My First (and Slow) Build

[Denis]

Hi,

I have been lurking for a while now, gathering information and hints and tips. I am in my late 50's, been playing since the 60's and have some woodworking skills.

Decided last year that I wanted to try to build a solid body, and then let my heart rather than my head rule.

I wanted humbuckers because I never had a guitar with them, and wondered what they were like. I wanted maple as a body, because I love it, and then found some beautiful birds eye veneer on ebay which I had to have! No logic or planning there, then.

I have had a Strat for ages, and like the shape and feel, plus it was easy to copy the body shape, so I read a lot and got started.

I got the hard maple from a local timber yard. After planing it was about 5.5" wide, so I jointed three pieces together and voila:-

Jointed Top

I made an MDF template ( double thickness 6mm) for the neck pocket and the pickups. I used MS Visio to do the layouts - I know there are probably better bits of software, but I know Visio well. I then printed the diagram off, and glued it to one sheet of the MDF, and routed it with a further template. That's why this picture shows white marks on the MDF.

Neck and PUP template

I then used a 1/2 " top guided router cutter to attack the body. Very pleased, and relieved that it went OK. I was scared to death of attacking the beautiful hunk of maple.

Neck Pocket and PUPs routed

Then, today, I used a 3/4" top bearing cutter to hog out the body shape. What a pig to do. I was not prepared for the grain of this very thick slab of very hard maple to catch the router and kick back. One small chunk of the lower bout went flying and was rescued and superglued back, and a couple of bad dings also scared me to death. It looked a real mess when I had finished, but 10 minutes with my trusty belt sander got it back to a smoothish profile.

At Last I can breathe!!

So, next up is sanding for real. I plan to do the top and bottom starting with an orbital sander down to at least 240, and the edges with a drum sander to start.

I did chicken out and bought an all maple neck from ebay.

Please let me have some feedback - this is a lonely business right now. I will try to keep posting on a regular basis.

Thanks for looking

Denis

[wickerwolf]

Looking good, maples one of my fave woods for necks and bodies.

[Denis]

Looking good, maples one of my fave woods for necks and bodies.

Thanks Wickerwolf,

I forgot to say that the body as is now weighs 4 and a half pounds, which is a LOT less than I feared. I think I am glad that I bought enough maple to make 2 more, as I am learning soooo much from my efforts thus far.

Denis

[wickerwolf]

You might wanna check out http://www.axesrus.com/axecart.htm when it comes to buying the parts, there the best shop in the UK that ive found so far.

[Denis]

Well, I had a really good day today, and made a design change.

I had bought a drum sander from Axminster - the 65mm one here:-

Drum Sander

Set up a sanding table under my DIY drill press and switched on. I was really surprised at the (relative) speed of getting an edge finish that undid some of the routing mistakes I posted on last time. After about 90 minutes I had the basic shape really smooth and then tried to change the loading of abrasive so that I could get a smoother finish - that was then I learned that I shouldn't have skimped and should have bought a Carroll drum. The "mechanism" for attaching the paper just wasn't up to the job. I am sure that it was a rogue, as I have never had cause to complain at any Axminster kit before, but they are going to swap it for a smaller Carroll that will also enable me to get into the inside of the horns where the larger drum couldn't reach.

I took advantage of the time and knocked together a slightly better sanding table, and used forstner bits to make holes where the drums can fit so that I can get the whole edge done in one pass.

The design change I think I have made - until I decide to unmake it(!!) is not to either round over the top and bottom, nor relieve the waist at the back. I am going to veneer the top and edges and bind the top and bottom, leaving the maple back showing. My logic is that I will never be happy with the chunk of wood that I had to superglue back - there's a distinct glue line that I will never be happy with, and if I veneer the edges with more birds eye maple then no one can see it. I was also quite apprehensive about rounding over the top after it had been veneered. I was reasonably sure that I would end up with a ragged edge to the veneer.

All in all, I am looking at this project as a way of learning lessons. If I get a playable instrument that doesn't look too bad, then I can take that learning into the next one, and be happy that I have achieved something.

I'll take more pictures when I get the Carroll drum set up.

