Spalted Pickguards

[Drak]

I won this the other night.

If I can split each piece in half, it will make 2 danged nifty spalted pickguards for my spalted Teles!

If not, it will make one danged nifty pickguard.

Cool Spalt

[Gorecki]

I see you were already familiar with this seller.

I thought pieces like that one and many others that vendor has were too small and never entertained the thought of a pickguard?

[Drak]

Well, to be honest, I sort of reverse-engineered that one.

I liked the piece so much, I thought and thought until something came to me that I could use it fer, and that's what came to mind.

I think I have moved past all the pretty Figured Maple stuff. I spent a few years with it (and I do still like it, don't get me wrong) but I have sort of moved past the Figured Maple into the Spalted Maple now, that's where most of my concentration is these days, I'm really diggin' it. It's probably a geezer thing.

Funny tho, 2 years ago, I thought it sucked and had no idea what people saw in the stuff. Funny how time changes everything, ain't it?

Figured Maple was a fun challenge until you figure out all the angles, which basically is how to bring the figure to life, then it's just a matter of doing what you want with it. The 'challenge' part of it is over once you do enough of them.

Spalted wood presents a whole different set of parameters and problems, it's like taking your skills to the next plateau, different things that challenge you, and I'm always looking to learn and be challenged, so here I is, in the Spalted Sweetness Forest, making pickguards out of material I used to laugh at.

Life's a beach, eh?

[Gorecki]

Completely respect the moving forward on challenge. Being a person whose never even seen spalted other than picture that I can recall, my first thought is wouldn't that stuff take around a quart of filler just to get a smooth surface?

Yes, of course *I* want to do a sweetly stained purple tele with a maple quilt you'd want to swim in. I know there is a billion of them but once I've done it, I'm sure I'll want to move on. But with so little time, I'm not sure I'll even get to that one this year but hope to at least break out the scroll saw I picked up last year and cut a trem plate cover or something.

When I read pickguard, my sick and deranged mind painted a picture of a darker spalted body with a lighter pickguard with a slightly different pattern. The thought was so exciting it could only be improved by being held by a sleak dark skined lady in a loin cloth and...well not much else!

[erikbojerik]

Nice! Hardly any punk in that one. Sandi1070 is the MAN when it comes to spalt. Goreki, he's up-county, you should drop in on him sometime, nice guy and whatever you want to do with spalt, he'll keep an eye out for that special piece. He's also got the biggest bandsaw I've ever seen.

Well if spalt is a geezer thing, I guess I must be getting close (this past birthday was my last one in the 30's...).

[Gorecki]

Nice!  Hardly any punk in that one.  Sandi1070 is the MAN when it comes to spalt.  Goreki, he's up-county, you should drop in on him sometime, nice guy and whatever you want to do with spalt, he'll keep an eye out for that special piece.  He's also got the biggest bandsaw I've ever seen.

Well if spalt is a geezer thing, I guess I must be getting close (this past birthday was my last one in the 30's...).

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Who is Sandi1070? I don't recognize the screen name? I wouldn't call it a geezer thing, it's for lack of any better words for qualification...different. At least that's my take on it, especially it being my last year in the 30's as well...sounds better to me!

[bluespresence]

Who is Sandi1070

He's the seller on the auction listed above....Ben's Millwork.

Geezer thing hey Drak? I'm getting to "geezer-hood" and I still have way too much to learn......It's cool how you keep learning through the ages though and you're an example for all of us here that never heard of half of this stuff ten years ago.

[Drak]

my first thought is wouldn't that stuff take around a quart of filler just to get a smooth surface?

I usually use CA glue or 2-part epoxy to fill. Each has it's strong and weak points, so it depends on what I'm trying to do as to which one I use.

CA to strictly pore fill and get a flat surface to shoot on, epoxy to fill in real big holes and gaps.

but hope to at least break out the scroll saw I picked up last year and cut a trem plate cover or something.

You know, my scrollsaw finally broke a few months ago, it was a small part that I couldn't find a replacement for.

I learned something. I went to Home Depot to buy another one, which I did, but it wasn't the same brand (Delta). I forgot what brand it was, but it was in the exact same price range as my old one.

It was the biggest piece of CRAP I ever saw, I couldn't cut ANYTHING with it.

I took it back and ordered another Delta like my old one from an online source ($100.00), and I'm back to cutting body blanks again, and am a happy boy now.

So maybe it's just that the Deltas are tough enough to do what I ask of them, and maybe other ones could never do what I do with mine, dunno, but the one I bought was a complete joke.

[Gorecki]

Who is Sandi1070

He's the seller on the auction listed above....Ben's Millwork.

Geezer thing hey Drak? I'm getting to "geezer-hood" and I still have way too much to learn......It's cool how you keep learning through the ages though and you're an example for all of us here that never heard of half of this stuff ten years ago.

