Thinline Tele build

[preeb]

Excellent Gil,

Please make a holding jig for shaping your necks.

I have some of that BR too. It is in reserve for Classical guitars though.

I have to use my hands for this... Just a bad habit I guess.
I tried holding jig and it didn't feel right.
Nice boards... I also have a few irregular wild boards that can't be used on historically correct replicas so they wait for the weird builds (such as this one...) (-;

 

[preeb]

Binding channel cut

Herringbone will face the side under the cream binding.
One half glued

center is trimmed with a chisel

the other half's "bone arrows" will face the other way

Done with the purfling. I have to use hot air blower to bend the purfling because they are made from ebony and maple. They were soaked in water over night.

I matched a bone color celluloid binding to the maple in the herringbone purfling

Ends are cut flush with the pocket walls

and the creme celluloid added

I like the combination a lot. The creme binding will be sanded down with the top so it will end up at about half of its current height

 

['59_Standard]

I haven't seen that before - I like it!

Did you have to clear the excess glue away, after the Herringbone and before the cream binding installation?

 

[preeb]

I haven't seen that before - I like it!

Did you have to clear the excess glue away, after the Herringbone and before the cream binding installation?

Sure, just a quick run on the router table to square the second binding channel.

 

[Voyce]

this is amazing.
probably the best tele build i have ever seen...
the neck looks just great!

 

[preeb]

this is amazing.
probably the best tele build i have ever seen...
the neck looks just great!

Thank you and welcome to the forum Voyce.
Nice to see more locals hanging around here (-;

 

[preeb]

Tape is off and the bindings are leveled

Like that

I inspect to see if there are any tiny gaps between the binding and the wood and there is one (tape is not the best way to hold the bindings... rope is much better, but I didn't feel like cutting the binding to their final size before gluing since they are pretty short)

No big deal.. I'll use the binding left over strip and soak it in acetone for a few minutes

and fill the gap by pressing the melted material in like a filler

Sides are roughly sanded to remove any tape and glue left overs

and spindle sanded with 220 grit until I get to the binding line

I now scrape the sides with the bindings to get a leveled surface

Binding ends are sanded to perfectly match the pocket

Time to fine tune the top to get about the same response from both chambers.
I use tapping and an A tuner while the body is set standing up (to let the back vibrate freely) to feel how the chamber vibrates (note that both F holes are masked so the sound projection will not interfere with the test).
I gradually remove a little material from the entire top until the level is at it's pick. Once there is no change in level I stop. Next is matching both sides to behave the same way (as much as possible) and I do this by sanding the louder side until they are balanced.
I;m not sure how important this process is because I never had a chance to A/B a non balanced with a balanced top but I do this since I consider this instrument as a hollow guitar. Anyway... it can't hurt (-;

Body is final sanded with 320 grit and the pores are cleaned from micro dust

I mixed a filler from fine mahogany dust, silica and a clear water based filler. The filler makes the dust very dark (after drying as well) and the grain will look deeper after the finish is applied. The silica adds a solid body to the filler and ensures no sinking.
I apply this with my hands and scrape with a piece of wood.
It is left to dry for 48 hours.

Same thing with the neck...

Shabat Shalom

 

[oigun]

Very nice! I like it!!!

 

[Zatar]

Very cool watching your builds preeb! You're a true master!

I do have a question about using that tuning fork though. You don't happen to have a good explanation (or online resource) about how the wood is supposed to sound when checking its tone?

 

[Nick JD]

Do a search on "chladni patterns".

I'd also like to know how Gil relates the fork to the work needed.

Tap tuning in acoustic instrument building is mainly about using tap tones to guide the removal of wood until its fundmental resonance is the same as a known great instrument. It's not a recipe for "good" or "bad", more a guide to an outcome.

How this works on a guitar without a soundboard and a floating bridge I'm not sure.

 

[preeb]

Very cool watching your builds preeb! You're a true master!

I do have a question about using that tuning fork though. You don't happen to have a good explanation (or online resource) about how the wood is supposed to sound when checking its tone?