Denis

[Supernova9]

The design change I think I have made - until I decide to unmake it(!!) is not to either round over the top and bottom, nor relieve the waist at the back. I am going to veneer the top and edges and bind the top and bottom, leaving the maple back showing. My logic is that I will never be happy with the chunk of wood that I had to superglue back - there's a distinct glue line that I will never be happy with, and if I veneer the edges with more birds eye maple then no one can see it. I was also quite apprehensive about rounding over the top after it had been veneered. I was reasonably sure that I would end up with a ragged edge to the veneer.

All in all, I am looking at this project as a way of learning lessons. If I get a playable instrument that doesn't look too bad, then I can take that learning into the next one, and be happy that I have achieved something.

I'll take more pictures when I get the Carroll drum set up.

Denis

If I were you I'd think again about the contours - or at least the roundovers. They will make the guitar a very 'harsh' style. At least 1/4" roundover!

As for veneering the top and sides - Use a laminate top (at least 1/4" thickness) rather than veneer, it's actually somewhat easier. Also, venering the sides would look quite strange in my opinion, you'd create 3 'faces' rather than a face and two edges, and it would be a beast to get the veneer to match, thereby making it look stranger than if you left it as it is. Show us a close-up of the superglued chunk - I'll bet you can get it looking more invisible than going to such drastic measures.

Nice start to your project, as for the router worries - I used Northern Ash for my first Tele - whoops!!! That feeling when you push the router a little too hard and get a massive BANG followed by a piece flying across the room just makes your heart jump!

[Hector]

Well, I had a really good day today, and made a design change.

I had bought a drum sander from Axminster - the 65mm one here:-

I took advantage of the time and knocked together a slightly better sanding table, and used forstner bits to make holes where the drums can fit so that I can get the whole edge done in one pass.

The design change I think I have made - until I decide to unmake it(!!) is not to either round over the top and bottom, nor relieve the waist at the back. I am going to veneer the top and edges and bind the top and bottom, leaving the maple back showing. My logic is that I will never be happy with the chunk of wood that I had to superglue back - there's a distinct glue line that I will never be happy with, and if I veneer the edges with more birds eye maple then no one can see it. I was also quite apprehensive about rounding over the top after it had been veneered. I was reasonably sure that I would end up with a ragged edge to the veneer.

Denis

I would suggest that you should do a round over in the back, since you're leaving the maple back showing.

and I think the binding on the top would look awesome

about the edges, I don't think you should put some veneer on it. It will look like the guitar is made out of mdf or something other than solid wood.

one other thing, if you bind it. in my opinion, it will look weird with a pickguard.

[Denis]

I would suggest that you should do a round over in the back, since you're leaving the maple back showing.

and I think the binding on the top would look awesome

about the edges, I don't think you should put some veneer on it. It will look like the guitar is made out of mdf or something other than solid wood.

one other thing, if you bind it. in my opinion, it will look weird with a pickguard.

Thanks Hector and supernova,

I do understand what both of you are saying. The problem is that I do agree with both of you.

Let me do the easy one first. There is no pickguard. I have 4 stupendous bookmarked veneers of birdseye maple, and I don't want anything to cover that up; I can't really buy a slab top - the budget is already over extended.

The issue that I have is the chunk missing from the small horn which I glued back on. I have tried to photograph it, but it doesn't show. The glue line is a really obvious blemish, and I just don't want it there. At the moment, I know that I don't have the skill to route it out and put in a patch, so I am down to covering it, as I think that putting an opaque stain on the maple will kill it visually.

So, I am trying to make the best out of a mess. I hear hector's doubts about the MDF feel to it, and Supernova's about the 3 faces, but I cannot see any other way out on this beast. I can only hope that a simple black binding will tie it together. BTW all the hardware is black.

Please don't think I am not listening - I truly am, but if I am going to lose the glue line, this seems the only way forward. I would love it not to be so!!

Thanks again

Denis

[Hector]

I would suggest that you should do a round over in the back, since you're leaving the maple back showing.

and I think the binding on the top would look awesome

about the edges, I don't think you should put some veneer on it. It will look like the guitar is made out of mdf or something other than solid wood.

one other thing, if you bind it. in my opinion, it will look weird with a pickguard.

Thanks Hector and supernova,

I do understand what both of you are saying. The problem is that I do agree with both of you.

