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Searls Guitars Build Thread


demonx

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That looks like a very solid saw. I've been wanting one for quite a while myself.

SR

It's definitely solid compared to my last setup, I can make it flex, but I have to really try. It'll be perfect for slotting boards.

Took me a while to free everything up as it'd been sitting around for years. The motor is fine, it was just all the moving sliding and adjusting parts were full of old dryed up saw dust, needed a bit of inox to get them moving smooth, now it moves freely without effort. It also required a new power cable as the old one had split insulation.

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Today was another "no work done in the shop" day.

Travelled out of town into the big smoke to pick up some new workshop accessories and some timber.

A couple massive room air filters in an attempt to save my lungs:

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and a bit of new stock to play with:

African Magohany

Victrorian Blackwood

Tasmanian Blackwood

Queensland Maple

Black Walnut

Brazilian Walnut

Rimu

American Ash

Sycamore

Should keep me going for a while.

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Nice man. I really need an air filter system, down draft tables, and motivation to vacuum every once in awhile, my lungs are not pleased with my current old dusty shop set up haha.

A few days ago I saw you posted a pic of about 9-10 BK pickups. How much cheaper did they get per pickup since you ordered so many. I would imagine they give you a decent discount right? Im sooo close to putting the set I ordered in this build Im finishing up but the wait is killing me. Im dying to try them out and hear them in person for the first time.

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A few days ago I saw you posted a pic of about 9-10 BK pickups. How much cheaper did they get per pickup since you ordered so many. I would imagine they give you a decent discount right? Im sooo close to putting the set I ordered in this build Im finishing up but the wait is killing me. Im dying to try them out and hear them in person for the first time.

Lets just say I buy a lot of them. I think there was about twenty something pickups give or take in that shot you're thinking of, many boxes had pairs in them

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The new tool for my new range of guitars arrived today - I've been telling the missus that when it arrives I'm branding her arse!

Outch! Thats Kinky, Pics please...

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Haven't had much time for building lately, spent a day hanging the room air filters I picked up last week and I've been busy trying to get the majority of the workshop setup with overhead power so I'm not untangling power chords all the time. So far so good. On top of all that, I've had to move half the whole workshop to the side so that on Thursday a forklift can come unload and position a new twin drum sander I bought.

Anyway, heres the latest video installment.

Part 7: Fret level, crowning, polishing and cleaning up the fingerboard

http://youtu.be/iSJ1t_tlBUE

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The brand is good AND a pain in the arse at the same time

I think I used half a bottle of propane getting it to temp. I did heaps of test runs. The brand you saw in the video I actually had to re do as I didn't think it was pressed in enough, which you can imagine is a tricky procedure.

For an extra three hundred plus bucks I could have bought an electronic temp control, but since this on its own with freight was already a couple hundred I thought I'd try my luck with propane.

I think in the future (during winter) ill heat it in the fireplace in advance then touch it up with the propane torch.

So yes, it's handy but it comes with a whole new set of issues which I'm still dealing with. Its a trial and error game just like everything else we do

There's a close up pic on my Facebook page, but that's a pic from before I re branded. It looked much better the second time and I'm just lucky I managed to get it in the same spot or I'd have a bit of fix it work ahead of me

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Today was another shop upgrade day. Picked up a second hand twin drum sander.

When I say second hand, I was told an old guy bought it, got it home, used it a couple times and realised he needed a thickneser, so it was returned to the shop. Shop owner can no longer sell it as new, so I picked up a bargain as he needed it out of his way!

Problem was moving the thing, I had to hire a forklift!

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I was informed by the dealer it's best to leave these on the skid as they're too hard to move otherwise, so on the skid it'll stay.

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Inside - I'll need to invest in some rolls of paper. I have them on order, just haven't arrived yet.

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I think you have surpassed me in the tool department.

My g/friend calls me a tool all the time!

Nah, you have CNC! You're still in the lead!

On the tool topic though, the Laguna SUV should be in the country by the end of the month. I decided I'm not selling the old bandsaw, I want to run two saws with different sized blades.

A friend of mine just ordered the "heavy duty" drill press I've been thinking about, so when he gets that in I'll be taking some blackwood and a forstner bit around to see how much better it is than my piece if crap. If it doesn't slip or jam then ill probably order one.

I'm also doing a bit of looking around at dust extraction. I want a unit large enough to hook up everything overhead to the one unit. I'm sick of having to drag the trolley extractor around. I have thoughts if running a 4" PVC pipe down the centre of the roofline and then have flexible hoses going up from each machine to connect to Y sections in the PVC. Problem is getting an affordable extractor unit that is powerful enough.

Carbatec's most powerful unit is $3000.00 and their sales person tells me its up for the job, but I've found in the past they don't mind overselling their products, so I'm not 100% convinced. Ledacraft is their main competition in this country and their units in similar price range are not as powerful and any larger go up to 3phase power. I only have 1phase in my workshop.

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So.... the client made you tint it black....well...as soon as he signs your check SHOOT HIM. Nice work by the way.

I tried to convince him Natural, but it's his guitar. Still looks cool. Just means I'll have to build a natural proto now for photos.

More oil:

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