RestorationAD Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 S906 #4 Flame maple/Bloodwood neck attached to a super thin Kaya/Figured Maple topped body with hipshot parts and custom pickups. Aiming for an all world fast prog shreader 6 strings light enough to enjoy. Neck : Flame maple/Bloodwood Fretboard : Bloodwood Scale : 25.5 Frets : 24 Trussrod : ALLPARTS Body : Khaya/Figured Maple (33mm) Tuners : Hipshot Pickups : Diablo HBs Bridge : Hipshot Electronics : TBD Flame maple and bloodwood neck blank in progress. I am still working with the garage door closed so the lighting is bad but here is a look anyway. In the clamps and the fretboard, scarf insert, and cavity covers (trussrod/electronics) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Dude, you must have a buttload of clamps to have all these glue-ups going on at the same time! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Dude, you must have a buttload of clamps to have all these glue-ups going on at the same time! SR Never leave the Hardware store without 2 clamps in your basket. NEVER! That way when you are in the zone you don't have to quit...(like I did Sunday when I ran out) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Now for the crazy scarf detail tutorial. Time to prepare the blank. Before trying to square it up I knock the dried glue off with a sharp chisel. Then we take the squared blank to the radial arm saw and cut the scarf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Next on to the bandsaw to cut the headstock free from the blank. Use a fence so we get a precise cut as there is no room for error here. We need as close to an 1" thick as we can get so the scarf is in the right place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Next I thickness sand the detail pieces. The detail pieces have to be thin. When you angle them they become very wide and that is not the look we are after. I would say about 1/3 the size of you laminates usually works pretty well. Make sure the grain is running the length of the piece (this is no place for shoddy woodworking). I thickness the whole piece then cut it into squares that cover the entire scarf plus at least .5" on each side. The idea here is if it slips it is still covered. The squares should be the same width as the neck blank and square. This makes it easier to line them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Now to get the detail line in the middle. I cut it from quality maple veneer with a razor knife. Keep the grain oriented properly and make sure it doesn't split. After a test fit I lightly sand the veneer to freshen the surface (woodworking 101) as you do not want to glue wood that has been sitting for a long time. Titebond works best on freshly prepared surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Glue then clamp it up and leave it for a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Out of the clamps and here it is. Doesn't look like much yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Cut the excess off and true up the face. Then profile the back of the headstock and the heal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Three necks worth of scraps Enough for today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 How did you adhere the angled off-cut that you used to create a square surface for your scarf clamp up? Double sided tape? Camel spit? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 How did you adhere the angled off-cut that you used to create a square surface for your scarf clamp up? Double sided tape? Camel spit? SR Nothing. However I spilled some glue on it so I had to cut it off... don't try using a hammer as it might take more than you want with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 NWD -- new wood day! Not sure if any of these are the tops for this guitar (undecided) but they are nice. 2 pictures of the same top Khaya and Limba. Another maple burl top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Great work Rad, i appreciate the detail you go into on your build threads, great to read and learn from. Nice wood BTW Keep the pics coming! Chad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymuffler Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Wow, this looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 Trussrod installation. Draw the centerline. Lay the trussrod out with the allen nut about .5 in past the break for the headstock. This should leave face of the nut right at the opening in the headstock. I don't like them too far back as it makes it impossible to ever work on them. Next mark the end of the trussrod and use a square to transfer the line all the way around the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 Set the first pass at half the depth of the rod. If you get greedy you will end up with laminated firewood. I make a quick test to make sure it is on center using a scrap. After comparing the scrap to the neck I make a quick pass to make sure all is copasetic. Then we run it in 2 passes taking final depth on the second pass. Using a fence on the router table and keeping the blanks square are really important. It makes this task relatively simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 For some reason I forgot pictures from fitting the trussrod... see one of my other builds for that. I also forgot to mark the neck profile lines while I still had a center line. That is what happens when you rush. I end up using my centering ruler and the center line that is left near the heal. Basically I always center off the laminates. This ensures that they are always center of the neck and protects against them being off center in the blank. After attaching the template it is bandsaw, sander, router table again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 And done. This is a 32mm Khaya body blank. It is a little over my normal blanks and I am not sure I will need it for this build. I have a 25.6 mm blank already to go. It really depends on how much thickness I can retain in the top. The tops looked pretty straight so I am hopeful I can just do a normal build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Neck monster at work...consistent thickness from the 1st to the 15th fret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 So, I've never seen any discription other than "neck monster" for this set up. Is it just a router mounted equal height blocks with a surfacing bit and enough room to pass the neck blank side to side below? Or have you built a sled to move the router on? Is the neck clamped to the table and the router moved or is the router set up fixed and the neck moved? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 So, I've never seen any discription other than "neck monster" for this set up. Is it just a router mounted equal height blocks with a surfacing bit and enough room to pass the neck blank side to side below? Or have you built a sled to move the router on? Is the neck clamped to the table and the router moved or is the router set up fixed and the neck moved? SR Neck Monster... very dangerous contraption. It is a smaller version of the router planner most guys use... Large square acrylic basplate. 2 rails sitting on 2 square feet. The router base slides back and forth in the rails (it has stops to keep the bit from hitting the feet). The feet slide on the table. Depth is set using the plunge depth guide. The neck is clamped to the table and the sled is then moved in long strokes taking several small passes. It is pretty accurate. I did 4 necks using the stop on the router and all four measured out at 14.62mm with the calipers. It will tear out a bit on the edges if you are not careful but that part gets cut away when you profile the back of the neck. I wanted to start using a large round over bit like Myka does but they are just too dangerous...too easy to destroy a neck. Plus I like the actual carving of the profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Just wanted to pop in and say I love looking at your builds. As soon as I get my new work bench made Im going to save up to buy some of your Pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menapia Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Great build thread as always Rad ,very informative . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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