JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Hi all, New to the forum and have been looking through the different builds, some very impressive work on here. I am on with my 6th build at the moment, first was a kit guitar to get used to doing finishes and setup, which was a few years ago. Work life kept me too busy to do much building. Having been made redundant from my career as an IT Manager back in May last year, I decided it was time to build a workshop/shed in my back garden and then did some jobs around the house that hadn't been done due to work. One of the jobs was the master bedroom, where I made some built in wardrobes to replace the old early 1900s Oak wardrobe we had in there. Said wardrobe was then dismantled and put in my workshop for projects... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Started this project at the beginning of April, during lockdown and with the majority of jobs around the house done. Cut a couple of lengths of the oak for the top - And after lining up the grain as best as possible, glued them together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Once the glue had dried, sanded off the old varnish with a belt sander (probably should have scrapped it off, but we live and learn) and then sanded it flat with a block of wood and some 80 grit sandpaper. Then did a rough mark out of the shape And cut it out with a jigsaw 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 I then did the same process for the bottom section and used the top cut out as a template cut out with the jigsaw and then did a rough cut out of the neck pocket on the top section and placed them together to get an idea of the overall thickness and make sure it all lined up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Away with the power tools (don't have many ) and out with the chisels, set about carving out the inside of the top section At this point I did a rough cut out of the pickup slots so I could keep an eye on the thickness of the top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Also cut out the f-holes and gave the top a bit of shaping, then cleaned it off with turps Then back to hollowing out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 another quick clean up and tested in place to see how the depth was looking Then hollowed out the bottom section and cut out the first access panel, unfortunately didn't take many photos at this point, was tired from all the chiselling out, oak takes it out of you. Also glued in a frame for the back plate to screw onto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Sanded the inside smooth, then drilled for the pups and 3-way toggle switch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Sanded the inside of the bottom section smooth and Danish oiled the insides. Had also cut out the other back panel for the 3-way toggle access. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Covered up all the holes from the inside, ready for sanding/shaping later. Then glued the top and bottom together (please excuse the messy workshop, I never tidy up when part way through a project...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Once the glue had dried, it was time to start the shaping, out with the files and sandpaper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 With the shaping/sanding most of the way there, time to test with a neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Then sanded up through the grades to 1200 grit and did an initial Danish oil coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 After 4 coats of oil I wasn't happy with how much the pores were showing... Tested it with the neck again in natural light to see how it looked 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Back to the workshop and decided to do some grain filling, after which sanded all over again and this time up through the grades to 5000 grit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 More coats of Danish oil, but used the wrong can, had picked up an old one that had bits in... for those eagle-eyed people among us, you may notice the smiley face in the sawdust on the wall, my wife's way of telling me I need to clean up a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 That's some impressive work! I especially like the usage of inexpensive common household tools instead of routing along bought templates. Am I seeing right, is there a gap in the glue line in the bottom? The bubbling of the glue you're using may have been too strong for just one clamp connecting the halves. Hopefully you don't have to redo the center seams although if necessary it'd be easier before gluing the top and bottom together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 So sanded to remove the bits and then a few more coats of oil, still got a few bits showing up, but sanding lightly between coats removed them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 After a final sanding up to 5000 grit, did a final coat of oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Did a bit of trimming on the neck pocket and then worked out the rough position of the bridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Then set about buffing by hand with a micro fibre cloth... Buffing finished, arms and shoulders aching... Not sure the pics show the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 While I was deciding on hardware to get for this, thought I would have a go at making some pickup rings out of the oak. My dad managed to find his dads old carving chisels, so thought I would give them a go on this. He sharpened them before I picked them up, so managed to get started straight away. Managed to catch it on one edge when cutting out with the Tenon saw, so quick repair job with saw dust a superglue and sanded a bit more, shouldn't be too noticeable on the finished piece Marked out for the holes and then used this as a template for the bridge ring 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Rough cut out, close to the pencil lines Once it was done, sanded both to 600 grit ready for oiling. Should be able to make out the slight angle on the bridge ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Tested in place to make sure they looked okay, just roughly placed into position Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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