Crusader Posted September 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 Got started on the back today, a piece of Queensland Maple thats been laying around for years. I really wanted to use Mahogany but decided to spare the little bit I've got left. And besides this QM is a stunning piece of wood I routed around the edge like I did with the top, which is an idea that came out of a mistake but is now going to be a standard procedure for me because I can work on it with the router without it being glued to the sides Like so... With the top, sides and back all put together its starting to take shape....hmm and that reminds me I better fix the mower 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 56 minutes ago, Crusader said: I better fix the mower Why bother? Natural meadows are the latest fashion in lawns! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 Ha ha, I tell you what there's a lot of nature going on around this place... Flies, ants, cockroaches, spiders, Indian crickets and so forth. It seems the landlord doesn't believe in using pesticides... ...but I suppose that means they find a scruff bag like me to be a suitable tenant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 love where this is going... a fattie. bet that is going to sound amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2021 13 hours ago, mistermikev said: love where this is going... a fattie. bet that is going to sound amazing! Yes it's funny I had no idea what it would look like until I put the back on, and I had the same thought "this should sound good" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted September 11, 2021 Report Share Posted September 11, 2021 29 minutes ago, Crusader said: Yes it's funny I had no idea what it would look like until I put the back on, and I had the same thought "this should sound good" extra fat extra flavor!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2021 Had a good day, finally a Saturday when nobody called for doors. Started on the back and I'm happy it went smoothly with almost no mistakes Err...actually.... First of alL I drew a plan which I now think is very over-kill but I didn't know that until I'd done it Some of the templates for the top were helpful although I erased the lines I drew a couple of times I thought the top area didn't look right so I dug up the photos for the ES I built a couple of years ago Erased and amended and amended again By the way talking about no mistakes. See the little dot in the middle of the upper bout? Yeah drilled a hole thinking it was a top which would get routered out for the neck Turned out nice, except for that dot but not to worry it will get filled with sawdust 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2021 ^ Its funny I considered using Mahogany for the back but one reason I decided not to is because it would be almost one-piece with 'wings' on the sides. Turns out thats exactly what this looks like anyway! Here is today's efforts, I'm loving it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 12, 2021 Report Share Posted September 12, 2021 Did that heart appear accidentally? No matter either way, I you too! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 Yep that's as far as the drill press can reach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 Got a bit more done today, and then the phone rang so I will be busy working for the rest of the week I scooped the top out behind the tailpiece and finished shaping the back Routered out the love heart then went round the edge freehand... This Turboplane is pretty aggressive, it could do with some type of depth gauge. Could very easily ruin many hours of work It seems like everything I do lately is "on the edge" What would it be like if I lacquered the inside? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 13, 2021 Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 48 minutes ago, Crusader said: What would it be like if I lacquered the inside? Shiny? I suppose it would do no harm, actually on the contrary if you have a similar protecting coat on both sides. Then again if warping due to different moisture absorbtion on the sides was an issue every hollow guitar would have clearcoat both on the inside and outside. Then again laminate table tops made of chipboard tend to have at least some thick paper glued on the hidden side to prevent warping. Maybe it's because a) the board is thick and b) the laminate is also thick. Chipboard swells a lot when exposed to moisture. - I wonder how a solid body guitar would behave if only the top and sides were finished? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted September 13, 2021 Report Share Posted September 13, 2021 7 hours ago, Crusader said: What would it be like if I lacquered the inside? i have done tru oil on the inside of several guitars... more because I figure it is a moderate amount of environmental protection. probably overkill but it can't hurt. I also do tru oil in the truss rod cavity because there is always a hole exposing it... most of that is mitigated by a dab or two of silicon... but again... i figure it can't hurt. the obvious caveat there is - you really don't want it getting anywhere near the glue surface. really love your build. going the extra mile! afa lam tables... I've built an awful lot of convenience counters, bar tops and nurse stations and all were mdf. I think the reason both sides are finished is because they are any edge that gets exposed to moisture is going to be problematic for the structural integrity! mdf will mushroom with the slightest moisture exposure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 @mistermikev exactly that, didn't think about mdf but it's basically the same stuff as chipboard, only made of much smaller chips. For clarification, by chipboard I mean the stuff made of splinters the size of smashed toothpicks, not the one that looks like the chips were made with an axe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 17 hours ago, mistermikev said: I have done tru oil on the inside of several guitars... more because I figure it is a moderate amount of environmental protection. probably overkill but it can't hurt. I also do tru oil in the truss rod cavity because there is always a hole exposing it... most of that is mitigated by a dab or two of silicon... but again... i figure it can't hurt. the obvious caveat there is - you really don't want it getting anywhere near the glue surface. really love your build. going the extra mile! afa lam tables... I've built an awful lot of convenience counters, bar tops and nurse stations and all were mdf. I think the reason both sides are finished is because they are any edge that gets exposed to moisture