The tapping is for the note and the fork is for the level @ the A note.
I use the A key since, from my own experience, if it's balanced the rest of the keys are close enough as well. It is impossible to get a perfect level balance for all the notes, especially on a guitar with two non equal chambers.
There's also a trade off between the tap tone and the level... so I'm looking for the break even point where things are closest to a perfect balance.
It's impossible to describe this procedure in words so I might do a short video next time.
Like I said above, I don't know how important that procedure is... but this model is really nicely balanced acoustically. If it ain't broke why fix it?!?

 

[preeb]

Very cool watching your builds preeb! You're a true master!

I do have a question about using that tuning fork though. You don't happen to have a good explanation (or online resource) about how the wood is supposed to sound when checking its tone?

I like to use the forks for many jobs but for this model it's just for checking the maximum level/thickness ratio. There's nothing to it... just placing the fork on the bridge location and dumping one of the top sides with my hand to be able to listen to the other.

 

[preeb]

Time to sand the filler. I only leave it in the pores for a better look and finish adhesion.
I start with a 150 grit quick pass

Note how the darker Mahogany filler looks like in the pores.

String ferrule holes are cleaned

and the sides are sanded. I do a second final sanding run with 330 grit.
It's very flat and smooth and almost ready for a misty sealer coat (thin lacquer).

F holes are cleaned and slightly rounded on the edges. It looks nicer and doesn't grab the shirt while playing (-;

Like that

A little trick... I sand the top with 330 grit a little to break the rounding just a bit. It makes it look better.

like that

You can clearly see the difference between the F hole edge compared with the sharp edged bridge PU cavity.

Same thing with the Neck PU cavity...

Neck was sanded smooth as well and I now test fit to make sure the sanding didn't hurt the tight fit in the body pocket

It's a chance to see how the guitar looks like (-;

This model, although super lightweight, has a great balance and is not neck heavy at all.
Here it is balanced at the shoulder strap point. Once the hardware is installed it will add even more weight to the body but the entire thing weighs about 4.3 lbs when complete.

 

[anyone]

That's fantastic!

Thanks for the drillpress thickness sanding tip. That's brilliant!

 

[junk mutt]

Great work as usual Gil, love the rosewood.
When does the clear coat go on? Do you final sand with 330 grit then sanding sealer or just go straight on with the lacquer?

 

['59_Standard]

Which brings me to ask: Does your drill have a Pully permanently installed to get it to the required speed for the Safe-T-Planer, Gil. Or do you have to unbolt the stock pulley? (The speed for the STP is supposedly between 4000-6000 rpm and most drills these days won't go that fast - although I recently noticed *General* in Canada have just bought out a 5000RPM model.)

 

[preeb]

Great work as usual Gil, love the rosewood.
When does the clear coat go on? Do you final sand with 330 grit then sanding sealer or just go straight on with the lacquer?

I start with a thinned misty coat of nitro (primer wash coat) on the entire thing and then spray the sanding sealer on the back and sides alone. The top and neck get 2 thin coats of nitro (no sanding sealer).

 

[preeb]

Which brings me to ask: Does your drill have a Pully permanently installed to get it to the required speed for the Safe-T-Planer, Gil. Or do you have to unbolt the stock pulley? (The speed for the STP is supposedly between 4000-6000 rpm and most drills these days won't go that fast - although I recently noticed *General* in Canada have just bought out a 5000RPM model.)

I added two pullys to bring the speed up to about 5000 RPM.
STP shouldn't be run that fast TMHO. It's a large diameter cutter and @ 5000 RPM it's a "Not Safe T Planner" if driven by a press (-;

 

[MRJ.]

I added two pullys to bring the speed up to about 5000 RPM.
STP shouldn't be run that fast TMHO. It's a large diameter cutter and @ 5000 RPM it's a "Not Safe T Planner" if driven by a press (-;

I've got the scars to prove how unsafe a safety planer can be!

 

[preeb]

I've got the scars to prove how unsafe a safety planer can be!

Show us.