birch Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 So far all my work has been hotrodding of cheap factory guitars including adding and changing pickups and hardware, and custom paint. Sadly I have no pictures of many projects due to a fried hard drive and my tendency to procrastinate backing up files. I have one example on my first thread on this site of a strat I painted a couple years ago. I started my first scratch build last year and have been making slow progress through buying a house and moving, renovating and otherwise eating my spare time away. I am now making more progress each week and thought it was time to get some feedback before I tackle some of the tasks I've never tried before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted February 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 The details: -chambered solid body of my own design in Mahoganey and Paduk -Flamed Maple one piece neck -Ebony fretboard with Paduk binding -Single bridge humbucker -Graphtec Wraparound bridge -Nickel Grover tuners 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted February 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 I'm contemplating a neck joint that I've been thinking about but haven't been able to find any examples of its use so I'm wondering if there is a good reason that I'm not aware of... I want to do a set neck but my neck blank is not long enough to to a traditional tenon so I'm thinking about glueing it in through the back of the body. This would allow me to avoid a heel and carve a smooth transition from neck to body and make a nice flamed maple accent in the back of the body. I think it would also provide enough surface area for a strong glue joint. Is there any reason why this is a bad idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 2 hours ago, birch said: Is there any reason why this is a bad idea? Nope, that will work if executed properly. Avengers did a couple of similar joins 4 or 5 years ago, although his tenon was longer. You will need to get your neck angle from the route, so plan that out carefully. You made your routing job a bit trickier by carving first, so you'll need to be a bit creative in mounting your template. I must say, I do like the shape and carve, very nice. Are you contemplating a flame shaped F-hole? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted February 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 3 minutes ago, ScottR said: Are you contemplating a flame shaped F-hole? SR Thanks, I am working out a design for a flame shaped F-hole and fretboard inlay but I'm not happy with what I've come up with so far. I was planning on doing all my 2 degree angles on the tenon so that my body route template can sit flat to the body. It has been suggested to me that there might not be enough glue surface area by not using the back of the heel as glueing surface. I will try to find Avengers builds if they are still on the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 On 2/19/2016 at 11:37 AM, birch said: I'm contemplating a neck joint that I've been thinking about but haven't been able to find any examples of its use so I'm wondering if there is a good reason that I'm not aware of... I want to do a set neck but my neck blank is not long enough to to a traditional tenon so I'm thinking about glueing it in through the back of the body. This would allow me to avoid a heel and carve a smooth transition from neck to body and make a nice flamed maple accent in the back of the body. I think it would also provide enough surface area for a strong glue joint. Is there any reason why this is a bad idea? On 2/19/2016 at 2:28 PM, birch said: Thanks, I am working out a design for a flame shaped F-hole and fretboard inlay but I'm not happy with what I've come up with so far. I was planning on doing all my 2 degree angles on the tenon so that my body route template can sit flat to the body. It has been suggested to me that there might not be enough glue surface area by not using the back of the heel as glueing surface. I will try to find Avengers builds if they are still on the site. There's plenty of surface to glue to there. It could be tricky clamping that to get the neck angle accurate though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 This looks very promising - I look forward to seeing it progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 This is going to be really cool! I'm interested to see how the rear-mount neck works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Made some progress finally. Routed the pocket in the body and did the 2 degree angle on the tenon. Lined up nice and straight and fit snug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 That looks great. I meant to say before - that is how I do my through necks. Exactly the same principle except I keep going with the router until I run out of wood i think it makes for a strong joint and leaves the top untouched. As they say, great minds think alike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 A little more... Drilled the bridge stud holes, tuner holes (I need to get a 25/64" drill bit to finish) and routed the pickup cavity. Had a bit of tearout due to a dull bit judging by the burn marks. Not sure how to fix that yet... still trying to come up with an f hole design I'm happy with too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said: That looks great. I meant to say before - that is how I do my through necks. Exactly the same principle except I keep going with the router until I run out of wood i think it makes for a strong joint and leaves the top untouched. As they say, great minds think alike Thanks, I'm pretty happy with the way it's turning out too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 F-hole carving using hobby knives by hand is hard on the hands. I'm almost at the needle file stage. Curious what tools other people use for this kind of work... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 i have no advice to give in that regard but, that's an interesting design. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 I used a drill press to hog out material and cleaned it up with palm gouges and knives and files much like you are. A scroll saw is probably the tool used most often though. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 It works fairly well but I'm having trouble with the sharp points. I find Paduk particularly splintery. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 16 minutes ago, birch said: I find Paduk particularly splintery. It is indeed. And you picked a challenging shape. It is looking good and will look even better when you get it all sanded out. It will be tedious work, but it will be worth it. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 24 minutes ago, birch said: It works fairly well but I'm having trouble with the sharp points. I find Paduk particularly splintery. Splintery or not, lovely end result! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 (edited) Has anyone tried a tobacco burst on paduk? I'm thinking of doing a test of it since I can't find any examples. I'm thinking this kind of thing: Edited March 18, 2016 by birch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 I missed this thread! The only immediate disadvantage with a rear-mounted neck is that it will need a bit more depth to account for lost glueing surface area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 7 hours ago, birch said: Has anyone tried a tobacco burst on paduk? No, but I have on Spanish Mahogany and Sapele, which are similar colors to what padauk will be after the passing of some time. They looked great with that treatment. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 Any chance you have a picture of that? 1 hour ago, ScottR said: No, but I have on Spanish Mahogany and Sapele, which are similar colors to what padauk will be after the passing of some time. They looked great with that treatment. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 SR 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 Very nice! I love the look of the vertical grain with the burst. The hard part is deciding which colours will look good with the colour it is now as well as the colour it will become over time. I'm definitely going to do some testing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted March 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 3 hours ago, Prostheta said: I missed this thread! The only immediate disadvantage with a rear-mounted neck is that it will need a bit more depth to account for lost glueing surface area. I think I have enough glue surface to account for the loss. One thing I haven't figured out yet is how to effectively clamp the body to the sides of the neck heel while glueing. I'm going to have to make some funny shaped cauls to clamp against. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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