is going to be problematic for the structural integrity! mdf will mushroom with the slightest moisture exposure. Thank you for your kind words! I have to confess to you and Bizman at first I was making a bit of a joke. The back will be stunning when lacquered but being inside you will never see it LOL. But taking it seriously I think lacquering outside and inside would hamper resonance so using oil is a great idea, cheers! I do think I will have the same problem with cracking in the finish. Both semi's I've built have lots of cracks and the first one has a Qld Maple top While I'm working on it I get really carried away making corners round and so forth and I keep thinking "why not go all the way and make it fully accoustic?" But I'm sticking to the plan for the time being, its a hybrid. I'm experimenting with construction and learning from the previous build (the ES) For example instead of having a block inside like most semi-accoustics, the top is its own block and also the way I've sunk it into the sides it is its own kerfings. I saw a video recently where I think someone else has the same idea - huh! I've got an LR Baggs T-Bridge on its way for this one so I'm hoping to get some truly accoustic sounds as well as fully adjustable intonation 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 40 minutes ago, Crusader said: Thank you for your kind words! I have to confess to you and Bizman at first I was making a bit of a joke. The back will be stunning when lacquered but being inside you will never see it LOL. But taking it seriously I think lacquering outside and inside would hamper resonance so using oil is a great idea, cheers! I do think I will have the same problem with cracking in the finish. Both semi's I've built have lots of cracks and the first one has a Qld Maple top While I'm working on it I get really carried away making corners round and so forth and I keep thinking "why not go all the way and make it fully accoustic?" But I'm sticking to the plan for the time being, its a hybrid. I'm experimenting with construction and learning from the previous build (the ES) For example instead of having a block inside like most semi-accoustics, the top is its own block and also the way I've sunk it into the sides it is its own kerfings. I saw a video recently where I think someone else has the same idea - huh! I've got an LR Baggs T-Bridge on its way for this one so I'm hoping to get some truly accoustic sounds as well as fully adjustable intonation for what it's worth... hook, line and sinker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 1 hour ago, Crusader said: I have to confess to you and Bizman at first I was making a bit of a joke. Sometimes posing a question as a joke can result answers you weren't expecting but may find worthy. Another proof that there's no silly questions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted September 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2021 There's this thing I do with guitars I make, I find the balance point or centre of gravity of the body. I hang it over the edge of a bench and mark where it starts to tip, do the other way round and find the centre of the two lines. I have no idea if there is any logic in this, it just seems like a good idea. The bridge is located near this line This is my LP4 it balances at 244 and the Bridge is at 252, 8mm past With the Big Les Paul I got the top to balance at 253 and I was happy with that but the body balanced at 227mm So I reduced mass at the neck end And now the body balances at the same line as the top. I was happy with 252. Once again I have no idea if this will make any difference but it seems to me that the vibrations in the timber would be in synch with each other The back does not balance at this line and I don't know what to do about that but it's so light I think I will not worry about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 30, 2021 Report Share Posted September 30, 2021 12 minutes ago, Crusader said: I have no idea if this will make any difference but it seems to me that the vibrations in the timber would be in synch with each other There's a logic behind that. If it makes any difference or not is beyond my knowledge but as long as it a) doesn't do any harm and b) makes you happy there's reason enough to do it! Notice that I'm not saying you're wrong here, guess we're in uncharted territory here. For what I've heard the shape of the bottom influences the acoustic sound as do the thickness (from bottom to top) and the location of the sound hole. Even in the case it won't make any difference the logic sounds so solid that you can easily sell the idea - have you ever thought about making a career as a snake oil vendor? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 13 hours ago, Bizman62 said: ...we're in uncharted territory here Precisely! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 I've got the body and top glued now, routed the binding channel and fitted the neck The neck is not glued in yet just held in with a screw. I'm moving the bridge around trying out different Scale Lengths to see if it makes any difference. Its a bit hard to tell with just an open G chord and plunkety plunkety fretted notes for comparison. I'm considering 24.75" 25.5" and 26.22" 26.22" is one fret longer than 24.75 so putting a capo at 1st fret is back to 24.75" Its good for tuning to Eb or even D. The trouble is it will join at the 15th fret which might be hard to get used to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 I forgot some of the comments but I took too long and the ability to edit was gone! I didn't have any wide binding left except for some off-cuts so I had to join it. Its quite visible so I hope I can fix that I've always had trouble getting a good neck joint but this time I used a combination of chisel and router and got it really good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted October 2, 2021 Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Crusader said: I didn't have any wide binding left except for some off-cuts so I had to join it. Its quite visible so I hope I can fix that If it's the acetone melting type you can just make a slurry and blend that in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted October 2, 2021 Report Share Posted October 2, 2021 Don't seem to be able to see any of the photos on your last update mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted October 3, 2021 Report Share Posted October 3, 2021 8 hours ago, ADFinlayson said: Don't seem to be able to see any of the photos on your last update mate. Same here, although yesterday when I commented the pictures were there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.