henrim Posted August 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 Got the saddles coupled to the intonation adjustment screws. And I received some round brass bars today. I made a test piece for a tuner element. Tuner pieces have M6 fine thread (6x0,75). I had a tap and die for the size but didn’t find a 5,3 mm drill bit anywhere. And couldn’t source one locally. So I did a hack job and attached a dremel, or Proxxon in my case, to the lathe tool post. With zip ties That worked well enough and I was able to grind a 5,5 mm drill bit to correct size. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted August 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2023 Yesterday I got the tuner pieces roughly machined. Quite a few steps for such simple pieces. They still need slots for string ball ends, but I'll first need to finalise the top block to see how they actually fit in. Something I did't quite finalise in my drawings. Also the threaded part is still a bit oversized. I think I'll make the knurled knobs a bit longer though so I decide the final length to fit. The knob I made as a test, has 10 mm diameter but I think I need to make them a bit smaller. Guess I'll go to 9 mm dia. After finishing mechanics I'll cut the frame to final shape and size. And quite likely drill and mill out as much excess weight as I can. Although not everything I would like to get rid of can be shaved at this point. Anyway this prototype, if it works, gives me a better understanding for making refined drawings, which can then be used for having an other iteration cnc'd somewhere. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted August 25, 2023 Report Share Posted August 25, 2023 Great stuff. Precision metalwork is all just on another level!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted August 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 I made the tuner knobs. First I made them 9 mm with knurled surfaces. They were too big, and while I like straight knurls, these were not very good quality. I don’t like to blame tools but my mini lathe just isn’t up to the task. So I turned the knobs smaller and milled grooves to them. For now they will stay like that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 31, 2023 Report Share Posted August 31, 2023 I like the grooves. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted September 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2023 13 hours ago, ScottR said: I like the grooves. SR Yeah, I think they are fine. At least once I get the some bulk shaved off of the bridge body. Anyway I would like to be able to make decent knurling too, but repeatability was really bad this time. Possibly spindle bearings are going bad again on my lathe. I have to investigate that. Or finally get a bigger and better lathe. Mmmm, new lathe... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted September 4, 2023 Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 On 9/1/2023 at 2:28 AM, henrim said: Or finally get a bigger and better lathe. Mmmm, new lathe... Hahaha. That's how I fixed my bandsaw too. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post henrim Posted September 4, 2023 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 4, 2023 Tuners are done and body shaped. I just need to make POM plastic washers between the body and the tuner knobs. Then I need to make saddle pieces. I think I just grind some ss bolts for starters. Then I can mount the thing to somewhere to test it out. Which remains me that there are no mounting holes yet If it works to some degree then the final step is to sand and polish. And probably give it some color (read black) or maybe just treat it with vinegar fumes to get some patina. I’ll need to do some tests. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted October 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2023 Body made of Finnish Pinus sylvestris. Classic Scandinavian minimalist design with natural finish. Yes, a piece of 2x4 for testing the tuners. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted October 20, 2023 Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 Pinus Sylvestris sounds so much tonewoodier than just pine! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted October 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 2 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Pinus Sylvestris sounds so much tonewoodier than just pine! Yes, if it sounds good, it sounds good! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted October 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 Made stainless steel saddle pieces and POM washers for tuner knobs. Or it is still one big washer for all tuners but probably has to be split in six pieces. Otherwise changing one string would require loosening all the knobs. Something I didn’t really think until I put it all together. Anyhow, it’s tuned for the first time (intonation not adjusted) and I put a piece of padouk under the strings to play a few notes. Rock’n’roll. Tuning is a bit on the stiff side. Direct, non-geared tuners are always a bit stiff but these have handmade threads so they are not perfect. I guess I try first polish and oil all the gliding surfaces and if that doesn’t help then maybe put polyamide or pom into the rails. Of course making a “tuning wrench” is always an option. Anyway I’m rather confident that it will work just fine for the purpose. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted October 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2023 After some deburring, filing, cleaning and oiling I have come to a conclusion that this thing will work. But I need to do something with the knobs. An 8 mm socket (which apparently fits pretty well on the knob) without a wrench is enough to make turning pleasant and accurate. Higher strings are fine without but the wound ones, especially D, are uncontrollable to turn as they are right now. Maybe I make new knobs. Little longer and with a bit wider diameter. With finer grip. But fundamentals are there and I can go on building something around the thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asdrael Posted October 22, 2023 Report Share Posted October 22, 2023 Honestly looks great. I love the approach. Have you tried comparing the weight of your unit to the weight of commercial ones at that stage? I see that you want to remove some weight, which is always a good idea. Kinda want it to work out beyond your wildest expectations and have you patent it now 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted October 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 Cheers! I don’t think there is much to patent and if there was the machines in China are already putting these out in quantities. Which would be a win-win, I would get my own design cheap and in decent quality About weight. I haven’t measured or compared it. It’s on the heavier side. There are places where I can take some excess off. But the heaviest part is the bottom part and to shave that to meaningful degree I would have to do more changes than I’m willing to do at this point. Some chambering can still be done. Was I going to remake this I would start with thinner bottom piece. The body on this one will be light so that does compensate some. Although it might be tricky to get the thing in balance since there are no machine heads in the other end. I need to do some experiments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted October 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 The interesting thing about the heavy bridge is how it sounds though. Now that it is mounted to a piece of 2x4 I can already tell that there is a lot of sustain and it has this kind of a “ringing” tone. I think I continue experimenting with the 2x4, mount a pickup in it and shape the block a bit to experiment with balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post henrim Posted October 23, 2023 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 So I thought to make the piece of 2x4 playable. Can’t really carve the pine neck without a support, so I routed a truss rod channel. Did a pickup pocket too and cut a piece of maple for fretboard (didn’t want cut the zebra wood block any further just for testing). I’ll slot and fret the board and then glue in place. Should make a decent test bench. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted October 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 I spent good 15 minutes shaping the neck and radiused the fretboard for another 15 min. I didn’t bother fretting the board because I believe I can get the needed information like this. A bit rough to play, though Bridge kinda works, but as said the knobs can be a little stiff to turn. At some point I’ll make new knobs but now I need to find someone to 3D print me a tuner key as it would be pain to fabricate one for the profile the knobs have. Although not necessary as the 8mm socket works too. But I’d like to try a good size key to see how accurate tuning can be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 I love this process. It bodes well for a great result. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 total respect and I applaud your efforts here. I would'nt know where to begin with metal working. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted November 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Mr. postman brought me this Railhammer pickup today, which I thought would fit nicely in to the design. But I changed the plans and this headless will have a different style body than I originally planned. I'll build the previously presented design as a regular guitar and use this pickup on that. Meanwhile, prototyping goes on. I made a 3 mm aluminium bracket to mount the wings. The bracket will be bolted to the neck from the back. I cut the prototype 2x4 neck narrower and I had to glue strips of wood on both sides to prevent it from cracking while under string tension. The neck will be narrower than a standard humbucker so a EMG style simple block pickup will probably be the style I want to use on this one. Not EMG but that kind of cover. Wings are now plywood but they will be made of wood. I'm thinking about making the lower wing angle adjustable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted November 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2023 Cut stock for the neck/body laminate. Maple and oak. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted March 17 Author Report Share Posted March 17 This one then. I wasn’t going to work on this today but there was this piece of apple tree trunk taking space in my work shop. Has been there for a couple of years. I thought about squaring it a bit to see what I can do with it. Nicely spalted and cracked. My first thought was make wings for this guitar out of it, but I hesitated splitting it. I may do that some day but for now I let it be and wait if I can find some other use for it. This guitar still in my mind I ended up sawing wing halves from an old furniture prototype I did decades ago. It is straight board glued from strips of European ash and painted black. Color will be gone after shaping these. Depending on how they look in the end I will decide how to finish them. Or heat sauna with them if I don’t like how they turn out. We’ll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 17 Report Share Posted March 17 Heating the sauna is always a good "Plan B". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted March 18 Author Report Share Posted March 18 12 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Heating the sauna is always a good "Plan B". Right, although there are those cases when it really should have been the plan A. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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