pan_kara Posted May 2, 2018 Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 this fingerboard is seriously pretty with the dark pearl against the black 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 23 hours ago, pan_kara said: this fingerboard is seriously pretty with the dark pearl against the black Amen to that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted May 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2018 On 5/2/2018 at 9:20 AM, pan_kara said: this fingerboard is seriously pretty with the dark pearl against the black On 5/3/2018 at 8:46 AM, Norris said: Amen to that! I wish I could take credit, but I basically stole the idea from the ESP Alexi Blacky model! It's such a good combination though. Unless I change my mind overnight, I'm not heading back to do any guitar work this weekend. I did manage to solve my CNC issue though! I've used a small gantry with four wheels, which is attached to the cradle via a 90° bracket and runs along the top section of 2020. It's just enough to stabilise everything whilst it moves. Untitled by S K, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 5, 2018 Report Share Posted May 5, 2018 I like it. Looks like a good balance of stiffness and stability vs. weight to my untrained eye! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted July 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2018 It's been a while, but I have been working on things slowly! I've also had personal things to deal with. The truss rod channel is routed, side dots are done, and the taper is cut in. Since cutting the taper, I've found out that one of my faces wasn't perfectly square; the laminates are centered on the fingerboard face (which will be hidden ), and are slightly off-centre undernearth. Hopefully carving will draw the eye away from that. I also tried getting the fingerboard on, which was an absolute nightmare. I've always glued it on flat in the past, then routed the taper, routed and glued binding, and finally done the radius sanding. I'm preparing to make a whole new fingerboard. Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Side dots in, ready to be sanded flush when the fingerboard goes on: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 3, 2018 Report Share Posted July 3, 2018 Hope the fretboard issue works out. Have you considered tiny guide pins right through a couple of fret slots? SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 4, 2018 Report Share Posted July 4, 2018 What issues are you having with the fretboard? It looks far too nice to junk it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted July 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 On 7/3/2018 at 8:32 PM, ScottR said: Hope the fretboard issue works out. Have you considered tiny guide pins right through a couple of fret slots? SR On 7/4/2018 at 12:03 PM, Norris said: What issues are you having with the fretboard? It looks far too nice to junk it! I did try them on one side, but they didn't go in particularly straight and still wriggled with the glue on. I could try the opposite sides though! When I was clamping up, I also noticed that there's a drop-off at the high frets from sanding the radius in by hand; it made getting even clamping pressure very difficult, even before the sliding around. The glue also needs to be removed from the fingerboard base (I prioritised cleaning the neck up at the time). It gives me a rotten feeling about the board, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 8, 2018 Report Share Posted July 8, 2018 Locating pins shouldn't take all the load of keeping a board in place. If it's trying to skate around all over the place, there could be other factors making your life harder than it should be. A common one is too much glue causing the mating surfaces to skate around extremely easily. F-clamps can add a little side load if they're not perfectly placed, exacerbating this. I tend to apply Titebond Original to both faces and scrape it with a toothed plaster applicator to drag excess off. I fit both pieces together semi-loosely until the glue develops a little "grab" (ten minutes) and then apply full clamping pressure. The workpieces can still skate if the glue is still liquid, but it's far less likely. Placing the first two clamps locks the piece in place most of the time. The puzzle is figuring out what is playing against you, not the best thing to be doing mid-game.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 On 7/8/2018 at 11:05 AM, Prostheta said: I fit both pieces together semi-loosely until the glue develops a little "grab" (ten minutes) and then apply full clamping pressure. ........ The puzzle is figuring out what is playing against you, not the best thing to be doing mid-game.... This. I'l also wait a little bit before I place them together, almost like when you use contact cement and let both pieces dry before mating. If you let them develop a little grab, do be aware that once you place them you have far less time to scoot them. More than once have I had panic moments where the glue seemed to have fully set but it was just SUPER grabby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 This is when dry fitting and making as many pencil alignment marks here and there, or making small "hinges" from nylon-reinforced tape helps. I do what I can to ensure that I can get everything where is needs to be within the first few seconds and rely on the grab so it doesn't scoot around itself. Still, uneven pressure can cause all many of scooting-based nightmares! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted September 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 This build is still alive, but I haven't had decent workshop time for months. I'm definitely redoing the fingerboard, because I couldn't stand knowing the sawtooth one had been bodged on. I feel like it didn't fit cosmetically either; maybe I'll ditch the binding and choose a classier inlay. I bought a couple of new things too: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr (Ebony, lightly figured purpleheart, ovangkol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 I had a bit of input on that radius jig design, plus I added that a future revision could do with catering for wider boards. It's fantastic as it is though. Pricy, but delivers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted October 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 3 hours ago, Prostheta said: I had a bit of input on that radius jig design, plus I added that a future revision could do with catering for wider boards. It's fantastic as it is though. Pricy, but delivers. I'm really looking forward to using it! It's very well built and went together in a couple of minutes. The width seems enough for 7 strings at least (maybe 8? I'm not sure). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted December 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2018 (edited) I decided to take this week off as annual leave, so I could make some progress. This is the new fingerboard for the black limba V. It's going to be left unbound, and I feel like it fits the rustic aesthetic of the V better than the sawtooth stuff. It started pretty well... Untitled by S K, on Flickr The machine even survived a 50 mile drive and continued working perfectly, until this happened: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Luckily I had a spare ER11 collet, which went on with a little encouragement: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Followed by a little pigment and epoxy resin*: Untitled by S K, on Flickr *Thank you to PG for the tutorial with Z-Poxy PT39. I wasn't happy with the results with low viscosity epoxy casting resin, but PT39 was perfect. Untitled by S K, on Flickr Last fret slot milling: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Yay! Untitled by S K, on Flickr Radius jig prep: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Fingerboard taper cut in: Untitled by S K, on Flickr And getting started with the radius work: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Those inlays are going to require a significant amount of fine sanding and polishing before they sparkle again. Edited December 7, 2018 by Stu. Missed words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 7, 2018 Report Share Posted December 7, 2018 I thought OH CRAP!, but I see the 12th inlay survived. I presume Gandolph can read those runes? SR They look great BTY. sr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted December 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2018 On 12/7/2018 at 4:34 PM, ScottR said: I thought OH CRAP!, but I see the 12th inlay survived. I presume Gandolph can read those runes? SR They look great BTY. sr I should imagine so I was aiming for a neat theme, and it seems to work! 11-13 shows the nine realms of Norse mythology in interwoven triangles, and then the individual runes for the nine realms are spread out across the fingerboard. The 12th pretty much had to get flooded with ebony dust and CA, then routed again. Poor thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted December 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 And now the fingerboard is glued to the neck! The radius jig was amazing, but I should get closer to the desired thickness next time. I've left myself about 0.5mm to sand off (it's 7mm in the centre right now). I also managed to get a few bubbles in the epoxy, so I'll have to fill those delicately. I basically did what I should have done last time: Uniform radiusing, with regular checks Squared the back of the neck with a router sled Clamped a block onto the heel end, to provide an end stop for the board Applied Titebond carefully with my lovely roller Squidged the fingerboard on and wriggled to get squeeze-out Clamped to hell and back I'd usually attach the fingerboard on flat, but I quite like being confident that everything is okay before gluing it up. It makes the individual parts easier to work on too. Next time I'll attach some guides down the side of the board to hold it in place and glue it BEFORE cutting the taper into the neck from behind. It's amazing how much easier guitar hobbying is when the stress of work is on hold for Christmas Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 1, 2019 Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 That wicked headstock always gets my attention every time I see it. This is the first time I noticed the little re-curve just after the nut slot. Almost like the notches used to bind arrows to shafts. Nice touch! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted January 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 I had to give it a little trim! There were some little gaps on the back, where the ears weren't quite long enough. I'm competing for "dullest update within a month" with this one: Fingerboard trimmed flush with the neck Nut to headstock transition cut in Headstock sides trimmed and sanded Tuner holes drilled in Lots more radius sanding Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr The 10mm forstner bit actually cut the holes closer to 9.5mm, so they need some more attention before the tuners will press in. I also still need to sand ~0.6mm off the fingerboard before filling those couple of bubbles in the inlays. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 tis a beautiful guitar. the glow-in-the-dark inlays are redic cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 2 hours ago, Stu. said: Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Speaking of wicked headstocks.....YIKES! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted January 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2019 Thank you, chaps! I've already cut my hand and stabbed my legs several times with that damn headstock point It had better survive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 We needed more weapons in the metal armory. This is so killer. The inlays are ridiculously cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu. Posted March 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 Continuing with my theme of dull updates, get a load of this stuff: Reamed the tuner holes slightly, so they now fit nicely Broke ground on the neck Used my brand new fret tang nippers to prepare the fret wire (this saved so much time, it was unreal) Made more dust Rough-shaped the volute in (the neck is still WAY over thickness, but I like to finalise that after it's attached) Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr Untitled by S K, on Flickr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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