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WOW, you hit the nail on da head dude! I expect by 60, I'll be able to build some severally cool stuff, life with kids makes things difficult to do but doesn't prevent learning as much as possible up front. That's what I still get outta this place.

Also, thanks connecting the dots for me on Sandi1070.

[Gorecki]

my first thought is wouldn't that stuff take around a quart of filler just to get a smooth surface?

I usually use CA glue or 2-part epoxy to fill. Each has it's strong and weak points, so it depends on what I'm trying to do as to which one I use.

CA to strictly pore fill and get a flat surface to shoot on, epoxy to fill in real big holes and gaps.

So the CA and Epoxy do sand out clear (assuming you would use a clear epoxy)? This is the sort of tidbit into I like to here.

You know, my scrollsaw finally broke a few months ago, it was a small part that I couldn't find a replacement for.

I learned something. I went to Home Depot to buy another one, which I did, but it wasn't the same brand (Delta). I forgot what brand it was, but it was in the exact same price range as my old one.

It was the biggest piece of CRAP I ever saw, I couldn't cut ANYTHING with it.

I picked up a 3"x16" Ryobi. I'm not expecting the thing to cut 3" wood. I'll probably be begging for some suggestions on blades and make an attempt to cut a top and possibly a body if it survives the top. Otherwise, I expect to learn something from it and then use it for lighter duty (guards, plates..etc) work and make an appropriate advancement (possibly a band saw and cut to the chase). Seems like when people get their hands on Delta just about anything, they're pretty happy with it?

[erikbojerik]

I've got the Ryobi scroll saw, and it seems to be OK for cutting out cavity covers & such, and making really tight turns (which is all I got it for). I haven't cut anything thicker than 1/2" with it. I think it may have a hard time cutting 2" worth of body...maybe if you go super slow.

So far I've just used the blades that came with it.

[Jehle]

The Ryobi will go through a near 2" slab of Basswood. It's slow going, but possible.

[Gorecki]

The Ryobi will go through a near 2" slab of Basswood.  It's slow going, but possible.

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Good to know, Basswood or Alder were my first thoughts for attempts!

[Drak]

I cut everything with mine. Maple, Mahogony, 2" thick, whatever, it cuts it all for $100.00 and I can do my custom rear covers, pickguards, there's nuthin' it won't do!

[Gorecki]

I cut everything with mine. Maple, Mahogony, 2" thick, whatever, it cuts it all for $100.00 and I can do my custom rear covers, pickguards, there's nuthin' it won't do!

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But you use various blades for that correct?

[Drak]

Yes, I do use different sized blades for different functions. That's one of the cool things about a scrollsaw, the versatility in what you can do with it using different blades (which are cheap)

Funny thing tho...you would think to cut the thick bodies that I would use those real thick heavy duty blades, right?

Wrong. The real thick blades bend and warp just like a jigsaw blade does when you try to turn a corner with it, so I use medium sized blades even for the thickest 2" stock.

[Maiden69]

Drak, can you post the scrollsaw model #.

[Drak]

You won't believe me, but I don't see any model number on it.

It's a Delta Shopmaster variable-speed scroll saw and costs right around $100.00.

If you find what you think it is, point me there with a link and I'll verify it for ya.

[Maiden69]

OK

[Gorecki]

Yes, I do use different sized blades for different functions. That's one of the cool things about a scrollsaw, the versatility in what you can do with it using different blades (which are cheap)

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I've noticed there are about as many different blades available as there are bit's for Dremels. Thanks for the info dude!

[Drak]

Truly, there's only about 3-4 different size blades I ever use, and they all come in the same accessory package which lasts me at least a year or more, for about $10.00, hehehe.

[Gorecki]

Truly, there's only about 3-4 different size blades I ever use, and they all come in the same accessory package which lasts me at least a year or more, for about $10.00, hehehe.

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Since we're at it, any brands to avoid, premature wear/tear, breakage..etc?

[Drak]

I dunno, I just buy the Delta blade assortment package at Home Depot.

Don't try to make rocket science out of it, it's really easy stuff. Leave the mental ponderings for other more appropriate matters, like why the hell did my g*damm&%$#ed finish blister up?

You break blades with scroll saws, get used to it and get the thought out of your mind that something's wrong if you break a blade, I break blades often and just keep moving right along without so much as a thought about it, it's NORMAL.

That's the thing about a good scroll saw is the ability to change blades -quickly- with no fuss/muss, which the Delta is great at.

[Gorecki]

Don't try to make rocket science out of it, it's really easy stuff. Leave the mental ponderings for other more appropriate matters, like why the hell did my g*damm&%$#ed finish blister up? 

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I make rocket science out of everything dude!

Thanks

[Mickguard]

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