the correct tools.
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
Laid out the interior carve.
I am still undecided what to do with the center block, very likely I will remove it except for a block for the bridge and enough to support the neck and the neck pickup
I also started removing mass
I am still undecided what to do with the center block, very likely I will remove it except for a block for the bridge and enough to support the neck and the neck pickup
I also started removing mass
ghostchord
Tele-Holic
Nice work. One of these days I'll either buy or make one of those nice PRS 
I've seen people on the Internet do a top carve with an angle grinder. They make it look easy but I've never tried it and I don't own an angle grinder
I've seen people on the Internet do a top carve with an angle grinder. They make it look easy but I've never tried it and I don't own an angle grinder
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
@Freeman Keller - can you please give me your recommendation for a carving plane, that is, if you only bought one, which one would you buy? I want to spend less than $100
Freeman Keller
Doctor of Teleocity
I bought a 36mm Ibex plane from StewMac. LMII sells the 30mm plane but that is the only size. I'm sure you can buy them from Lee Valley and other sources. The 36mm is a nice compromise size that would be good for carving a mandolin or violin, it might be a hair small for doing lots of guitar work.
The nice thing about these planes is that the sole is slightly curved so you can do concave carving like the inside of a plate or the recurve, I've struggles with doing that with my flat soled planes.
The Ibex plane came very sharp, I hit it on some 600 grit on my hunk of flat countertop material but you could use it as delievered.
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
As I was getting ready to work with the internal carve for the top and finish the back, I realized that I need to have the neck as ready as possible, so I can lay out the locations for neck tenon, pickups and bridge. I remember Freeman's recommendation about this.
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
I started working with the neck
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photondev
Tele-Afflicted
Fretboard was cut and fitted to the neck, still both need to be cut to length. I also fitted some veneer in the headstock
With that, I can roughly lay out the pickups and bridge
With that, I can roughly lay out the pickups and bridge
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photondev
Tele-Afflicted
Continued removing weight from the body, the internal carve still needs work ...
Ripthorn
Friend of Leo's
I think in one of my PRS build threads I either shared or linked to how one could make templates for a dead accurate PRS top carve. I developed the templates while referencing my actual core PRS (only electric guitar I have that I didn't make). Makes it so that you route the steps and then just blend the steps with an RO sander. Makes it pretty quick. For the inside carve, it's much more difficult.
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
I used the same templates for the outside carves on the back and top, and they work pretty good. The interior carves are really challenging, and a lot of manual work and time. This is the current state on both, there was a router "accident" on the top that almost destroyed it, oh well ...
The current weight of both is a little over 4 lbs, I am getting really close.
Ripthorn
Friend of Leo's
Yeah, I used gouges and a scraper on the interior of my top and back plates and it was lots of work, for sure. Here's the inside of my back plate. Top was similar, just with the F holes.
photondev
Tele-Afflicted
The internal carve is close to being done on both,
next I will continue to work on things that will be much easier to do before I close the box.
next I will continue to work on things that will be much easier to do before I close the box.
Freeman Keller
Doctor of Teleocity
I do all the wiring with the back off and mask off the insides of the f-holes and other holes. I have had good luck leaving the entire wiring harness inside with little fish lines running to the appropriate holes. If nothing else practice getting the harness in and out.
I found it very helpful on 335 style guitars to put a terminal strip in the pickup cavities so I wouldn't have to pull the harness in and out to work on pickups.
It looks like your side walls are thick enough but if you feel you need reinforcement for strap buttons or anything now is the time to do it.
Bind the f-holes if you are going to.
And of course glue your maker's label directly below the bass f-hole and sign and date the top
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