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Pariahrob's build log


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@Andyjr1515 I wasn't planning a tummy cut. I think I'll use this build as a diet aid!

Fretting is well underway on the walnut top. Bevels done but not levelled or dressed yet. That's a job for tomorrow. 

Just cut the sapele neck blank down to size, along with the ebony board. I'll size the heel block soon too, then fit the truss rod, glue the board on and start carving. 

The quilted tops won't be with me for a few days so going to try to use that time to finish off the walnut strat. 

Oh and I used a bit of scrap to test using a coving router bit in the drill press to make the knob recess. 

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Take it steady. Did you learn anything from the test? The problem is that it's just the wrong tool for the job, but the right tool because it's the only one for it....if that makes sense. A router bit like that may benefit from "pecking" since there is no good escapement for waste. Does the coving bit have a bearing that guided around that hole....? Not sure how you're approaching this....unless I missed something in an earlier post....

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@Prostheta steady is the way to go. Actually, although the result of the test looks ok I'm thinking I need an alternative. 

The bit does have a bearing but because of the nature of the scrap it had something to run on. 

The top might not work so well. Thinner and with smaller diameter holes. So off to find a new method. 

Move seen people grind down spade bits but if anybody has a bright idea please say!

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A coving bit is what I use also...I haven't been able to find anything that gives anywhere near such a neat result.  

In terms of tearout, I use good bits (Axminster - as you are in the UK - are OK in my view), and I practice at various router speeds on some offcut of the wood I'm going to use.

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34 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

A coving bit is what I use also...I haven't been able to find anything that gives anywhere near such a neat result.  

In terms of tearout, I use good bits (Axminster - as you are in the UK - are OK in my view), and I practice at various router speeds on some offcut of the wood I'm going to use.

So you do it with your router? I used the bit in my pillar drill as I thought it might give me more control. 

I feel like I could end up with an oval if I handheld!

i think my next question is what to do first: drill the hole for the shaft or cut the dish? There are benefits to either!

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take this with a pinch of salt but when I've done this I've put a hole in some thick MDF with a forstner bit the width of the dish wanted. Then drilled a small pilot hole in the body and centered the MDF template over the pilot hole using the forster bit. Once routed drill. I've got a top bearing cove bit though and buyer beware - there are probably far better ways to go about this.

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49 minutes ago, Pariahrob said:

So you do it with your router? I used the bit in my pillar drill as I thought it might give me more control. 

I feel like I could end up with an oval if I handheld!

i think my next question is what to do first: drill the hole for the shaft or cut the dish? There are benefits to either!

As you say, it's horses for courses...there are pros and cons with all methods.  

The reason I use a router is that I judged that the speed ranges were probably more compatible than my small and basic drill press.  I actually use a coving bit with a bottom bearing.  The bearing is smaller than the pot shaft diameter, so I drill a hole in the pot shaft position just a smidge bigger than the bearing, then feed the bearing down the shaft and then continue into the cut - so it's a sort of vertical guided bit!  When it's all sorted, I just widen the shaft hole with a stepper drill bit

For positioning purposes, the drill press would be better (probably easier and lower risk is a better term) but, as I say, I have reservations about the quality of the cut with my particular one.

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1 minute ago, Andyjr1515 said:

As you say, it's horses for courses...there are pros and cons with all methods.  

The reason I use a router is that I judged that the speed ranges were probably more compatible than my small and basic drill press.  I actually use a coving bit with a bottom bearing.  The bearing is smaller than the pot shaft diameter, so I drill a hole in the pot shaft position just a smidge bigger than the bearing, then feed the bearing down the shaft and then continue into the cut - so it's a sort of vertical guided bit!  When it's all sorted, I just widen the shaft hole with a stepper drill bit

For positioning purposes, the drill press would be better (probably easier and lower risk is a better term) but, as I say, I have reservations about the quality of the cut with my particular one.

I should add that the router I used had one of those height adjusters at the top of the shaft, so I could set the height with just the bearing in place and then dial in the depth cut progressively without any chance of the bit going anywhere other than vertically.  Hand held insertion for this kind of thing would be a no-no...

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I use a slightly different method that gives a different effect, but the router needs to be fitted with a template ring.

