Prostheta Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Dullness. I'm 100% certain of that. If the cutter is not shearing through the fibres, it's going to push them apart and cause exactly what happened here. This is an especially nasty one. Not seen anything this drastic for a long time! Thankfully, YOU are okay. Try these guys just up the road from you - http://www.infinitytools.com/Top-Bearing-Pattern-Router-Bits/products/1056/ I think that for headstocks the 11-159B would be ideal. I use a similarly-sized short bit for most of my small template work. Equally, their larger bits look fantastic such as the four-cutter bit for router planing jigs. I could do with one of those for the jig I'm preparing. $80 is no small chunk of change though.....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 If it helps, you can more than likely glue back the splintered sections and regain the strength my using a headcap and backstrap. As long as the load bearing portion is intact, you might be able to save this. Difficult to tell from the photo though. Wengé eh? Can't live with it, can't live without it. Certainly can't rout the end grain, that's for sure. That was a brave move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 The glue-up worked for the main structural crack, it feels fine. I'm still going to replace it because I don't want to have a potentially compromised piece out there. Next time, I'm going to gradually sneak up to that section with a spiral bit and my new bushing. I'm actually a buddy of the guy in Infinity's Youtube videos (Andy Gibson). I've gone and used a few of their bits during an open class they were hosting, they're all extremely high quality. I visit the Infinity warehouse at least monthly to pick up little odds and ends. If you're interested in their bits, I can't recommend them highly enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 True. Anything fundamentally wrong with the structure is going to leave you feeling unsure about it for all time. It might be worthwhile sanding that tip next time instead of shaping it on the router. At the very least, using more than one pass. Coarse woods like Wengé and Oak are pretty explosive when they fail. Put in a good word with Andy for us! If he is willing to sent me one of those 4-cutter router planer bits it would be fantastic for the jig I'm working on. If I get good workshop time over the next two weeks, that will be being pushed to a front-page article. I don't have a large-diameter bit suitable for a planer jig on hand at the moment since I tend to use smaller finer bits.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 13 hours ago, KnightroExpress said: IME you need to be really mindful of the direction the cutter is spinning relative to which way the grain is orientated. If the cutter was spinning clockwise you should have been safe moving the router up the righthand side of the headstock in the above pic, but the cut would have been extremely risky coming back down the left hand side to where your index finger is positioned. Likewise if the cutter was rotating anti-clockwise (or the headstock was flipped upside down while cutting) the router would have been safe coming up the lefthand side, but asking for a tearout going back down the right. The very tip of the headstock is also a high-risk zone in either orientation. Another way to look at it is to imagine driving a chisel into the edge of the headstock. If you pushed the chisel into the left edge near the tip downwards towards your fingers the grain would have easily split. If you drive the chisel into the edge from where your fingers are and pushed it upwards to the tip of the headstock it would have pared off a nice clean shaving without splitting the timber. The safer way to route it (assuming a clockwise-rotating bit) would have to always move the router upwards along each edge and complete the profiling in two stages - the righthand side could be cut with the clockwise-turning cutter moving upwards, and to do the lefthand side flip the headstock over and again move the router upwards towards the tip. The very tip could then be safely shaped with a bit of sandpaper or files. Also has the advantage of never relying on a climbing cut, which is also asking for trouble IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 Heh, I think 'explosive' is a perfect term for this mishap. Ah well... thinking further on it, I'll probably get close with my palm router and bushing, then just sand the tip to the proper shape. I appreciate the advice, gents! I'll probably stop by Infinity within the next week, I'll see what I can do! That planer bit is a monster, by the way... I got to see it in action during a demo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 That's what I figured. I'm off to the workshop for a few hours tonight so hopefully I will have time to do some proper development work on the router thicknessing jig. These two ideas would go hand in hand nicely I think. I don't think anybody "this side of the pond" does anything that meaty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 I like to believe that no problem is without an answer, so with that in mind, I tried something new today. I was able to successfully undo my scarf joint with a lot of heat and gentle pressure from a clamp. Check it out! No, this probably isn't wife approved. Now I just have to clean up the joint's face and glue on a new head! I've still got enough of this original board to make a new headstock, so all is well in my world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 17, 2015 Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 I love the way that you're using flamed maple for a clamping board. Very decadent! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Good news! Everything worked out really nicely, so this neck is officially saved. Bad news- my phone was being irritating, so I didn't catch any good pics of the process. This time, I used a palm router with a bushing and a spiral downcut bit to cut the shape very close, then just sanded to the final shape. Easy, safe, successful. Later this week I'll do the truss rod rout and get the rod put in, then get the fretboard glued on. Thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Great thread and some interesting hint and tips along the way...some where you smack yourself on the brow and think 'why on earth didn't I think of that!' Prostheta's tip to use bushes to protect a router jig... I use jigs, I use bushes, I never thought of using the two together for that!!!! Great stuff - can't wait to see the finished guitars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 That fretboard is wicked. You need to get another and put it on a black limba body and neck. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 How well does that polish up compared to darker Ebonies and Persimmon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) Thanks everyone! I have another piece of B&W ebony from the same billet as this one, but I don't have a project for it yet. I'm not sure how well it'll polish up, but I'll definitely post pics when I try it. Edited November 18, 2015 by KnightroExpress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 Next up- routing the truss rod channel and taking care of the rest of the sub-fretboard business. So I designed this template to index off the neck's centerline and the front of the nut. It fits my 3/8"OD bushing perfectly and allows me to use a 1/4" downcut spiral for the channel and headstock access. Here it is in action: And the results: Nice and clean! This will be my default method from now on. Next, I drilled recesses and holes for the t-nuts and neck bolts. Yes, I'm using the butt of a screwdriver to press the t-nuts in. No shame. Index pins for easy fretboard alignment Tuner holes All together now! So that was my workshop time today. I'll have the fretboard glued up over the weekend and get back to work on the body next week. Thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 Ha! That's just unashamedly good. The guide bushing template is sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 What method did you use to locate your index pin and match it up to make the recess in the fretboard? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 My neck template has the index holes cut out, so I just used a transfer punch to mark both pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 What could be simpler, brilliant. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted December 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Massive update time! I got a ton of work done on the multiscale twins. First, the padauk guitar. I love this stuff, but it's outrageously messy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted December 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Next up- the limba/wenge guitar. I hate to use nice wood for utilitarian purposes, but this maple plank had a big rotted split in the middle, which meant I couldn't use it for a top. Presenting the world's most pointlessly decadent quick neck jig: Everything lines up! It's looking somewhat guitarlike at this point. And finally, the pickup cavities. OK, massive pic dump complete. What a good day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 You bin savin' up! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted December 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 I actually got all of this work done yesterday, believe it or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 First thing I noticed was the beautifully-mated neck tenon/mortice. Then I noted that your pickup routs are a bit telling....did you use that DeWalt for those? I'm wondering whether bites in the bottom are from play in your template or from the plunge mechanism. I'm still wondering which palm router to pull the trigger on in a couple of months. Bosch, Makita or DeWalt. I'd go straight for the workhorse Colt if it weren't for my curiosity over the LED lighting of the Makita and DeWalt..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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