Prostheta Posted March 11, 2017 Report Share Posted March 11, 2017 Totally. Sit down with a nice beer and do some thoughtful work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted March 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 you are a funny man Carl. The only problem is that if I really "feather" it properly and bring it to a point I can sand thru to the front. @Andyjr1515- thanks for the kind words- but I really learned something here- the cocobolo block I put on the neck blank was too long- I know now for next time I do a single cut with a neck like this.. Plus this heel carve is a lot steeper than what it appears a real Ken lawrence has- but considering my body blank is not full size- and my template started off as a 5 string- everything on this is "scrunched" got a new headstock overlay cut and shaped and glued after I found the original one I had done somehow became a glue tray (dont ask) got the bridge template glued to blanke and shaped via belt sander-I was going to route that but then thought of losing my fingers and thought better String anchor- also of cocobolo starting to take shape via belt sander. This will be attached via 2 screws into the butt end of the body and glue to boot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 I like the way that shape mirrors the end of the fretboard. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted March 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 headstock overlay glued on and mocked up. I lightly sanded that and its lightened up more than I like- it was sort of greyish green- hopefully will darken up with oil and poly and contrast a bit more against the maple. bridge shaped partially- mock up to see what it looks like. This isnt a bridge style K Lawrence uses- its actually a copy of a Rob Allen that I already had template made for- and I like the integration of the volume knob in the bridge. Keeping my fingers crossed there will be enough downward pressure on the saddle for the undersaddle pickup- being this isnt string thru body like the Rob Allen and 32" scale (less string tension) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted March 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2017 lining up the slot positions for the tail piece- painters tape on the butt end of the body and tailpiece- using thread to line things up with a quilting pencil after realizing I dont have any extra bass strings lying around- this will be getting LaBella 760n (nylon wrapped) I want to wait until I have the strings in hand before drilling the ball end holes and slots.Hopefully will be arriving tomorrow. I used the stew mac string spacing ruler to mark the other string positions. (no pic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 sanding the sound holes with sandpaper wrapped around a thin steel rod as well as a popsicle stick. This is sanded to 320. I will hit these again after damp sanding the body when I get to that stage. Not sure if I will be able to get balloons in there to keep out finish or if I will need to figure out something else- this area is not very strong- I am afraid of trying to get newspaper or something in there- but there are so many "sharp" edges underneath that I may not be able to get balloons in there. we will see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 not much done this weekend as I needed to get my shrubs and such trimmed up and lookin nice. Got the bridge location set, saddle angle obtained and marked, drilled the volume knob recess, and started the overall bridge shaping. Also got the tail section string holes drilled, the two screw holes drilled and (not in pic) string slots sawn (started anyway- I need to take a nut file and widen the slots I sawed in). In the pic below- trying to jimi-rig a saddle slot cutting jig for the dremel/stew mac base. my jigs are usually glued and screwed bits and pieces of scraps and cut offs from around the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 slow going but making some progress- filing in the string slots in the tailpiece. I started with a backsaw, then started widening with nut slot files- that got me nowhere quick- so- wrapped the nut slot file with 80 grit and finally getting somewhere. I love Cocobolo but working with it sometimes can be a major hassle. there are probably a million easier ways of doing this- I obviously didn't think about them before I just jumped in and started hacking away. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 There's some really beautiful work going on here. Wonderful stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 5 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said: There's some really beautiful work going on here. Wonderful stuff very kind of you Andy- but honestly its more like "happy accident, semi-coordinated hackism" every time I build. Trust me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 The best builders get the most happy accidents. That is some nice stuff you've got going on there. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 the heel on this is bugging me- trying to get the poplar to somewhat follow the shape of the cocobolo- or atleast a bit more symmetrical in the curve -sanding end grain is SO much fun- (and I ran out of belts for my b&d 1/2" belt sander- ugh) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 how about scrapers for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 51 minutes ago, pan_kara said: how about scrapers for this? you got me there pan_kara- I only own one scraper- and its too big for this. If I had some belts for my 1/2" black and decker belt sander it would take care of it in a matter of seconds depending on the grit I use. I really didn't want to get in there with chisels either due to it almost being "finished" per se. another 20 min or so tonight and it should be tidied up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Do you have any drum sander bits for your Dremel? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 ah yes, I heard that belt sander is a pretty cool shaping tool .. I got a set of cheapo sanding drums once, mounting them in the cordless drill works pretty well for tasks like this. But really, I need a proper half-round rasp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 I had fun shaping with a grinder and flap-sanding disk recently. However, I have never seen at my local stores a flap sanding disk that has sufficiently fine grit. I was motoring through the wood and getting some burn while I was at it. Worse yet, no matter how smooth I tried to be, I was leaving some noticeable ... "lines" rather than a perfectly smooth transition. Fun, yes, but not for the faint of heart at that grit level, and I ultimately ended up working on the "carve" by wrapping some sandpaper around a rigid ball; or sometimes using my fingers, and working at it that way. What am I trying to say? Flap sanding disk seems like a good option if you can find a fine grit! But working just with sandpaper and a curved surface was surprisingly fast for the final stage of the rough carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Gouge or riffler rasp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 thanks for all the ideas guys- but I already know how I am going to go about it- my thumbs and some 80/100/150 grit paper. its too tight in there for most tools without risk of dinging the neck, or lower horn- etc. so- thumbs and paper it is. so- my time estimate was off- after about 30 minutes- this is more what I want- the poplar not so round- but rather following (somewhat) the shape of the cocobolo. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 so- not much of an update but started to do the bridge saddle slot- the pickup I have is 1/8 " wide- I started this channel to remove some material so when I route with the dremel the chips have somewhere to go and the bit doesn't fry. (I have done that before). drilled this line with a 5/64 drill bit- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 13 hours ago, Mr Natural said: thanks for all the ideas guys- but I already know how I am going to go about it- my thumbs and some 80/100/150 grit paper. its too tight in there for most tools without risk of dinging the neck, or lower horn- etc. so- thumbs and paper it is. so- my time estimate was off- after about 30 minutes- this is more what I want- the poplar not so round- but rather following (somewhat) the shape of the cocobolo. That is just the I way I pictured your desired end result. That saddle channel doesn't look so fun.... SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 Slow and steady, and hands on. Always the best way, and this shows. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 thanks Carl- but- I paid a bit of a price. It was very hot in my garage yesterday- had the fan on- anyway- I was working up a sweat sanding- and when cocobolo dust gets in with my sweat- I get the dreaded "cocobolo forearms". I have been itching like a monkey all day. this will go away by tomorrow- but -its one thing I have to remember to do- where long sleeves when sanding this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 Ergh. Does a barrier cream or topical/oral antihistamine help? I'd be dosing myself silly rather than wearing several layers. I run hot. T-shirts in winter or death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 Unsure whether antihistamines help. Take 'em all and see when it stops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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