GREGMW Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Hi all again. Firstly sorry about all the following dumb questions. I am attempting to build a Tele style guitar.This is my first one I have glued 2 pieces of American Ash together -as per my previous post. I find now that since I glued them together (about a week ago) they have slightly cupped probably about .5 mm .They were ok before. Is this normal and what is the solution -if any? They had been cut and machined about 3 weeks before I glued them then let stand. The normal tele body is 1 3/4 (43mm) thick but the boards I have are only 1 5/8 (41mm).Will this matter as far as assembly etc go? If I machine the body to get the cup out of it it will end up even thinner.Should I leave it go till I cut out the body then sand it flat and how flat should it be-does it really need to be 100% perfect? Thanks in advance Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Hmm....the cupping is not uncommon, but it should not happen if you buy good wood that was dried properly. 0.5mm is quite neglegible though.... Concerning your questions: I would cut out the shape of the guitar and then sand it flat. As long as the difference is only .5mm it does not matter at all. The guitar will function perfectly. It's more a question of how high standards you have. If the 0.5mm cupping really annoy you or if they are visible then sand them out. The body does not have to be exact 45mm or something like that. As long as it offers enough "meat" for mounting the neck, you can do any thickness you want. If it was my guitar I would cut out the shape, etc. and remove the .5 mm cupping during sanding/planing the body for finishing....But check the boards over time to make sure they do not cup any further.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREGMW Posted March 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Thanks very much for your reply. I am probably being a little fussy /worried ,but I do want to try to get it right with out to many problems to start with. I will follow your advise .Hopefully it won't cup any more. It was purchased from a pretty good supplier .Maybe I should have left it a bit longer before I glued it. Thanks again Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Yeah, cupping is not uncommon, but I do flatten them out when I catch them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 i would run it thru a planner if you can gain access to one, fastest and most accurate way.... tehn try and get that body sealed with some sanding sealer of some soft.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Second option is to plain it and top it with something else for the added effect even a thin sheet of Mahogany for the back could set it off but then again it's just an idea that would get you back to the origiinal thickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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