Drill the hole first for the pot shaft. Take a scrap of MDF with a hole drilled slightly larger than the diameter of the dish required as a template and centre it over the hole that has been drilled in the body. The router bit I use to make the dish is a 1/2" round nose. Plunge the bit into the centre of the template with the template ring installed and gradually spiral your way around the template until the full dish has been cut. The resulting dish actually ends up with a flat bottom instead of a semi-spherical profile. If you spiral around the template in an anti-clockwise direction (ie, a climbing cut) the edges of the dish usually end up pretty smooth and only require a light sand to get rid of any residual "fuzzies".

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More often than not, I just carve them out with palm gouges. They are always going into a surface of compound curves anyway. Lately I've come to like the look of just insetting the knobs into the top with about three quarters of the knob above the surface of the top. I just use a forstner bit about an eighth inch larger in diameter than my knobs....but a guided bit like Knightro uses would be better.

SR

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4 hours ago, ScottR said:

More often than not, I just carve them out with palm gouges. They are always going into a surface of compound curves anyway. lately I've come to like the look of just insetting the knobs into the top with about three quarters of the know above the surface of the top. I just use a forstner bit about an eighth inch larger in diameter than my knobs....but a guided bit like Knightro uses would be better.

SR

Thanks all for your advice. 

Ive been thinking about it all day and I think I like your idea @ScottR. I like the idea of the knobs staying perpendicular to the back but slightly recessed into the top but with soft edge rather than just drilled in. 

my les paul knobs bug me sticking out at odd angles!

 

back to the strat! Frets levelled and dressed. I nipped the tang ends off and filled the slot ends with a glue/ebony dust mix. Cut the nut slot. Almost a guitar now. Tomorrow I'll carve the neck then it's time to string up!

 

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HELP!
Ok, so I just finished carving the strat neck and while I was tinkering looked across the bench at the semi body. Was thinking wow, look at the beautiful curves then realised they weren't the ones I put there!

The body has developed a slight bow from bottom right to top left. Straight edge confirms there's about a 1/4" variance. I wonder if this was brought on due to the stain in the recess below where the f hole will go. I used an alcohol based stain so wouldn't have thought the wood got overly wet.

So, my question is do I bin it and start again, or is there a way to get it back in shape?

Cheers in advance!

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Alcohol doesn't affect wood as much as water does, however that isn't to say it isn't the issue. Possibly the amount of material removed from the solid wood released tensions built into the wood. I had a Macassar Ebony body do that to me once. If its been a few days since the dye was applied, it should have re-acclimated. If the curvature is still there, I'd suspect movement from stock removal.

Let's have a better look.

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I spoke to my buddy who makes double basses this morning (his workshop is in the same building as my studio). He took a look and recommended just clamping it up to a piece of thick flat mfd for a few days, which I have done. I'll not get the maple cap for a week anyway, so not too worried about the wait. I can finish off the strat and get a good start on this one's neck in that time.

I'd be very interested to hear how you guys have approached this problem as well? Hopefully I wont have to bin it and start again but if I have to that's ok. Not convinced the seller of the wood had kiln dried this and let it season for five years though!

 

The arrow is pointing to the warped section. That horn had lifted about 6mm. Didn't take a lot of clamping pressure to sit down, so maybe with a few days of this and then being glued to a thick maple cap I'll get away with it. If that's not likely I'll cut a new body. Don't want to make a sub standard guitar just for a quick time save!

 

Twisted.jpeg

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Hi all. 

Well ive finished walnut wally. So happy with the end result. The walnut headstock veneer I think works just right and so glad I opted to do just the one dot at the 12th. 

I'll get a video shot at some point but for now here it is, next to my 'garron' which was the previous build. 

I need a name for this one so any ideas?

 

Cheers and off to carve a sapele neck now. 

 

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Onwards with the semi build. The neck is carved and the fingerboard is on and radiused. Compound 12-16 and the neck is a wide flat. A bit wizardlike but with a smoother shoulder. Carved a volute too for the first time.  Was a bit apprehensive but turned out far easier than I expected. 

Heading off soon so just got the maple/ebony veneer glued on. Will trim that back in the morning. 

 

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On 30 March 2017 at 1:27 PM, Pariahrob said:

Hi all. 

Well ive finished walnut wally. So happy with the end result. The walnut headstock veneer I think works just right and so glad I opted to do just the one dot at the 12th. 

I'll get a video shot at some point but for now here it is, next to my 'garron' which was the previous build. 

I need a name for this one so any ideas?

 

Cheers and off to carve a sapele neck now. 

 

IMG_2776.JPG

These look lovely together.  Great job!

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