Prostheta Posted March 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 It's been a good long while since I did anything with this build, mostly because documenting priority builds have taken precedence. I decided to shape the headstock. Nothing complex for the template. I printed out the CAD plan 1:1, spread a thin layer of Titebond onto 15mm plywood using a toothed card to get an even layer without blobs, applied the printout, laid a polythene sandwich bag over the top and clamped it down underneath a block of scrap wood with a pair of big F-clamps. Bandsawn out when dry, then refined on the spindle sander to the lines. Curves were felt during the process to ensure lumps and low spots don't creep in. The taper either side of the neck was done with as large a drum as would fit into the curves. The lowest point "touched" the narrowest point of the neck taper at the nut, leaving "lead outs" for the router bit so it moves away once touching the target width. Screws locate the template in the tuner holes. I've been using this one bit for far too long. It's still cutting very well and the bearing is "good". Keeping router bits clean and stored safely extends their lifetime by a magnitude. Never leave them clinking together, mummify the cutter in masking tape if you have no option when storing/transporting. Nice shallow first pass of about 5mm or so. Care has to be taken around the unsupported grain to avoid tearout. The routing strategy was to avoid areas of short unsupported grain (marked red) when conventional cutting, doing small tightly controlled climb cuts to avoid blowout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 One tip (lower left, yellow) blew out anyway on the first pass. Hand routing is far more likely to do this than table routing, but given the weight of having an entire instrument swinging in the breeze....mmm....this is a step best done when the neck is still just a neck! Easy repair. The margin allowed by having a lead-out/lead-in on the routing template can be seen in red. I used the Makita palm router fitted with an offset base for this job. Primarily, it keeps the router more stable over a small area such as a headstock whilst preventing it from being "tippy" when edge routing. The knob allows one hand to keep vertical pressure down onto the face of the template and pulling in against the bearing whilst the other rotates the base (and cutter) around the workpiece. Leveraging physics in this way makes the process far less bum-clenching, especially since it separates the multiple actions required (guidance, stability, controlled motion) over two hands rather than one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted March 9, 2018 Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 I dig that offset base Carl- very nice. i gave up routing maple on points/edges like that a few years back- I cant get within 10 feet of maple without it blowing out on me, no matter how shallow the pass with a router/new bit/etc. And I say this will all seriousness- I feel like a crappy woodworker cause so many people on here CAN route maple with no issue- and the last 2 les pauls I did I blew out the cutaway tip- and on maple headstocks same issue. Brand new high quality whiteside bits too. Very shallow passes- POOF and maple chunk is across the workshop. proceed to hands and knees position to try to find said chunk. (I know I have said this many times before in previous posts-so- in fear of sounding like a broken record- but repeating here for benefit of newbies reading this) I use the method I picked up from o'brien guitars video and despite it taking 5x longer- no more blow out- and- can get into those crevices a lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 Yeah, that's a neat trick. Any vibration and you find that the Morse taper looses its fit and drops onto the workpiece though! I've been really wary of sideload with drill presses ever since I wrote off an highly-invested piece of work through reliance on the taper staying tight. I've found that larger bits tear out less than smaller ones. My 19mm diameter bits are far more reliable than the small 12mm bit, and I still haven't quite figured out as to why that is. Sharpness is not the factor here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2018 Meanwhile, I am veneering the headstock with Bolivian Rosewood. That'll end up bound with tortoiseshell celluloid. If I can fit my router's offset bearing guide into the internal curve, I'll do a white pinstripe. Some instruments really work nicely with a contrasting headstock facing as opposed to one that matches. Let's see if that is one of those.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2018 Headstock bound in straight tort. No pinstripe as per the body, mostly because I can't afford to put money into more bearings for one job right now. No big deal. The headstock still needs thicknessing, and plenty of sanding through the grits to soften the otherwise sharp edges. A few have been done, but there's a long way to go yet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 25, 2018 Report Share Posted March 25, 2018 1 hour ago, Prostheta said: Headstock bound in straight tort. No pinstripe as per the body, mostly because I can't afford to put money into more bearings for one job right now. No big deal. The headstock still needs thicknessing, and plenty of sanding through the grits to soften the otherwise sharp edges. A few have been done, but there's a long way to go yet. Wow - that is just so SUPER neat it hurts. Bravo, Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2018 Thanks! It's as neat as it needs to be, Andy. Celluloid is easier to work with than ABS (in my opinion) as it is easier to soften with acetone (all done with acetone as usual). I think that it could be better than it is right