Let me do the easy one first. There is no pickguard. I have 4 stupendous bookmarked veneers of birdseye maple, and I don't want anything to cover that up; I can't really buy a slab top - the budget is already over extended.

The issue that I have is the chunk missing from the small horn which I glued back on. I have tried to photograph it, but it doesn't show. The glue line is a really obvious blemish, and I just don't want it there. At the moment, I know that I don't have the skill to route it out and put in a patch, so I am down to covering it, as I think that putting an opaque stain on the maple will kill it visually.

So, I am trying to make the best out of a mess. I hear hector's doubts about the MDF feel to it, and Supernova's about the 3 faces, but I cannot see any other way out on this beast. I can only hope that a simple black binding will tie it together. BTW all the hardware is black.

Please don't think I am not listening - I truly am, but if I am going to lose the glue line, this seems the only way forward. I would love it not to be so!!

Thanks again

Denis

I see your point here.

and in that case. do it!

if you're happy with it, we all are!

and post some pictures too.

BTW, I think the veneer on the edges can look good, like a semi-acoustic, or archtop(if your guitar had a thicker top, I would suggest to hollow it, and make some F-holes, that way the edges would look like solid wood bent to shape! lol) . don't forget to tie the top and back bindings with a end graft. that should make everything flow nicely.

again, nice work!

[Denis]

Hector,

Thanks for the encouragement. I have absolutely no idea of whether I will like it or not, it just seems to be the best way out of a sh1t problem, although maybe in hindsight I will realise that I set myself too many constraints.

BTW - what's an end graft? Sounds surgical and painful. It that where you add binding up the side of the body at the neck, joining the top and bottom bindings?

Denis

[Hector]

Hector,

Thanks for the encouragement. I have absolutely no idea of whether I will like it or not, it just seems to be the best way out of a sh1t problem, although maybe in hindsight I will realise that I set myself too many constraints.

BTW - what's an end graft? Sounds surgical and painful. It that where you add binding up the side of the body at the neck, joining the top and bottom bindings?

Denis

there you go

[Denis]

Thanks Hector

So if my aged eyes can stop looking at that wonderful wood for long enough to stop and think - the end graft is at the bottom of the guitar, opposite end to the neck?

Is that Zebrano? With the purfling it looks sooooooooo good

Denis

[Denis]

Well.

A mixed day today. I got the Caroll sanding drums - highly recommended. They are in a totally different league to the cheaper clones. So I carried on edge sanding the maple, and changed my mind AGAIN about the edges. The glue line is still there, but 180 grit has made it smooth enough to live with - a mate said it was a bit of character - so currently I am just going to bind the top edge. It also means that I can shape the bass side of the waist at the back, and provide some space for my well developed gut.

Why can't I make a decision and stick to it? I think it's because I am still at that stage where I know so little about the process that I have very experience to call on, and the decisions are therefore more random than I would like. At least these posts give me a way of documenting all that so I can trace the learning that I am doing.

I also had a go at making the template for the control cover (sourced from Stewmac). I thought I had done a good job on it, and copied it onto another 2 layers of MDF. Tried using it on an offcut, and it's just too off to use. So, a two hour lesson learned.

The even better positive is that my wife is now talking about the "next build", so I have sown the seeds well and they have started to germinate.

Denis

[Jester]

Why can't I make a decision and stick to it?

Know the feeling.

[Denis]

Not a lot done over the weekend. I had lawns to mow and vegetables to plant.

I did have one breakthrough though. After making a mess of the template for routing the control panel, I finally had a brainwave and remembered that about 5 years ago I had biught some template collare for my big Makita router which I had never see the point of using. So did some math, and realised that if used the 1 inch and 1/2 inch templates with a 1/4 inch bit, I could make an intermediate template from which I could make a real template that MUST be right.

Tried it late yesterday, and it worked sooooo well, I felt like a kid at Christmas. Went on from there to map out where the controls are going to go, and felt remotivated generally.

More pictures soon.

Denis

[suicidecustom]

gotta love the feeling you get after you overcome a hurdle during the build. cant wait to see some more pics

Edited April 2, 2007 by suicidecustom

[pmarlin]

How do you like that bridge? I was thinking about using one.