now, but once sanded up and the linseed/shellac starts hitting it then it should look better and better all of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariahrob Posted March 25, 2018 Report Share Posted March 25, 2018 I had goggles and ear protection on the other when someone came in without knocking. I didn’t hear over the router and they thought it was as a good idea to tap on the the shoulder. Dropped the router in shock and very lucky no damage done to me, tools or workpiece as my initial reaction was to grab it. Luckily I stopped myself but I still had to burn my trousers! the person got a stern few words too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 25, 2018 Report Share Posted March 25, 2018 2 hours ago, Pariahrob said: I had goggles and ear protection on the other when someone came in without knocking. I didn’t hear over the router and they thought it was as a good idea to tap on the the shoulder. Dropped the router in shock and very lucky no damage done to me, tools or workpiece as my initial reaction was to grab it. Luckily I stopped myself but I still had to burn my trousers! the person got a stern few words too. Damn..... SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2018 Have I created a rod for my own back? After applying a little linseed to the Bolivian Rosewood headcap, the body seems to be screaming "tobacco sunburst" at me. Do you think I can manage this in dye and shellac rather than having to dip into spraying toner? I'm also torn over the mismatch of colour between the fingerboard and the headcap. Ebony would have been a far better choice here. Opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 26, 2018 Report Share Posted March 26, 2018 3 hours ago, Prostheta said: Have I created a rod for my own back? After applying a little linseed to the Bolivian Rosewood headcap, the body seems to be screaming "tobacco sunburst" at me. Do you think I can manage this in dye and shellac rather than having to dip into spraying toner? I'm also torn over the mismatch of colour between the fingerboard and the headcap. Ebony would have been a far better choice here. Opinions? I think the colours are complimentary. I think once the tuners are strings on it will look just right, to be honest... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted March 27, 2018 Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 14 hours ago, Prostheta said: Have I created a rod for my own back? After applying a little linseed to the Bolivian Rosewood headcap, the body seems to be screaming "tobacco sunburst" at me. Do you think I can manage this in dye and shellac rather than having to dip into spraying toner? As long as you don't do a turdglo finish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 Ah, the legendary Rickenbacker "Montezuma Brown" revenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FINEFUZZ Posted March 27, 2018 Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 I love the headcap, but I would agree that adding a burst to pull the tonal qualities of the darker wood down around the edge of the body would really tie it all together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 I'm still thinking of doing either pyrography Oak leaves or carving them individually by hand around the border of the body.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 that fingerboard will darken up once you oil it no? (I assume you will oil it (and once oiled it will "better" match the headcap?) Like Andy said- great job on the binding. super neat, super clean. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 I just added a little linseed to it. The board isn't even radiused or sanded yet as my G&W radiusing sled is too narrow for this board. Oil darkens it up of course, however the tone is quite different. Bubinga is more towards a purpley-scarlet whilst the Bolivian Rosewood has those very Cocobolo-ish oranges, browns and black. I'm going to go for it, it's just one of those things you keep going back to in order to re-think and re-check....grr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 On Justin's guitar my fretboard and headstock cap did not match, even though they were the same species. I sprayed a little dye on the HS cap to make it match the fretboard better. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 No spray equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 A dilute wipe on would serve the same purpose. For sure a test on scrap situation. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2018 This is what I was thinking Scott. I've had reasonable success on darker woods with alcohol-based stain. I'm trying to get the working order into my head. Obviously, the 4004LK is an inspiration, however I like the idea of a border based around these ideas: A strictly contained band would allow the space to be filled with dimples, similar to working leather. That 3D depth would allow me to add a stain wash over the carving, sand back the high points, mask the sanded-back carving, do some kind of hand-rubbed stain burst, oil, then shellac. Or something along those lines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 30, 2018 Report Share Posted March 30, 2018 I'm thinking that would be cool as hell. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FINEFUZZ Posted March 30, 2018 Report Share Posted March 30, 2018 I've seen the technique of using hot sand to add shading on furniture inlay. That would be an interesting application for giving the oak leaves dimension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 30, 2018 Report Share Posted March 30, 2018 27 minutes ago, ScottR said: I'm thinking that would be cool as hell. SR ^ I'm thinking @ScottR 's right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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