[Denis]

How do you like that bridge? I was thinking about using one.

What bridge? I have a feeling you are answering the wrong post. I am just using a tele type hardtail with string thru, but I didn't even mention it yet.

Denis

[pmarlin]

Lol, yeah, how the hell did post that in here? Oops that was supposed to be about hooglebugs finished build. Now I gotta go repost

[Denis]

Well, done a lot of work, but seems like there's a lot still to do.

As I said last time, I spent a good couple of hours planning where the knobs were going to go, and then took the risk and drilled the holes. Then I started to route the control cavity.

I'm sorry that I didn't take in process photos, but here's the front view with the holes in place.

Front View with Holes Drilled

Once I had sussed using template guides in the router, the cavity was actually quite easy, apart from on the nerves. I used 1/2" bits of increasing depth all with a top mounted bearing to get the depth. I actually used one of the smalled sized templates that I had produced to do this, and then put the same size template over the top to get the lip for the cover.

Control Cavity Routed

And the plate fits !!!!!!

Thank the Lord for that!!

I have done a lot more sanding - down to 240 on the edges with the Caroll drums - they are a top quality piece of kit. If people don't know about them, this is the link

Carroll Drums

I also got the back to a really great finish with just a 240 grit on my orbital sander. feels really sexy - the finish, not the sander - Even I am not that sad!

Finally, I started to wire the loom up. I used the placement of the holes I had in the guitar to drill a piece of MDF which I then raised on battens; fitted all the pots and the switch, and started soldering. I see the benefit of this as having much better access to the parts. Plus I know that they are all in the right place relative to each other, and I am not risking damage to the guitar itself.

Here it is so far:-

Wiring Frame

Obviously, I will need to install it before adding the pickups and the bridge wire, but it felt a lot easier to do it this way.

Feeling quite a happy bunny at the moment. Especially as I have done a major clear out of my workshop, so I have bench space, and am not relying on fine weather to use the Workmate outside.

Denis

[travismoore]

its looking good =)

Nice one!

[Denis]

Long time, no post!!

Well, I am licking my wounds. I had a great day a couple of weeks ago.

I got all the drilling done. I got the neck to fit. Even got the string thru hole drilled reasonably well.

I was on such a roll that I thought I'd try doing the veneer. I was using the tutorial here

Tutorial

and followed it as closely as possible. Ended up with a 50 lb bag of sand and two ginormous bags of compost on top of it, and...........

It wrinkled apallingly (almost as bad as my spelling)

Decided that it might work itself out, so left it for a week, and it did get much flatter, but still not enough. I have had a small attempt at sanding it, but I am only taking the top off the high spots, so I would end up with the veneer just being left in the low, with the rest being a nice coat of Titebond II.

I have tried ironing it, but the glue doesn't seem to eant to move at all, and I have it as hot as I dare.

So, unless you gurus can work your magic, I think I am down to sanding it flat and trying the iron on adhesive film type glue, as at least the veneer won't get wet to wrinkle.

Any ideas PLEASE !!

Denis (sob, sob)

[Jon]

Hey Denis, I'm afraid most irons don't get hot enough to move the glue unless you've got a steam option. At least from my experience. If you've got a steam option, cover the headstock in foil and give it another go. Sanding may not be the smartest option considering you'd completely take off the veneer in the higher parts of the wrinkle.

I don't know what you'd be trying to accomplish past that point. Unless you used HHG for gluing the veneer on, I would just completely remove the veneer as steaming some Titebond would completely weaken the bond to the headstock, which could lead to funky things happening down the road.

[Denis]

Jon,

Thanks for that, but it's worse than you think. This was veneering the entire front of the body. In my mind, my best hope is sanding it all off, and starting again from scratch.

Denis

[Jon]

I misread, I thought you applied this tutorial towards gluing on headstock veneer. Did you evenly distribute the glue? It sounds like you only squirt some lines and didn't even it out before apply pressure to it. This can cause those specific areas to buckle down, while the areas that have no glue on them stick up. I honestly doubt the veneers are salvagable at this point. More than likely you will have to sand it back down and give it another go with new veneer.

At least the stuff isn't expensive and you're learning with the progress.